Kentucky had a number of players who performed at a high level against Georgia in Tuesday night's big win in Athens.
Here are Cats Illustrated's game grades for each contributing Wildcat.
| Player | Grade | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
Ashton Hagans | B- | It was not one of Hagans' best games of the season. He was 3/10 from the floor in the first half and cut back on the shooting in the second. Hagans had 13 points (4/12 FG), two rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Defense was the best part of what he did against the Bulldogs. |
Tyrese Maxey | A+ | Maxey has had higher scoring outputs but his 17 points on 7/15 FG were impressive. He was aggressive in putting the ball on the floor to get to the rim. He was also an excellent rebounder, grabbing seven boards, and dished out eight assists. It was maybe his best all-around game of the season. Maxey had four blocks as well. |
Immanuel Quickley | A | This was exactly what Kentucky needs from Quickley: Reliable defense, scoring spark, and some help on the glass. He made a lot of plays in the open court and is one of the reasons Kentucky's backcourt absolutely owned the night. The only downside to Quickley's night is UK was -11 when he was on the court, by far the worst on the team. But sometimes that doesn't tell the story of what a player did individually. |
Keion Brooks | C | Brooks opened the game with a couple of buckets and that was promising but he was very quiet after that. In 14 minutes Brooks had six points, one rebound, and two turnovers. |
Kahlil Whitney | F | Zero points, zero field goal attempts, one rebound, one block, and two fouls in 11 minutes of game time, during which Kentucky was outscored by eight points. Much progress is needed. |
Nate Sestina | B- | Sestina struggled defensively but was an asset on the glass (7 rebounds) and scored eight points. He was a stable presence in the post. |
EJ Montgomery | C | Montgomery struggled to be strong with the basketball and was not a factor offensively (two points, 1/3 FG) but he did grab seven rebounds in 21 minutes, which was an improvement from what he has often provided on the glass. |
Nick Richards | B+ | He continues to be, along with Hagans, one of Kentucky's two most valuable players. Richards' 17 points came on 8/11 shooting. He had seven rebounds as well. There was again some foul trouble and that limited him to 25 minutes. When he was out of the game the tide turned in UGA's favor in the first half, so Richards has to stay on the court. He also had four turnovers. |
