High Point University
Location: High Point, N.C.
Founded: 1924
Enrollment: 5,500
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: Purple and White
Conference: Big South
Head Coach: Orlando “Tubby” Smith
Head Coach-Tubby Smith (High Point ‘73), 3rd season
Record at High Point: 25-38
Career Record: 622-340
Season Schedule (Record: 6-7)
Date/Opponent/Location/Time/Result
11/9 Shenandoah High Point, N.C. 8:00pm W, 108-59
11/12 Northwestern Evanston, I.L. 8:00 PM L, 95-60
11/16 Notre Dame South Bend, I.N. 8:00pm L, 70-61
11/20 Howard High Point, N.C. 2:00pm W, 73-63
11/21 Georgia State High Point, N.C. 2:00pm L, 66-74 (OT)
11/27 Chowan High Point, N.C. 2:00pm W, 90-60
11/30 Furman High Point, N.C. 7:00pm L, 74-70 (2OT)
12/4 Elon Elon N.C. 7:00 pm W, 83-77
12/7 Guilford High Point, N.C. 7:00pm W, 65-59
12/10 South Carolina State Rock Hill, S.C. 7:00pm L,66-67
12/18 UNC Wilmington High Point, N.C. 2:00pm L,69-71
12/21 Florida Atlantic High Point, N.C. 7:00pm W, 55-52
12/29 Michigan State East Lansing, M.I. 3:00pm L, 68-81
Game Info:
High Point at Kentucky
Fri. DEC 31st, 2021, Noon EST
Radio: Kentucky Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
Probable Starters
01 John-Michael Wright 6-0 186 G Jr. 20.2pts, 4.4reb, 4.1ast, 42.0% from 3
55 Zack Austin 6-4 205 G RSFr. 14.0pts, 7.5reb, 3.2blks, 33.8% from 3
02 Jaden House 6-3 201 G So. 11.8pts, 4.5reb, 44.2% from 3
05 Bryant Randleman 6-3 190 G So. 7.4pts, 3.4reb, 1.8stls, 2.5ast, no 3pt threat
10 Emmanuel Izunabor 6-9 217 F/C Jr. 5.5pts, 4.6reb, no 3pt threat
Key Reserves
05 Alex Holt 6-8 245 F So. 4.9pts, 3.2reb
22 Rob Peterson III 6-4 187 G/F Sr. 2.7pts, 4.5reb, 1.1ast
12 Bryson Childress 5-7 139 G So. 2.7pts, 41.7% from 3
TALE OF THE TAPE
Kentucky STAT High Point
83.2 Pts Per Game 71.8
61.5 Opp. Pts. PG 69.4
44.8 Rebounds PG 37.4
+16.8 Reb. Margin -0.8
17.2 Assists PG 13.6
5.2 Blocks PG 5.8
6.8 Steals PG 6.8
.489 FG % .438
.385 Opp. FG % .412
.330 3-Pt. FG % .381
.264 Opp. 3-Pt. % .316
.751 FT Pct. .614
KenPom Numbers
Offensive Efficiency: 95.6 #278
Defensive Efficiency: 102.8 #212
Best Numbers
Defensive Block%: 15.2% (#19 nationally)
FTA/FGA: 34.7 (#61 nationally)
3pt%: 35.1% (#97 nationally)
Worst Numbers
Team FT%: 61.2% (#350 nationally)
Defensive Rebounding: 33.5% (#321)
2pt% Shooting: 44.8% (#304 nationally)
Effective FG%: 47.3% (#260 nationally)
Analysis: The High Point University Panthers come to Rupp with former UK coach Orlando “Tubby” Smith at the helm for a New Year’s Eve tilt with the Kentucky Wildcats. The Panthers come into the game sporting a 6-7 record and coming off a game just yesterday at Michigan State that was close for much of the game. The headline of this game is the return of Tubby Smith to Rupp Arena where the home Wildcats intend to honor him and retire his jersey, before trying to beat his socks off. (Tubby would have it no other way, I’m sure)
One of the first things that jumps out at me from this High Point team is their shot blocking. When you look at this line-up, which is basically 4 guards and a center, it seems unlikely that they would be effective blocking shots, but they are. They have 75 blocks as a team on the season. You might think that their shot blocking comes from their 6-9 center, but that is not the case. Zack Austin, a 6-4 guard, has 41 blocks on the season. These guys are going to play hard defense and they are good at helping. The other stat that jumps out is their 3pt shooting, where they average just over 38% as a team. I’m sure they will be looking for those shots against the Cats.
