In our regular Cats Illustrated postgame feature, our staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 102-40 exhibition win over Mexican professional squad Tec de Monterrey on Thursday night at Baha Mar in the Bahamas...
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
I wouldn't read much at all into this game, but there were some numbers that are worth highlighting. Sahvir Wheeler had 10 assists and one turnover. He was the team's +/- leader and was obviously in complete command in terms of picking his spots and shooters. Kentucky had three players with with 10 or more rebounds. Chris Livingston really impresses me. He seems to know his strengths and abilities very well and stays within that, or has so far. He has taken high percentage shots and has found ways to impact the game beyond scoring. He reminds me a bit of a couple of guys Duke has had come through. Monterrey Tech gets a tip of the hat for participating and helping to make the trip a reality but that's as bad a team as I've seen the Cats play.
TRAVIS GRAF:
It’s impossible to take much — if anything — away from this game, but it was nice to see Sahvir Wheeler bounce back and play with poise after a rough game yesterday. When the game is up and down, there’s no better engine to push the pace than Wheeler. Having a bad game is tough, but coming out and playing his game and not letting it string into two bad games showed some mental toughness on his end. His 14 points and 10 assists to only one turnover was a bright spot, especially in a game where it would’ve been easy to get carried away and try to make highlight plays instead of the right plays against an inferior opponent.
DAVID SISK:
Take your pick on who impressed the most tonight, but Chris Livingston’s consistency across the board has been impressive over two games. He has a double-double tonight of 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also had assists and two steals in 18 minutes of play. He just doesn’t have many weaknesses. Livingston positively impacts the game in many ways. He defends, and although he is built like a defensive end he closes into passing lanes like a cornerback. How about efficiency? He was 5-of-6 from the field tonight, and 10-of-13 through the first two games. He is also 4-6 from three-point territory. The bottom line is Livingston makes winning plays, and that is what will travel in March.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
Another tough one to gauge based on the level of competition -- the Cats reeled off a 43-7 run in the second half -- so I'll focus on a nice performance that stood out regardless of who was in the other uniforms. Chris Livingston (14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 steals) is a guy who has me really intrigued after these first two games in the Bahamas, perhaps moreso than any freshman that UK has signed in the last 5-6 years. Physically, he looks like a guy who has been on campus for a couple of years. And at that size, he's able to do so many things well: he handles the ball smoothly; he sees the floor and passes it well; he can finish off the bounce; he can shoot the 3; he is disruptive in the passing lanes with his length and athleticism; he can rebound and block shots. He has the look of a "glue guy" or a "stat stuffer" for this UK team.