Takeaways: What can we take away from Kentucky's 96-88 overtime win over Saint Joseph's?

What can we take away from Kentucky's overtime win over Saint Joseph's?

Author:
Andrew Stefaniak
Publish date:
Nov 20, 2023 10:23 PM EST

In this story:

Heading into the matchup with Saint Joseph's, we said if the Hawks are making their threes, this will be a close-ball game.

It wasn't pretty, but the Cats were able to get a win in a high-pressure situation that will serve them well down the road.

You will have to beat teams like this in the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament game, so this is good practice for the Big Dance.

What can we take away from Kentucky's 96-88 win over Saint Joseph's in overtime?

Cats have to rebound better and defend

Oct 27, 2023; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Tre Mitchell (4) greets guard D.J. Wagner (21) during the first half against the Georgetown Tigers at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports — © Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Saint Joseph's had 14 offensive rebounds in this ball game compared to the Cats six. The Hawks had a big seven-footer down low who was collecting a ton of rebounds. This is another excellent example of why the Cats need one of their seven-footers back soon. When it comes to the defensive side of things the name of the game was closing out when Saint Joseph's shot the three ball. The Cats did this some, but you have to close out on every shot. When they didn't, the Hawks drained them. The Cats rebounded well enough and closed out well enough to get a win, but they need to continue working on these things.

DJ Wagner is getting better

Nov 6, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard D.J. Wagner (21) grabs the inbound pass during the first half against the New Mexico State Aggies at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports — © Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

DJ Wagner had his career high for the Cats, scoring 22 points in the Cats overtime win over Saint Joseph's. Wagner also added three rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. The freshman guard also scored seven points in overtime, so he was a big reason why the Cats were able to get the win. This Kentucky basketball team will need Wagner to be good this season, so hopefully, this game will get him going for the rest of the season.

The Cats continue to shoot well

Nov 10, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Antonio Reeves (12) shoots the ball during the second half against the Texas A&M Commerce Lions at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports — © Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

For the third game in a row, the Cats made ten or more three-pointers as they made 12 in this ball game. Since Saint Joseph's made 15 in this game, the Cats needed to shoot well to keep up, and they did just that. Five different players made a three-point field goal in this game, with Tre Mitchell leading the way with four. If this Kentucky basketball team continues to shoot the three ball well, they will make a very deep run in the NCAA Tournament.