It’s only the beginning of the college basketball season, but it’s safe to say that Kentucky basketball has gotten its “Kentucky good” back.
There’s no argument that Kentucky has not performed to its usual standards in recent years. Even with having as dominant of a player as 2022 National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe on the roster for two seasons, there was still an obvious absence of something missing in Lexington.
The Wildcats are just five games deep into the season thus far, but it’s clear this year’s team has the talent, energy and, most importantly, the fun that it has been missing.
Why are the vibes different this year? Enter Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
These freshmen embody the kind of player head coach John Calipari is known for framing his roster around – young talent with a hunger to win.
Frankly, Kentucky’s most recent seasons have emitted low energy. The fight and passion were often absent on the court as well as the fun.
With Tshiebwe on the team, the defensive effort by other players was hardly present, but why should it be when you’ve got a top rebounder in the county doing all of the work?
As Calipari also recognized, things are going to look different without Tshiebwe. The team is going to have to play differently.
The Wildcats lost to No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 14, but they showed that they can indeed play differently. Against 7-foot, 2-inch Hunter Dickinson, every Wildcat had to fight for a rebound and have a stronger paint presence.
Seeing returner Antonio Reeves fight for a steal or a rebound was uncommon last year and Adou Theiro posting his first career double-double against a No. 1 team was a success alone.
The main takeaway is, while Kentucky lost to Kansas, the Wildcats outplayed the Jayhawks in nearly every regard, and that kind of passion from Kentucky has been dearly missed.
The best part about all of this? Aaron Bradshaw has not even stepped foot on the court yet. One of Kentucky’s biggest struggles in this early season is that it does not have a solid rim protector.
Tre Mitchell has been filling the void with a respectable effort while the big guys are out, but the majority of Kentucky’s defensive struggles are just a couple of steps away from being fixed – Bradshaw’s steps onto the court.
After Kentucky’s win over Stonehill on Nov. 17, the Wildcats put up 17 3-point baskets. It marked the most 3-pointers ever made during a single game in the Calipari era and the most for the Wildcats period since 1995.
Leading that night was none other than the Bluegrass native. Sheppard had 25 points and seven 3-pointers while Reeves, Dillingham and Mitchell all put up double figures as well.
Granted, it is early in the season and no expert can predict after just four games what the rest are going to look like, but either way, Calipari’s squad is having fun and transparently illustrating that energy and passion on the court.
It may seem trivial, but it’s something the Wildcats have needed for a handful of years and without a doubt, it’s something to be excited for.
