REPORT CARD: UK 71, UF 70

Tyrese Maxey

B

How does a player who shot 1/11 from the floor and scored only seven points in a leading role deserve anything above a "C"? Simple: Maxey was indispensible, with Hagans out and Quickley in foul trouble, and he ran the offense. He was perfect from the line (4/4), grabbed five rebounds, dished out seven assists, and only turned it over one time in 39 minutes. This was an example of a player who simply did not have his shot but persevered through it to make huge contributions.

Immanuel Quickley

B-

Quickley was having an efficient offensive game (5/8 FG, 12 points) before fouling out. He hit both of his three-pointers. But he committed three turnovers and was only able to stay on the court for 21 minutes, frankly because of some questionable offensive foul calls.

Johnny Juzang

A

Kentucky was +8 in Juzang's 33 minutes and he led the team in that respect. He scored 10 points with 2/4 three-point shooting. Juzang had two boards and only a single turnover. Like Keion Brooks and Nate Sestina, Juzang was part of a major supporting cast effort and had a big role in the win.

Keion Brooks

A+

This was arguably Keion Brooks' best game as a Kentucky Wildcat. He only had three rebounds, which doesn't approach his best effort in that regard especially since he played 27 minutes, but Brooks made a huge difference with his 10 points (4/5 FG, 2/2 3-pt), as they seemed to come in the most important moments, when Kentucky was turning the momentum and finishing the win. He did not commit a single turnover and had two steals. This performance bodes very well for his future at Kentucky.

Nate Sestina

B+

Nate Sestina seems to play his best in some of Kentucky's biggest, most important moments. He was an efficient 3/5 FG for nine points and had six rebounds with five of them coming on the offensive end of the court. He was not great on defense but he was also good enough that he wasn't a huge liability.

EJ Montgomery

C+

It's surprising that Kentucky was able to win with everything that was working against it coupled with Montgomery having such a quiet game, but it happened. Montgomery didn't do a lot of "bad" in the game but in 24 minutes he only had four points (2/4 FG) and two rebounds.

Nick Richards

A-

It sure didn't look like Richards would be getting this grade in the first half, when he struggled to alter shots at the rim, was beat off the dribble, and couldn't convert shots in the paint. But when it mattered, in the second half during Kentucky's comeback bid, Richards was outstanding. He finished with 19 points (8/18 FG) with seven rebounds and three turnovers. The fact that he came up so big when the game was decided means he deserves high marks.