23-9; 13-5, tied for second in the Southeastern Conference
You know one thing for certain when Kentucky takes the floor this year: you will be entertained. These Cats are young – as they often have been under iconic head coach John Calipari. They have dealt with injuries – especially up front – for much of the year, had to wait months to get one of their star freshmen eligible to play, and of course the choppy waters of the SEC are not easy ones to sail.
Despite the ups and downs of youth and missing pieces, as they have so often under ‘Coach Cal’, Kentucky has rounded into form down the stretch. The kids aren’t exactly rookies anymore, and the frontcourt is healthier than ever. March has come, and three Cats are set to put on a show.
The biggest strength of this team is an extremely strong strength: Kentucky is absolutely loaded with excellent, exciting guards. So many of them that, at times, Calipari can hardly get them all onto the floor often enough. After being the subject of some consternation among Big Blue Nation this summer, Antonio Reeves has had a resounding success of a 5th-year senior season. After a summer spent ascending further into stardom at 2023’s GLOBL Jam in Canada, and translated an MVP performance there straight into one of the best seasons of any scoring guard in the country. The elder statesman of Kentucky’s backcourt, Reeves placed third in the SEC in both scoring and made three’s. Reeves has provided elite reliability by going for 20+ points in 19 different games – including seven straight to finish the season. By forcing every opponent on the schedule to spend valuable resources and defensive attention towards crashing into screens in Reeves’ wake, he spaces the floor and allows the youngsters to be their best selves, too.
And such youngsters they are. Kentucky has two quite different and yet wonderfully complimentary freshman playmakers who, despite starting just six games combined all year, have in many ways become the engine of the Wildcats. Rob Dillingham – the one they justifiably call ‘Thrillingham’ – and Kentucky native Reed Sheppard have proven to have the game, confidence, and advanced approach to take on anything. Dillingham is the smaller, slighter guard, and possesses rare stop/start agility and quickness. When allowed to get into the paint, Dillingham can create virtually any shot off of the bounce. He will finish around the rim like an acrobat or by putting all sorts of English on the ball; or by simply forcing his way through traffic. Dillingham’s electric drive game is made that much more effective by the fact that he’s also a terrific shooter. By percentage, Dillingham has actually been better than the ultra-dangerous Reeves: 44.5% for the kid versus 44.0% from the veteran. Sheppard, though, has ’em both beat. The London, KY, product has torched the nets for a completely ridiculous 52.6% rate from the land of trey on the ninth-most makes in the SEC – it’s no surprise that the Wildcats shoot better than 41% from deep as a team, the best mark anywhere in America. Sheppard also ranked third in the league in assists while leading the SEC in steals. As a defender, Sheppard has the mind of a ten-year NBA veteran and routinely reacts faster than anyone else on the floor. Despite standing 6’3″, he’s a highly effective shot blocker whose anticipation of what offensive players are going to do sees Sheppard constantly at the heart of the action, making plays.
The Wildcats have a couple more terrific freshmen in the rotation, and on most teams, DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards would each be the story of the season. They have been starters all year, having shown up in Lexington with NBA-type bodies and athleticism to burn. Wagner’s bond with Calipari is a deep one; DJ’s father, DaJuan, starred for Calipari during his own college days. He hasn’t been the deep threat that his teammates are, but Wagner has posted an 88:42 assist to turnover ratio out of the gates and allows Calipari tremendous options in mixing and matching lineups. Edwards is a bigger wing player with an advanced scoring approach. Capable of really getting to the rack or ripping off three’s, Edwards is an x-factor like few teams can boast: just a few weeks ago, Kentucky’s sixth-leading scorer went 10 for 10 from the field in a 28-point performance against Alabama.
With the biggest of Kentucky’s bigs in and out of the lineup, sophomore Adou Thierro was one of Kentucky’s most important players to start the year. He missed a few weeks in January also, but Thierro has proven to be a very hard worker defensively and on the offensive glass who brings legitimate skills of his own. He’s a paint-focused big wing and another mismatch option, and Thierro’s 16 points & 13 rebounds in a great back-and-forth game against Kansas in November showed just the type of impact he can make.
The most experienced of Calipari’s post players, Tre Mitchell also played the most games – but even he missed a couple of weeks due to injury. A natural 4-man, Mitchell can do some of everything in and around the paint. He’s a very talented passer, can step out to splash a three, moves quickly under the rim and has developed quality footwork to confound more physical defenders. With 115 starts under his belt and plenty of postseason experience, Mitchell will be counted on for lots of vital minutes in the NCAA Tournament.
Ugonna Onyenso is joined by freshmen Aaron Bradshaw and Zvonimir Ivišić at the pivot, and while it’s a young group, this group provides tremendous length, mobility, and rim protection. Despite missing nine games, Onyenso placed fifth in the SEC in blocked shots. As a team, the Cats rank third nationally by rejecting 6.2 shots per game. For all of that size, though, the Wildcats have been a middling team on both the offensive and defensive boards for much of the season.
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