Takeaway #2: Junior Nick Richards is the best Nick Richards
What the hell did we just see?
That was the common reaction to Nick Richard’s performance in the first half against Missouri. His first-half stat line read: 18 minutes, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 0 fouls. Finally, Cats fans were given tangible, believable evidence that Nick Richards was capable – and should be held accountable for – elite levels of basketball.
We were given hints of it earlier in the year. Maybe you saw it after his 12 and 10 performance against Farleigh Dickinson, his fourth double-double in seven games. Or maybe you saw it against Louisville where the big man posted 13 points (including seven straight in overtime), 10 rebounds, and 11 drawn fouls, most of which occurred when Richard’s had four fouls.
But every time we witnessed the great Nick Richards, he would convince us to not believe it.
Backing up his four double-doubles following the FDU game, Nick Richards went on to post 12 points and four rebounds against a particularly small Georgia Tech squad. Then, he backed that up with a total of seven points and four rebounds in the two Las Vegas losses against Utah and Ohio State.
So, which Nick Richards do we believe?
After watching the 7-foot Jamaican’s epic performance, his second jaw-dropping game in a row, it is hard not to believe in his progress. His success is becoming so commonplace, at least in the eyes of the staff and players, that Calipari hardly mentioned the big man in his postgame presser.
Coach Cal’s on if he is comfortable saying Nick has finally broken through:
"“Well, here’s the problem. Why would you get in a back and forth with another player when you’re playing that well? So he hasn’t come through all the way. Like you have to really look at it and say, why would I go on a back and forth? I’m playing out of my mind — rebounding every ball, making shots, making jump shots, making free-throws, making jump hooks, a big rebound stick back that he got. I mean, I’m proud of him, but, again, now it’s time to — he’s never been this guy. “So if I’m watching our game and I’m a coach of another team, would you stick in a bad player and say grab his shorts, push him a little bit? Wouldn’t you? You’d put in a bad player and push him and shove him, and he pushes back and double technicals, and all of a sudden he’ll get out of the game. He doesn’t have the composure because he’s never been this guy. Now he’s this guy, you have a different responsibility. But he did great. I’m proud of him.”"
Yesterday’s goliath performance was a great barometer, we KNOW Nick Richards is good, scratch that, great. He has the ability to be one of the best big men in the country, and moreover, if Nick Richards can keep producing double-doubles and captaining Kentucky’s defensive front, there will be few teams that can stop the Wildcats come March.