Justin Edwards and his near-perfect performance shined in No. 17 Kentucky’s 117-95 routing of No. 13 Alabama.
Among the names in the 2023-24 freshman class, the Philadelphia native was one that drew a lot of hype and fans were ready to see what he would do in blue and white.
Some argued that, to this point in the season, Edwards had been disappointing because he had not had that breakout performance his counterparts had.
“I’ve been struggling mentally basically the whole season so just to go out and play how I did, it means a lot,” Edwards said.
Prior to the game, Edwards’ season high was 17 points, which he scored at Vanderbilt, with the freshman adding four and nine points in his last two games.
This all changed, however, when he took the Rupp Arena floor against Alabama.
His first bucket came early in the first half when point guard Reed Sheppard fed him the ball and he sank a 3-pointer.
From there, history began.
Later in the half, Edwards passed the ball to teammate Antonio Reeves, who fed it right back to him, allowing him to take one dribble and fake out the Tide defender to create an open look that he sank from mid range.
The next time Edwards found his way in the action was on another feed from Reeves, but this time he caught it and let it fly from three and sunk it yet again.
Just a few moments later he intercepted a loose ball and took it all the way down the court and, despite opposition, Edwards had no problem as he laid it in for another basket, staring down the defender and flexing his left arm in celebration.
With just under one minute to go in the first half, Sheppard sent a lob into traffic to teammate Adou Thiero, who caught it in midair and dished it to a wide open Edwards, who took the shot and drilled it from three-point range.
Edwards picked up right where he left off as, moments into the second half, Thiero was fading out of bounds and tossed the ball toward Edwards, who slammed it down for the dunk.
He then took an inbounds pass and went up the rack for another basket.
After getting a breather, Edwards returned to the game and grabbed an offensive rebound before being fouled. He made one free throw, but missed the other for what would be his only miss of the entire night.
He would pick off another pass that he would send down the court, but it found its way back to him for another three, with the Crimson Tide fouling him on the shot.
The three sent the home fans into a frenzy and, after the subsequent timeout, Edwards sank the free throw for the four-point play.
“My teammates are funny,” Edwards said about his teammates, who mobbed him during the timeout. “They were just screaming at me. Just to know they support me means a lot.”
On the very next possession, Edwards took a pass from Rob Dillingham and went flying toward the basket for the easy layup.
Following another break, Edwards returned to the game and took a pass from Reeves around the three-point line and dribbled his way just in front of the free throw line before pulling up and putting down another bucket.
Edwards’ next points came by sinking two free throws.
With the freshman being subbed out to thunderous ovations inside Rupp Arena, the new career-high was complete.
“I kept saying you’re going to break through, I believe in you and he said, ‘Coach, I believe in you,’” head coach John Calipari said.
Edwards led all scores in the game with 28 points, shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line.
It’s safe to say the performance was the breakout game that fans had been longing for since Edwards arrived in Lexington.
“It’s not going to rain forever you know,” Edwards said. “Just stay the course and believe in God.”
Edwards and the Wildcats will look to ride the momentum into the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi, where they are set for a clash against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday, Feb. 27, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.
