The Kentucky Basketball team was able to raise its record to 2-1 this season thanks to five Wildcats scoring in double figures in the 96-58 win over North Dakota.
After the game these were some of the key post game notes for the team and individual play.
Team Records and Series Notes
· Both teams are 2-1 on the season.
· This was the first meeting between the teams.
· Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats will host Virginia Military Institute on Sunday for the second of the four-game Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase. That game is slated for a 6 p.m. tip on the SEC Network.
In the First Half
· Kentucky started Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington and Reid Travis for the second game in a row.
· The teams traded scores early, and after two ties and five lead changes, UK held a 17-16 lead seven minutes into the contest.
· At that point, UK took control with a 15-0 run for a 32-16 lead.
· The Wildcats finished the half with a 7-0 spurt for a 46-25 score, also representing the team’s largest lead of the opening period.
· Six Wildcats scored in the first half. Buoyed by a career-high two 3-pointers, P.J. Washington led the scoring with 10 points.
In the Second Half
· Kentucky opened the second stanza with Quickley, Herro, Johnson, Travis and Richards.
· A 10-0 spurt early in the half pushed the score to 60-32.
· With 13:32 left, a North Dakota player missed two free throws, winning free Chick-fil-A for all in attendance!
· UK led by as many as 38 points, coming at the final score of 96-58.
Team Notes
· It was UK’s best shooting night of the young season, making 53.2 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent at the free-throw line.
· UK dominated the rebounding, 45-15, leading to a 16-0 advantage in second-chance points.
· All five starters scored in double figures. The last time five Cats scratched for double digits was Feb. 28 vs. Ole Miss.
· With a win tonight, Kentucky has now notched a win against teams from all 50 states.
o North Dakota was the lone state from which the Wildcats had never played an opponent.
o North Dakota is one of five states that UK has played only one opponent, the other four being Delaware, New Mexico, South Dakota and Vermont.
o Tennessee – not Kentucky – is the state that Kentucky has played more games, won more contests and dropped more matchups against than any other state because of Southeastern Conference rivals Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
o Connecticut is the only state (3-4) that UK has a losing record against.
· The win marked the 45th consecutive home win over an unranked AP poll nonconference opponent.
o UK is now 225-38 under John Calipari against unranked competition.
· UK is now 5-5 as a No. 10-ranked team under Calipari.
· UK improved to 235-5 (.979) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any point in the game.
· The Wildcats are now 154-7 (.957) under Calipari’s direction when limiting the opponent to 63 points or fewer.
· Kentucky continues to earn a lot of free throws and is averaging 31.7 attempts per game.
Player Notes
· It was 25 for 25 tonight as No. 25 P.J. Washington had a career-high 25 points.
· Included was a career-high for 3-pointers as he made 4-of-5 from long range.
· Had the big night despite playing just 17 minutes.
· Keldon Johnson notched Kentucky’s first double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
· He’s the lone Wildcat to score in double figures in all three games this season.
· Tyler Herro scored 18 points while pilfering five steals.
· Five steals is only one short of the most in the Calipari. The last Wildcat with five was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 NCAA Tournament vs. Davidson.
· Immanuel Quickley tallied 12 points and added four assists.
· Reid Travis completed the double-figure scoring with 11 points while contributing seven rebounds.
· Quade Green had six points and distributed a game-high five assists.
Calipari
· Calipari is now 277-65 at UK.
· Calipari has a 722-205 all-time on-court record.
· He is now 20 wins away from tying Joe B. Hall for the second-most victories by a UK head coach in program history.
