Grady scores 23, Tshiebwe grabs 28 boards in romp over WKU
Kentucky's Kellen Grady was fouled on a 3-point attempt in Wednesday's game against Western Kentucky. Grady sored a game-high 23 points for the Wildcats. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky backed up its eye-opening blowout of North Carolina with another impressive performance on Wednesday night, thumping Western Kentucky 95-60 at Rupp Arena.
It marked the second consecutive impromptu opponent for the No. 20 Wildcats, who saw Covid-19 issues lead to games against UNC and WKU to replace originally scheduled matchups with Ohio State and Louisville.
Western Kentucky stepped into the latest vacancy in a game that was promoted as an opportunity to help raise relief funds for tornado victims in that part of the state, but the Hilltoppers, who had notched wins over programs like Ole Miss and Louisville earlier this season, caught the No. 20 Wildcats on a bad night.
"They were the best team in America today," WKU head coach Rick Stansbury said of the Cats.
Kentucky (9-2) shot 56% from the field, made nine of 20 from long range, and assisted on 27 of 38 buckets. Meanwhile, the Cats held WKU to just 33% from the field and a 3-for-20 night from beyond the arc.
"What we did today was we continued to pass to each other," UK head coach John Calipari said. "... We had 27 assists. That's how you play basketball, that's how you create for each other.
"When we pass the ball and play this way, we're a good team."
Grad senior guard Kellen Grady had his best outing as a Cat, scoring a game-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 6-of-9 night from 3-point range.
"The biggest thing is the ball is flying around the court and we're playing really fast," said Grady, who has 41 points in his last two games while knocking down 11 of 16 shots from beyond the arc. "... As evidenced by today and against Carolina, it just leads to great shots and a lot of fun."
Junior center/forward Oscar Tshiebwe delivered another double-double with 14 points and 28 rebounds, the most ever pulled down by a player in the 45-year history of Rupp Arena.
"He was a beast," Calipari said.
Tshiebwe personally outrebounded the Hilltoppers, 28-27, falling just six shy of tying the all-time UK rebound record set in the 1950s by Bill Spivey and Bob Burrow.
"I don't care about points. I'm going to get my points. I just want to go out there and grab every rebound,," said Tshiebwe, who could not hide his smile when told he broke an arena record held by Shaquille O'Neal.
Said Stansbury: "One thing to separate him from every other big guy in the country, was his motor on the offensive boards... He's got a motor, takes a lot of pride in rebounding, that's why he's the best in the country at it. Twenty-eight rebounds? I've never had anybody go get 28 rebounds.”
Freshman guard TyTy Washington quietly added 20 points for UK, while junior forward Jacob Toppin came off the bench to score 12 points and dish out six assists.
"We had no answers for everything they did today," Stansbury said. "I'll repeat this: nobody would have beat them today.”
Senior guard Josh Anderson led WKU (8-5) with 18 points. Grad senior guard Camron Justice added 13 for the Hilltoppers.
*****
In this Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
After the Hilltoppers trimmed UK's nine-point halftime lead to four early in the second period, the Cats responded with a 15-0 run to reclaim control of the game. Kellen Grady hit three treys and knocked down another jumper to score 11 of the 15 points during that stretch.
GAME BALL:
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky -- I'd really like to hand this ball to Kellen Grady today -- he certainly deserves it, too, and might be the key to how well UK has played the last two games -- but when your teammate goes up against a 7-foot-5 guy and winds up with a 14-point, 28-rebound line and shatters the Rupp Arena record for rebounds (21) previously held by Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, you've got to go with Big O.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Time Kentucky has scored 95+ points in back-to-back games since Dec. 29, 2016, and Jan. 3 and 7, 2017, when the Wildcats scored at least 95 against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas, respectively.
1.301 - Points per possession by Kentucky, a season-high.
3 - UK players with six or more assists: Sahvir Wheeler (8), TyTy Washington (6), and Jacob Toppin (6)
5-2 - The Wildcats' lead in the all-time series with the Hilltoppers.
7 - Blocked shots by WKU's Jamarion Sharp, the 7-foot-5 center who leads the nation in that category.
50-27 - Rebounding advantage for UK.
1976 - The last time a UK player (Mike Phillips vs. Tennessee) had 28 rebounds. That came in an overtime game at Memorial Coliseum.
QUOTABLE:
"It's incredible. His will and his motor and his effort and his heart... it just becomes contagious." -- Kellen Grady on Oscar Tshiebwe's third 20-rebound game of the season
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Rupp Arena in the SEC opener against Missouri, which is 6-5 entering tonight's matchup with Illinois. Tipoff for the Cats and Tigers is 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
