No. 4 Kentucky Muscles Past Duquesne 77-52
It didn't come easy, but No. 4 Kentucky muscled its way to a tough-and-rugged 77-52 win over Duquesne on Friday night in Lexington.
The Wildcats (2-0) have now won 21 consecutive games at Rupp Arena, the longest active home win streak in the SEC. Kentucky is now 84-0 when holding opponents to 55 points or less.
"By the middle of the season, we will say 'we beat a good team,'" head coach John Calipari said of Duquesne after the win.
It was a true team performance, as all eight Cats who played meaningful minutes scored at least four points. Antonio Reeves once again led the team in scoring, this time with 18 points on 5-9 shooting, including four made 3-pointers.
Preseason First Team All-SEC point guard Sahvir Wheeler made his season debut, providing a big-time spark off the bench by notching a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists.
"(Wheeler) speeds the game up for us and makes it a lot easier for us as a whole because he can get downhill, dish it out to our shooters who can make shots. He looks for the open guy, so it’s definitely enjoyable for him to be back,” forward Jacob Toppin said of Wheeler after the win.
The Cats were still without the National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, as the big man is still recovering from a minor knee procedure he underwent in late October. In his absence, true freshman Ugonna Onyenso continued to impress, totaling nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
"I feel like I have the ability to stay in the game because of what I do. The fact that I help the team by blocking shots. I think it is going to get me more minutes. I am still working on other things. For now I am just playing a role on the team and doing my best to help the team,” Onyenso said of himself post-game.
"Ugonna, wow," Calipari said. "Like, he impacts the game the minute he walks on the court. Not afraid."
Kentucky's defense was locked in for the second game in a row, holding the Dukes to just 30.3 percent shooting. Jimmy Clark III led the Dukes (1-1) in scoring with 11 points on just 4-13 shooting. Dae Dae Grant, who dropped 25 in Duquesne's season-opener on Tuesday, was held to just three points, making just one bucket.
Calipari was admittedly anxious for the matchup with the Dukes, as he saw Keith Dambrot's squad as a true threat:
"This was a good win," he said. "I was worried this morning. I was really worried about Howard. And then worried about this game because I watched 40 minutes of them just pound Montana by a hundred, and I'm like, what in the world?
As a team, the Cats were efficient from deep, cashing in on 11 of 19 attempts. Kentucky also hauled in 38 bench points on the night.
Up next for the Wildcats is the first Power Five test of the season against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. Calipari sees Friday night's win as beneficial for the tilt with the Spartans.
The next game we play is going to be a roughhouse game," he said. "Now, either you can play in a roughhouse game or you can't. If you can't, don't worry about it, go on to the next game. You just won't play much because this game will be, it's going to be a roughhouse."
Tipoff inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is set for 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Wildcats Today will have post-game coverage on Kentucky's second win of the 2022-23 regular season.
