Shorthanded Cats roll past Howard in season opener
Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace drove past a Howard defender during Monday's season opener at Rupp Arena. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Kentucky Wildcats opened the new college basketball season on Monday playing without their veteran point guard and the reigning national player of the year, so one could have excused John Calipari's squad if it did not look like the preseason No. 4 team in America.
Only they still did.
Kentucky had two 20-point scorers, saw a veteran record his first career double-double, and a freshman flirt with a triple-double in his collegiate debut en route to a 95-63 romp over Howard at Rupp Arena.
Transfer wings Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick lived up to their sharpshooter reputations, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively, on a combined 8-for-17 shooting night from beyond the arc.
"I told him, if he's got an inch (of space), shoot it," Calipari said of Reeves, who knocked down six treys.
"It feels great," Reeves said of playing for Calipari. "I want a coach who just says let it go. That's a good feeling, and the confidence is coming out of me."
Senior forward Jacob Toppin scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds with Oscar Tshiebwe continuing to rehab from minor knee surgery, and freshman guard Cason Wallace fell just short of only the fourth triple-double in program history by recording 15 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists running the point in place of an injured Sahvir Wheeler.
"For someone his age, at 19 years old in his first real college game, to go out there and do what he did tonight is truly spectacular," Fredrick said of Wallace's performance. "The way he's handling things right now is not like a normal freshman."
"He's beyond his years," Reeves added. "An all-around player."
The Wildcats shot 55% from the field and 46% (11 of 24) from the arc. They also held Howard to 34% from the field and forced 16 turnovers in a well-rounded performance.
"I thought that Kentucky certainly played an outstanding game," Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney said. "They were ready to play from the jump and really executed their gameplan to a tee. We got knocked back on our heels and we never responded to being knocked back on our heels."
After a bit of a sluggish start, Kentucky exploded to take a 49-26 lead at halftime. The margin grew to as much as 38 in the second half.
Grad senior forward Kobe Dickson led Howard (0-1) with 17 points, while sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins added 14 for the Bison out of the MEAC.
In addition to Tshiebwe and Wheeler, Kentucky also played without sophomore center/forward Daimion Collins -- one of the stars of the Wildcats' summer exhibition tour in the Bahamas -- who has been in Texas with his family following the sudden death of his father last week.
Calipari said Collins was planning to be back in Lexington on Monday night, but would be returning to Texas for his father's funeral this weekend.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
The Cats led only 13-7 after the second media timeout and were struggling to finish in transition, but they cranked up the offense from that point forward. A 23-11 spurt helped open up the first comfortable lead of the night, and an 11-3 run to close the first half gave UK a 49-26 lead at the break.
GAME BALL:
CJ Fredrick, Kentucky -- It could have gone to any number of Cats tonight, but we'll celebrate the former Kentucky Mr. Basketball's triumphant return to action. It had been 595 days and two surgeries since his last official game with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fredrick responded with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, 6-of-7 shooting at the line, and a pair of 3s. He also played 30 minutes without committing a turnover.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Meeting between Kentucky and Howard on the hardwood.
3rd - Pair of UK teammates (Reeves and Fredrick) to debut with 20-point performances, joining Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson (2018) and Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones (2010).
4 - Blocked shots by UK freshman center Ugonna Onyenso in his college debut.
9 - Assists by UK freshman Cason Wallace was the second-most in a collegiate debut at UK. Only De'Aaron Fox (12 vs. Stephen F. Austin in 2016) had more.
32 - Points was the largest margin of victory in a season opener for UK since a 108-58 win over Marist on Nov. 11, 2011.
99-21 - Kentucky's record in season openers. The Cats are 11-3 in openers under John Calipari.
QUOTABLE:
"Everybody knew they had to step up tonight. Just opportunities for other players to show their talent." -- Antonio Reeves on playing without Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler, and Daimion Collins in the opener.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action Friday against Duquesne in a 7 p.m. ET tipoff at Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.
