Kentucky basketball pulls away from New Mexico State: 3 Takeaways
Kentucky basketball got off to a 1-0 start in the 2023-24 campaign after an 86-46 blowout win over New Mexico State.
The Cats were only up 12 points at the half but came out of the second half gates storming, starting on a 22-6 run. That widened the gap enough to be too much for the Aggies to come back from, as the Wildcats ran away with a 40-point win.
Five Wildcats finished with at least 10 points. Rob Dillingham came off the bench but had a team-high 17 points in 19 minutes of action. Reed Sheppard also delivered a dozen in relief. DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, and Antonio Reeves all chipped in to lead the starting five with 36 combined points.
It was a full team effort as the Cats outrebounded the Aggies by 10, dished out 7 more assists, and came away with 13 steals. Kentucky only turned the ball over 6 times, a dream of any college basketball coach, especially on opening night.
Despite a slow start, Kentucky basketball eventually showed its talent and took home a good win against an NMSU squad.
Takeaway #1: Kentucky basketball will play fast, and take a lot of shots
It’s clear that John Calipari wants this team to get out and RUN.
It’s only one game of sample size, but the Wildcats ranked 25th in the country in offensive efficiency and 15th in FGAR, which measures how many shots a team takes per 100 trips upcourt.
Of course, forcing 13 turnovers will lead to more shots, but throughout the game, UK looked to push off defensive rebounds and beat the Aggies down the court.
UK took 65 shots, which was tied for the 55th most on Monday. The impressive part? They made 32 of them, good for 27th. It’s one thing to take a lot of shots, but it’s another thing to make them. Kentucky did both on Monday night.
Takeaway #2: Rob Dillingham might be the best sixth man in the country
How many teams can bring a 5-star recruit off the bench? Kentucky might be one of one, and Dillingham showed how much of a game-changer that can be.
The highly-rated recruit led the Wildcats in points, grabbed 5 boards, and dished out 3 assists. He also didn’t commit a single turnover in 19 minutes. It might only be one game of sample size, but that’s an excellent debut for any freshman.
Kentucky has so many great guards, so Dillingham won’t need to have games like that every time. DJ Wagner and Antonio Reeves already form an impressive starting backcourt in their own right. But Dillingham should be put in that same breath, regardless if he starts or not.
Takeaway #3: The freshmen had perfect debuts
It’s actually jaw-dropping how well the UK freshmen played. For such a big freshman class, I’m sure the expectation would have been for a few of the newcomers to play well and a few to not be there quite yet.
That prediction would have been dead wrong. Here’s how all of the key Kentucky freshmen played:
- Rob Dillingham: 17 points (6-of-11 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
- DJ Wagner: 13 points (6-of-13 FG), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals
- Justin Edwards: 12 points (5-of-11 FG), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
- Reed Sheppard: 12 points (4-of-6 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
- Jordan Burks: 7 points (3-of-3 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Every single UK freshman in the rotation made at least 3 shots and shot at least 45% from the field. They also all contributed defensively, each coming away with a steal. Four of them had at least 2 steals. Finally, all 5 Wildcats freshmen had at least 2 rebounds, and all but Burks dished out an assist.
Coach Cal demands a lot and I’m sure he’ll still nitpick some things. Wagner only hit one of five threes. Edwards had 3 turnovers. But those are such minor things, it’s actually insane how well the five freshmen played. Once Aaron Bradshaw joins the mix, he’ll have quite the debut to live up to!