The Kentucky Wildcats opened up their season tonight as they welcomed the Nicholls Colonels to Lexington and Rupp Arena. In what was a sub-par game from the Cats, they ended up knocking off the Colonels, 77-51.
If you were expecting offense in the first half, well, you tuned into the wrong game. Similar to the Georgetown game, the Cats struggled to get rolling at any point offensively, looking discombobulated for the first 20 minutes on that end of the floor. Add that in with some more poor shooting from three, and it was not a pretty sight in Lexington. Luckily, their defense has continued to trend upwards, allowing the Cats to take a 13-point lead into the locker room.
Thankfully, the second half was the complete opposite of the first. The Cats found some rhythm on offense, while finally seeing some shots go through the net. Add that in with the defense continuing to shut down Nicholls, and the Cats really opened this one up in the final 20 minutes.
Basketball season is back, and it feels so good to be 1-0.
Now let’s look at four things to know from tonight’s win.
No Jaland Lowe; Denzel Aberdeen returns
The biggest storyline over the last few weeks has been the health of Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen. After missing the last game against Georgetown, the duo was questionable heading into Tuesday morning, until Jeff Goodman dropped his report of Lowe officially being out and Aberdeen being a game-time decision.
It was nice to see Aberdeen out on the court, but it is very obvious this Kentucky team needs a true point guard to run the show. Let’s hope we get to see Lowe take the court on Friday against Valparaiso.
Last season, the Cats struggled on the defensive end of the court. Well, so far, you can see Mark Pope and his staff made that a point of emphasis for this roster this season.
Locking down a Nicholls team that has won 20 games the last two seasons, it was impressive how the team defended individually, as well as implementing team defense.
If the Cats want to make the deep run many expect they can do, the defense will need to continue to trend in this direction, especially if the shooting and offense don’t get in rhythm any time soon.
Offense struggles early, finds rhythm in second half
The biggest fear for the BBN entering tonight’s game is that the offense would carry over from the Georgetown loss in the regular season. Especially without Lowe and a fully healthy Aberdeen, could the Cats find any semblance of a pulse on offense? Early in tonight’s game, they could not.
Now, on the flip side, coming out of the half, the Cats really started clicking on offense. Including knocking down plenty of threes to help stop that storyline.
It is obvious, though, that while Lowe is out, Aberdeen has to be the point guard for this team. The pace and the style of play this team plays with while he is running the point is just night and day compared to the other options.
There are a lot of bad takeaways you could take from this game, as the Cats really didn’t look crisp for the full 40 minutes tonight. However, there is one major plus… it is only game one.
This Kentucky roster has a ton of experience mixed with a plethora of young talent. When those two mix together, it might take the chemistry some time to build. You could see that on offense, while the team is way ahead on the defensive end of the floor.
All in all, this team is still really good. Just need to get their footing as they head into next week and their date with the Louisville Cardinals. If the second half is any indication, they seem to be on their way to really getting the train rolling.
Now, let’s celebrate this win!
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