LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In its final tune-up for the season opener next week against top-ranked Michigan State, No. 2 Kentucky cruised to an 83-51 win over Kentucky State on Friday night at Rupp Arena.
Sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley led three Wildcats in double-figure scoring with 15 points in 19 minutes of action. Freshman wing Kahlil Whitney bounced back from a scoreless showing in the first exhibition game to post 15 points against the Thorobreds, while grad transfer forward Nate Sestina added 13 for UK.
In this Cats Illustrated feature, our staff writers offer their first impressions of the UK victory...
TRAVIS GRAF:
Through two exhibition games, Kentucky looks like a team that will need one of Calipari’s best coaching jobs to get to where they want to be. There’s going to be some inconsistency from a few areas, but other players seem capable of carrying more slack. When the rotation tightens on Tuesday, I expect a lot of three-guard lineups with Keion Brooks and Nate Sestina at the 4 and 5 spots until Nick Richards gets back healthy. Kahlil Whitney showed life tonight, tallying 15 points and hitting multiple jump shots. Ashton Hagans did a great job of running the show, dishing out nine assists to go along with just two turnovers. Quickley was solid once again, and Brooks did a better job boxing out and hitting the glass. Brooks and Whitney are the definite X-factors at this time, and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle a much tougher Michigan State interior next week. E.J. Montgomery came on strong at the end of the game, but he appears to be quite the project this season. He doesn’t have to score many points, but he must rebound at a very high level.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
UK's half-court offense left a lot to be desired but the pressure defense from those guards led to a lot of turnovers and easy baskets. The rebounding seemed to improve in the second half. My initial way-too-early take is this team will go as far as its half-court offensive execution will take it. Before the season I thought I had a pretty good idea as to who the best players on this team would be. Two exhibitions in and I have no clue. Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Tyrese Maxey, and Nate Sestina have looked like the best, most confident, most productive players so far, but you could still see Johnny Juzang, Kahlil Whitney, and Keion Brooks working their way up to that level. Sestina has been a positive surprise, E.J. Montgomery has left quite a bit to be desired, and Whitney bounced back well enough tonight that we can ignore his poor opener.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
This was a largely forgettable game, even by exhibition standards. I'm not sure we learned much of anything about Kentucky in this one. On a positive note, the Cats hit the boards harder and wound up with a 43-33 rebounding advantage. You could tell there was a big emphasis on that coming off the Georgetown College game in which the NAIA program outrebounded UK by six. But I'm not sure that means anything when the battle on the glass escalates quickly on Tuesday night against Michigan State. E.J. Montgomery is still struggling a bit and needs a confidence boost in a hurry. It was good to see Kahlil Whitney bounce back with a strong performance (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots) after being almost invisible in the first exhibition game. Physically, he is really impressive and should be a stat-stuffer on a nightly basis, even if his shot isn't falling.
