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Tonight we turn the page from preparation to EXHILARATION as UK Hoops officially opens their season against Appalachian State. In their exhibition against UPike, the Cats looked well positioned to make some noise in the SEC as they thoroughly dismantled the competition 141-63.
The Cats were shooting very well at 63%, which helps explain why we had no less than 8 players with double-digit scoring performances. I was thrilled to see a jump in the free throw shooting - 82% in the first half and 75% overall vs. last year's 67%. Best of all, our scoring was evenly distributed, with Jennifer O'Neill and newbie Alexis Jennings scoring 20 points each.
Game ball however is solely reserved for Baby Girl Epps, who is now and forever known at ASoB as BGE. 18 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, and 1 steal? 100% shooting at the charity stripe? Papa Epps must be thrilled with his warrior daughter's performance!
So what should we look to see tonight?
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are led by new head coach Angel Elderkin, who you may recognize from her tenure as an assistant coach at LSU under the SEC's most fashion-savvy coach Nikki Caldwell. Coach Elderkin has only been in position since 10/1 so I'm curious to see how her team performs tonight. The Mountaineers are coming in off a terrific exhibition game themselves, having stomped Lees-McRae 95-46. Keep your eyes peeled for a solid performance from Maryah Sydnor who scored 21 points in their exhibition.
As for our Wildcats, I'm hoping to see that we continue to spread out our shooting, make the freebies and contain the turnovers. (I know, that was deep.) I'd love to see our newbies continue their stellar play while our veterans lead the charge. And yes, I know I harp on it a lot, but I'd love to see our FT shooting continue to improve. 75% or better on the season is what I'll consider acceptable from this team.
Sadly, this game isn't being aired on TV but you can catch the action at 7 PM EST on SECN+ and ESPN3.com Please feel free to use this as your pre-game speculation, post-game commentary and whatever else comes to mind thread. I'm looking forward to seeing both our basketball teams in action tonight. As always, it's a GREAT day to be a Wildcat!!!