The Kentucky vs. Kansas sport was not a completely excellent sport however showcased fairly a couple of potential first-round draft picks and even some second-round guys.
Right here’s a recap of how they performed and what to search for the remainder of the season from these guys.
Kentucky
Rob Dillingham
The 6-foot-3 level guard out of Time beyond regulation was completely spectacular on this sport off the bench. He overshadowed the guard play of the starters and would have been on the ground longer if wasn’t in foul bother for a lot of the second half. He completed with 18 factors on 4-of-5 taking pictures from past the arc to go along with two boards, three assists, and two steals. The offense flowed easily for Kentucky when he was on the ground and his protection was fairly strong when he wasn’t fouling the opposite workforce. He might be somebody to control if he steals away the beginning job from DJ Wagner (who struggled mightily on this sport).
Reed Sheppard
Like Dillingham, Sheppard got here off the bench and made the offense run fairly easily when he was within the sport. He completed with 13 factors, 4 steals, and one help. He was spectacular on the defensive finish, sticking together with his man effectively and never fouling an excessive amount of. That shouldn’t come as a shock as his mother and father, Jeff and Stacey, have been Kentucky legends in their very own proper. He has phenomenal really feel for the sport and made the appropriate play all night time outdoors of two moments within the sport. He may develop into a shock one-and-done if he continues to play like this for the season.
Justin Edwards
The 6-foot-8 freshman is at or close to the highest of many draft boards proper now. This was not a sport that solidified his place, nonetheless. He was invisible for a lot of the sport and completed with just one level on six missed pictures. Edwards didn’t make any main errors however didn’t go away the type of mark on the sport {that a} participant of his caliber is able to leaving, particularly in a sport of that magnitude. He clearly has a methods to go, however did discover methods to make an affect defensively. As soon as his shot begins falling, he ought to discover himself sitting atop extra draft boards.
DJ Wagner
The freshman level guard struggled on this sport. He couldn’t appear to beat his defender off the dribble. Wagner wasn’t actually discovering teammates and didn’t end on the rim effectively. He went 1-of-12 on his taking pictures and made two of his 4 free throws. One good signal is that he didn’t have any turnovers within the sport. Nevertheless, he should work out the right way to beat even higher defenders than Dejuan Harris — an All-Huge 12 defender in his personal proper — down the road.
Kansas
Hunter Dickinson
The 7-footer had the fortune of enjoying in opposition to a Kentucky workforce that didn’t have any of its personal 7-footers obtainable. All three have been sidelined with accidents. That allowed him to feast for 27 factors and 21 rebounds. It was the primary time since 2003 {that a} Kansas participant had recorded a 20-20 sport in opposition to a top-25 opponent. The participant in 2003? Nick Collison. Dickinson sealed effectively, grabbed some offensive rebounds for robust putbacks, and confirmed why he was such a coveted seize within the switch portal. One of many few flaws that’s simply considered for Dickinson is his lack of foot pace and the way that hampers him as a defender on the subsequent degree.
Kevin McCullar
This was a basic McCullar sport. He didn’t shoot the ball significantly effectively (3-of-11 from the ground and 0-of-3 from past the arc), however he nonetheless ended up with a triple-double. McCullar discovered his teammates in transition, set them up extremely effectively within the halfcourt, and performed solidly for his complete time on the court docket. He’s trying to take a Jalen Wilson-like leap himself this yr as he turns into the main target of the backcourt for this Kansas workforce. This was definitely an excellent begin.
Keep tuned for extra faculty basketball protection on Challenge Spurs.
