Another annual edition of the Blue-White game is in the books for Kentucky men’s basketball.
Not counting Big Blue Madness, the event serves as Kentucky fans’ first look at the upcoming Cats before they take on other opponents in preseason exhibition play.
With that in mind, there’s plenty to take away from and analyze regarding the event for how the team will be in the new season. Here’s a few of our thoughts:
Gibson: Will Kentucky have a big man to start the season?
Heading into the Blue-White game fans were looking for their first glimpse of brand new forward Zvonimir Ivišić.
The 7-foot, 2-inch freshman from Croatia flew in just in time for Big Blue Madness, where head coach John Calipari announced he would play in the Blue-White game.
Despite that, the morning of the game “Coach Cal” released a tweet explaining that “Big Z” would not be playing in the game.
With fellow big men Ugonna Onyenso and freshman Aaron Bradshaw out with injuries, Kentucky fans are left wondering who will be the man in the paint for the Wildcats.
Regardless, the rest of the team remained confident in the absence of a big.
“Honestly, I think we’ll do good without them until they get back,” freshman Rob Dillingham said.
Parke: Rob Dillingham should be a lethal scoring option
When looking at the box score for the Blue-White game, one name immediately pops out: Rob Dillingham.
The freshman looked somewhat smaller at the GLOBL Jam tournament in Toronto over the summer, leading to some questions about his effectiveness, but for many those fears are now gone.
Dillingham not only looked strong in the Blue-White game, he was the best player on the court.
Dropping a staggering 40 points, Dillingham was a lethal scorer despite only going 3-7 from beyond the arch.
While it is true that he was able to get away with some things by nature of it being a scrimmage, Dillingham exudes confidence on the basketball court and has the talent to back it up.
If he can show even half of what he did in the exhibition in the regular season he could truly be a huge spark-plug player off the bench and maybe even an electric starter.
Gibson: Justin Edwards shines despite being overshadowed
With all eyes on the Blue team’s Rob Dillingham, freshman Justin Edwards played a sneaky good game for the White team.
Edwards led the White team in scoring with 26 points while adding 10 rebounds with one assist and one steal.
He demonstrated his ability to score from all three levels on the court, slamming in four dunks, hitting long range two pointers and knocking down a shot from behind the arc.
This summer at the GLOBL Jam tournament in Canada, Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Edwards’ ability to make plays in the front and backcourt makes him one of the more dangerous freshmen in the conference, leading him to be named Preseason All SEC.
“Justin, he’s a great player,” Adou Thiero said after the game. “He gets to his spots, hits shots, he’ll get to the rim and rebound.”
If this level of play is sustained into the start of the season, Edwards is set to make an immediate impact for the Wildcats.
Parke: Antonio Reeves goes cold
For veteran Kentucky fans the idea of the 3-point shooter going cold sends shivers down the spine.
Many games have been lost throughout the years when the shooting simply isn’t there.
With veteran Antonio Reeves announcing his return to Kentucky for another year, many fans opted to just ignore the possibility that he could ever go cold again, even ignoring that it happened in March Madness, and only focused on his late-season run that culminated in the Arkansas win.
While he is certainly still one of the best players on the team, Reeves was cold in the exhibition.
Going just 1-9 from beyond the arch, Reeves scored 17 points which, while solid in a bubble, saw him finish as the sixth highest scorer in the competition.
While that sounds bad, one could make the argument that Kentucky fans have less to worry about this year than in years prior.
Kentucky has a plethora of scoring options this year and those players balled out in exhibition play. Anyone with concerns just needs to imagine the combined strength of all of those ballers with a hot Reeves and let the bad thoughts wash right away.
A team so reliant on one player’s shooting performance is destined to fail. A team with options and depth is set up for a deep run come postseason time.