From a personnel standpoint, High Point depends heavily on their guards. Their leading scorer is John-Michael Wright, a 6-0 186lb junior guard who is averaging 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shoots 42.0% from 3. He is one of the most dynamic scorers UK has faced this season. Next up is the aforementioned Zack Austin, a 6-4 205lb Redshirt freshman guard averaging 14.0 points, a team-leading 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, and shoots 33.8% from 3. The 3rd double digit scorer in this line-up is Jaden House, a 6-3 201lb sophomore guard averaging 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and shooting 44.2% from 3. The 4th guard is Bryant Randleman, a 6-3 190lb sophomore guard averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 2.5 assists. The final member of the starting 5 is Emmanuel Izunabor, a 6-9 217lb junior center averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.
I had the chance to watch these guys in the Mich State game and I was surprised at their athleticism and quickness, first of all. They didn’t look to me like a 6-6 (at the time) team. That 6-7 record may be deceiving because they have had several close losses, including 3 losses of less than 4 points and 3 overtime games. It’s been a tough season for Tubby and the Panthers, but it’s clear from watching them in East Lansing that they haven’t given up by any stretch. Our only common opponent is Notre Dame. They also played at South Bend and they lost by 9 in a game that was a 1pt lead for High Point at half. This is the kind of team that, if taken lightly, will give anyone a challenge.
Our guards in this game will be very critical on the defensive end of the floor. Wright, Austin, and House can score in bunches if you give them some daylight. Just looking at the numbers, the best bet is to run them off the 3pt line and make them put the ball on the floor. UK has been very good at defending the three in recent games, so they know what they need to do. High Point doesn’t rebound the ball very well, so Oscar may go for 20 boards again. The Panthers have a 5-7 guy coming off the bench in Bryson Childress who may make Wheeler look tall. He shoots the 3 pretty well and he’s pretty quick, so I’m sure he’s on the UK scouting report.
I’m hoping our Cats don’t have a let-down in this game, with it coming on New Year’s Eve, being a noon start, being a no-name kind of opponent with a deceptive record, and sandwiched between 2 conference foes. That’s really my only concern. On paper, it's an easy win, and I hope that's what it turns out to be. KenPom predicts Kentucky 79 High Point 55.
My Prediction: Kentucky 80 High Point 62
Location: High Point, N.C.
Founded: 1924
Enrollment: 5,500
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: Purple and White
Conference: Big South
Head Coach: Orlando “Tubby” Smith
Head Coach-Tubby Smith (High Point ‘73), 3rd season
Record at High Point: 25-38
Career Record: 622-340
Season Schedule (Record: 6-7)
Date/Opponent/Location/Time/Result
11/9 Shenandoah High Point, N.C. 8:00pm W, 108-59
11/12 Northwestern Evanston, I.L. 8:00 PM L, 95-60
11/16 Notre Dame South Bend, I.N. 8:00pm L, 70-61
11/20 Howard High Point, N.C. 2:00pm W, 73-63
11/21 Georgia State High Point, N.C. 2:00pm L, 66-74 (OT)
11/27 Chowan High Point, N.C. 2:00pm W, 90-60
11/30 Furman High Point, N.C. 7:00pm L, 74-70 (2OT)
12/4 Elon Elon N.C. 7:00 pm W, 83-77
12/7 Guilford High Point, N.C. 7:00pm W, 65-59
12/10 South Carolina State Rock Hill, S.C. 7:00pm L,66-67
12/18 UNC Wilmington High Point, N.C. 2:00pm L,69-71
12/21 Florida Atlantic High Point, N.C. 7:00pm W, 55-52
12/29 Michigan State East Lansing, M.I. 3:00pm L, 68-81
Game Info:
High Point at Kentucky
Fri. DEC 31st, 2021, Noon EST
Radio: Kentucky Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
Probable Starters
01 John-Michael Wright 6-0 186 G Jr. 20.2pts, 4.4reb, 4.1ast, 42.0% from 3
55 Zack Austin 6-4 205 G RSFr. 14.0pts, 7.5reb, 3.2blks, 33.8% from 3
02 Jaden House 6-3 201 G So. 11.8pts, 4.5reb, 44.2% from 3
05 Bryant Randleman 6-3 190 G So. 7.4pts, 3.4reb, 1.8stls, 2.5ast, no 3pt threat
10 Emmanuel Izunabor 6-9 217 F/C Jr. 5.5pts, 4.6reb, no 3pt threat
Key Reserves
05 Alex Holt 6-8 245 F So. 4.9pts, 3.2reb
22 Rob Peterson III 6-4 187 G/F Sr. 2.7pts, 4.5reb, 1.1ast
12 Bryson Childress 5-7 139 G So. 2.7pts, 41.7% from 3
TALE OF THE TAPE
Kentucky STAT High Point
83.2 Pts Per Game 71.8
61.5 Opp. Pts. PG 69.4
