Kentucky basketball lowers Bahama boom on Dominican team – what we learned

Super freshmen Wallace, and Livingston live up to their billing

Freshman Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston brought all the hype and future NBA talk with them and showed why.

Wallace appears to be the floor leader and ball handler when Wheeler isn’t in the game. When Wheeler went down with an injury after appearing to bump knees with a Dominican player Wallace stepped in and the offense never sputtered.

He was 6-for13 shooting including 1 of 4 from three and had five rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks.

Livingston tallied 11 points on 3 of 4 long-range shots, grabbed eight rebounds, and handed our four assists.

Solid contributors, leaders, and no doubt probably next season’s NBA selections.

CJ Fredrick limited minutes as expected but looks ready

CJ Fredrick, who missed all of last season after transferring in from Iowa, returned to the floor for the first time.  While the stat line only reads 1 rebound and four assists with zero points it’s clear the Wildcats will need him to be a knock-down shooter from outside.

Once the senior knocks them down in games it will open things up so much down low. He hits nothing but net when warming up and in practice.

He was limited in playing time for a reason, but he moved well played great defense as predicted and I would expect him to launch more shots in tonight’s game.

Toppin and Ware are solid and always play well together

You can’t deny the energy and had nose play Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware each bring when they check in, but for some reason dating back to last year, they always seem to play well together.

Ware is the enforcer and the clear backup to Tshiebwe who has gotten better and better at taking up space and scoring as well. He had 11 points and a pair of rebounds.

Toppin chipped in with eight points and a team-high three steals. He is all over the place and has bulked up tremendously.

Oh and don’t forget the beautiful 360-degree slam.

Kentucky is back in action Thursday night against Mexico

The Wildcats return to the Baha Mar Grand Ballroom court on Friday vs. Tech de Monterrey (Mexico). That game will tip at 7 p.m. EST on the SEC Network with Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw calling it.

This is game two of the Bahamas Tour with a Friday break and games Saturday night and Sunday at noon.