The Kentucky Wildcats returned to action on Saturday afternoon when they took on UNC Wilmington.
It was a big day inside Rupp Arena as the brand new floor was finally installed and Aaron Bradshaw was making his long-awaited Kentucky debut.
The Cats were without DJ Wagner for this game due to the injury he suffered against Miami, meaning Reed Shepard was making his first career start.
It was a slow start for the Cats as they gave up too many easy opportunities early, forcing Calipari to take a timeout at the 15-minute mark, trailing 13-4.
Kentucky continued to look out of sync offensively and was turning the ball over at a much higher rate than we’ve seen in any game this season.
With less than 7 minutes left in the first half, UNCW was clinging to a 22-17 lead.
Unfortunately, things didn’t change after the timeout as UNCW extended their lead to 32-22 at the under-4 timeout.
UNCW led by as many as 14, but Kentucky started to find some life late in the half but still trailed 41-33 at the break.
The second half got off to a great start for the Cats as they came back strong in this game, a 3-pointer from Reed Sheppard giving them a 48-46 lead.
Sheppard continued to make a big impact on this game as he drilled another three to make it 55-49 for the Cats with under 13 minutes to play.
However, UNCW didn’t stop fighting and converted two one-pointers and two more free throws to make the game 56-55.
At the under-8 time-out, things couldn’t have gone any better for the Cats as they found themselves down 62-56.
With just over 5 minutes to play, the Cats cut the lead to 64-62 and had to fight to escape with the win.
Unfortunately, the Cats were unable to keep the game going as UNCW cruised to an 80-73 win.
Here are six things to take away from the loss.
Kentucky launches new floor at Rupp Arena
Two weeks ago, it was announced that Kentucky would be getting a new floor inside Rupp Arena, replacing the old floor with giant blue stickers that have been an eyesore the past few years.
With the volleyball matches finished on the court following the volleyball team’s advancement to the Elite 8, it was finally time to install the new flooring.
Here are some pictures of the new-look Rupp Arena floor.
Aaron Bradshaw makes his Kentucky debut/DJ Wagner is out with injury
The wait for BBN was finally over as Bradshaw came into the game for the first time with 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
It didn’t take long for him to get into the scoring column as Rob Dillingham fired a pass to Bradshaw, who turned and dropped it for his first points as a Wildcat.
Bradshaw finished his debut with 3 points, 2 rebounds, and a block.
Unfortunately, Bradshaw was not on the floor with his high school teammate, as DJ Wagner did not play in this game due to the injury he suffered against Miami.
It was clear that Kentucky fouled Wagner in this game because Kentucky did not get off to the same fast start, and turnovers were a big issue on Saturday.
Kentucky looked young on Saturday
Too often this season, Kentucky hasn’t looked like a bunch of freshmen on the floor. This was not the case on Saturday.
For one of the few times this season, Kentucky looked like a young team still figuring out the college game.
We hope that the cats’ health will improve and return to normal next Saturday.
Miami hangover game?
Kentucky had its best performance of the season on Tuesday night against No. 8 Miami while on its way to a big win.
Then on Saturday, the Cats looked like they were two steps behind all game long as they got beat down defensively, missed easy shots, and turned the ball over too often.
Could the Cats be suffering from a hangover from their big win over Miami on Tuesday?
Reed Shepard bounces back in the second half
Sheppard has been outstanding in every game this season for the Wildcats, but the first half in his first career start was by far the worst he’s played this season.
But the second half was much better for Sheppard. He started the half with a pass to Justin Edwards for a dunk, an assist to Antonio Reeves for three free throws, and then buried a triple of his own from deep to give Kentucky a 48-46 lead.
Sheppard scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half and was the Cats’ only consistent option in the second half.
Kentucky caught a turnover foul
The Cats entered Saturday’s game averaging just 8 turnovers per game. On Saturday, they combined for 9 first-half goals with over 6 minutes remaining and finished the game with 14 total turnovers.
A completely uncharacteristic performance from a team that was very disciplined and did a great job of taking care of the basketball.
Now, let’s discuss what just happened.