44.8 Rebounds PG 37.4
+16.8 Reb. Margin -0.8
17.2 Assists PG 13.6
5.2 Blocks PG 5.8
6.8 Steals PG 6.8
.489 FG % .438
.385 Opp. FG % .412
.330 3-Pt. FG % .381
.264 Opp. 3-Pt. % .316
.751 FT Pct. .614
KenPom Numbers
Offensive Efficiency: 95.6 #278
Defensive Efficiency: 102.8 #212
Best Numbers
Defensive Block%: 15.2% (#19 nationally)
FTA/FGA: 34.7 (#61 nationally)
3pt%: 35.1% (#97 nationally)
Worst Numbers
Team FT%: 61.2% (#350 nationally)
Defensive Rebounding: 33.5% (#321)
2pt% Shooting: 44.8% (#304 nationally)
Effective FG%: 47.3% (#260 nationally)
Analysis: The High Point University Panthers come to Rupp with former UK coach Orlando “Tubby” Smith at the helm for a New Year’s Eve tilt with the Kentucky Wildcats. The Panthers come into the game sporting a 6-7 record and coming off a game just yesterday at Michigan State that was close for much of the game. The headline of this game is the return of Tubby Smith to Rupp Arena where the home Wildcats intend to honor him and retire his jersey, before trying to beat his socks off. (Tubby would have it no other way, I’m sure)
One of the first things that jumps out at me from this High Point team is their shot blocking. When you look at this line-up, which is basically 4 guards and a center, it seems unlikely that they would be effective blocking shots, but they are. They have 75 blocks as a team on the season. You might think that their shot blocking comes from their 6-9 center, but that is not the case. Zack Austin, a 6-4 guard, has 41 blocks on the season. These guys are going to play hard defense and they are good at helping. The other stat that jumps out is their 3pt shooting, where they average just over 38% as a team. I’m sure they will be looking for those shots against the Cats.
From a personnel standpoint, High Point depends heavily on their guards. Their leading scorer is John-Michael Wright, a 6-0 186lb junior guard who is averaging 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shoots 42.0% from 3. He is one of the most dynamic scorers UK has faced this season. Next up is the aforementioned Zack Austin, a 6-4 205lb Redshirt freshman guard averaging 14.0 points, a team-leading 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, and shoots 33.8% from 3. The 3rd double digit scorer in this line-up is Jaden House, a 6-3 201lb sophomore guard averaging 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and shooting 44.2% from 3. The 4th guard is Bryant Randleman, a 6-3 190lb sophomore guard averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 2.5 assists. The final member of the starting 5 is Emmanuel Izunabor, a 6-9 217lb junior center averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.
I had the chance to watch these guys in the Mich State game and I was surprised at their athleticism and quickness, first of all. They didn’t look to me like a 6-6 (at the time) team. That 6-7 record may be deceiving because they have had several close losses, including 3 losses of less than 4 points and 3 overtime games. It’s been a tough season for Tubby and the Panthers, but it’s clear from watching them in East Lansing that they haven’t given up by any stretch. Our only common opponent is Notre Dame. They also played at South Bend and they lost by 9 in a game that was a 1pt lead for High Point at half. This is the kind of team that, if taken lightly, will give anyone a challenge.
Our guards in this game will be very critical on the defensive end of the floor. Wright, Austin, and House can score in bunches if you give them some daylight. Just looking at the numbers, the best bet is to run them off the 3pt line and make them put the ball on the floor. UK has been very good at defending the three in recent games, so they know what they need to do. High Point doesn’t rebound the ball very well, so Oscar may go for 20 boards again. The Panthers have a 5-7 guy coming off the bench in Bryson Childress who may make Wheeler look tall. He shoots the 3 pretty well and he’s pretty quick, so I’m sure he’s on the UK scouting report.
I’m hoping our Cats don’t have a let-down in this game, with it coming on New Year’s Eve, being a noon start, being a no-name kind of opponent with a deceptive record, and sandwiched between 2 conference foes. That’s really my only concern. On paper, it's an easy win, and I hope that's what it turns out to be. KenPom predicts Kentucky 79 High Point 55.
My Prediction: Kentucky 80 High Point 62
