4 Takeaways: Kentucky Basketball v. Mizzou
By Luke Bennett
Takeaway #3: Immanuel Quickley is developing into one of our best players
It was as if the CD was on repeat.
As soon as Nick Richards checked out, fouling out after accruing a handful of whistles for scuffles with Missouri’s Tillmon, it was suddenly the ‘Immanuel Quickley Show’. And in many ways, it was his show all along, we just weren’t as surprised.
Backing up a career-high 18 points in the win against Louisville, Quickley blazed a new high of 23 on 4 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc, including a perfect 9 for 9 on free throws. Halfway through the second half, Richards and Quickley accounted for 34 of Kentucky’s 48 points.
Similar to Nick Richards, this marks back-to-back incredible performances for Immanuel. In the Louisville game, not only did Quickley fire off 18 crucial points, he did the most valuable thing of the game – shut down Jordan Nwora.
"“You can’t get away from what it takes to master my craft. What do I want to do in the game? Then you’ve got to be able to master that. So that when I do it in the game, I can do it. I’m not turning it over. I’m not — I know it,” said Calipari. “The point of being able to stay in the game — and I’m telling all of them. Last game we played Louisville, what did I tell my team? Whoever could guard who? Which guy? (Nwora) Whoever could guard Nwora was staying in the game. Those two had their chances. The guy that went in and guarded him the best, Immanuel Quickley, so I left him in. You won’t believe this — we’re trying to win.”"
Quickley is becoming a triple-threat. He can defend, providing a sizeable, lockdown option to counter Hagans. He can score from the wings, slashing, and spotting up, especially from the corners. And he can draw contact and sink free throws with the best of them.
This last one is where we will stop to examine Quickley.
As we all know, Quickley’s free-throw routine, characterized by tightly shut eyes and deep breaths, has proven deadly. The sophomore guard is on a free-throw rampage. His flawless 9 for 9 performance from the free-throw line extends his season total to 46 of 48 on the season, for a cool 95.8%. Remember Tyler Herro, free-throw mogul and record-setter? He only shot a mere 93.5%.
Quickley’s excellence at the line pushes Kentucky to fifth in the country at a collective 80.1%. The 2019-2020 team’s current mark would make it Calipari’s best free-throw shooting team in his career, Memphis and Massachusetts included.
"Cal’s final words on Quickley: “I’m saying that Immanuel played great. He’s guarding better. He’s rebounding better.”"
Worth noting:
- Quickley briefly left the game after an apparent finger-jam. It turns out the issue may be a tad more serious. For precautionary purposes, Quickley will have an X-Ray on the affected (non-shooting) hand.