LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky got a bit more than it bargained for in its final exhibition tune-up for a marquee matchup with Duke to open the season next week at Madison Square Garden.
“Oh, they tuned us up," UK head coach John Calipari quipped after the No. 11 Wildcats had to come from behind for an 80-71 win over Division II Miles College on Friday night at Rupp Arena. "Miles tuned us up."
The Golden Bears knocked down 11 of 15 shots from 3-point range in the first half and held a stunning 46-39 lead at halftime before the Cats fought back for a much tougher-than-expected victory.
Kentucky used a 22-2 run midway through the second half to regain control of the game. The comeback was sparked by junior transfer point guard Sahvir Wheeler, whose relentless on-ball defense disrupted Miles College in the second half and kept the Golden Bears from finding the 3-point rhythm they had earlier in the game.
"I thought Sahvir, defensively, was ridiculous," Calipari said. "It's hard to play that way for 30 minutes or more, but he did it."
“Energy," Miles College coach Fred Watson said of Wheeler. "I was saying the kid is going to wear down eventually, and he just never wore down
"He is a pro defender. That is the best that I have seen. You cannot get by him, and he doesn’t foul. So, we figured, just attack him, and still doesn’t foul. You can’t get past him; he’s as strong as an ox. He is a tough defender.”
Miles College players paid Wheeler similar compliments, referring to him both as a "pest" and a "game-changer."
Wheeler was one of four Cats in double figures on the night with 15 points to go along with six assists and a pair of steals. Backcourt mates TyTy Washington and Kellan Grady followed with 15 and 13 points, respectively. The UK trio combined to go 8-for-10 from the 3-point arc.
Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin, playing for the first time in the preseason coming off an injury, added 12 points. Junior transfer center/forward Oscar Tshiebwe scored just four points for Kentucky but pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
"We have to have some post presence," Calipari said in looking ahead to Tuesday's opener. "You guys know what I say when you have no post presence. You've got to be able to throw it there and get a couple easy baskets. So, it's both defensively and offensively. And) you got to have gang rebounding to have a chance."
Kentucky held a modest 37-31 advantage on the glass.
Miles College was led by Roger Davis with 14 points. Brandon Miller and Yasim Hooker each added 11 in a valiant effort by the HBCU visitors. The trio combined for eight of the Golden Bears’ 15 made 3-pointers.
“This isn’t only for Miles," Miller said. "This is for all HBCUs. You don’t really see HBCUs come in here and stick with Kentucky. That’s crazy. A dream came true for every single one of us. We just hope that we made everybody outside of Miles, outside of the HBCU community, we just hope we made you guys proud.”
*****
In this Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
GAMEBALL:
Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky - The transfer point guard sparked the Cats' comeback with his trademark pressure defense and finished with an impressive overall line of 15 points, six assists, and two steals.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Ever meeting between Kentucky and Miles College on the hardwood.
7 of 14 - Free-throw shooting by Kentucky. The Cats are 15 of 27 (55.5%) at the line in their two exhibition games.
11 of 19 - Kentucky hit 57.9% of its 3-point attempts, prompting John Calipari to suggest perhaps they need to shoot a few more moving forward.
37-31 - The Cats were only +6 in the rebounding column against the smaller Golden Bears. UK was only +8 in the first exhibition game against Kentucky Wesleyan.
22:08 - Time that Miles College held the lead in front of a stunned Rupp Arena crowd of 17,814.
QUOTABLE:
"Sahvir doesn't get tired. I don't know how, but I've never seen him get tired." -- UK forward Jacob Toppin on Sahvir Wheeler's relentless on-ball defense.
UP NEXT:
The Cats open the regular season with a made-for-TV clash against the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tipoff is slated for 9:30 ET on ESPN.
