In recent years, Kentucky has made sure to schedule one exhibition match-up against an in-state school, and this year’s exhibition match-up pairs the Wildcats against the Asbury Eagles.
For Kentucky, this exhibition will serve as a tune-up for the regular season which begins next Friday, November 11, against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
Look for Calipari and the coaching staff to try some different lineup combinations and rotations to get a feel for what works best. Will Kentucky use a thee-guard lineup with Fox, Monk, and Briscoe? Will Monk come off the bench like he did against Clarion? Will any reserve players show out in hopes of garnering more minutes in the rotation? These are a few things to look for Sunday night.
For Asbury, a team filled with players from Kentucky, this should be a unique experience to face off against the Wildcats in Rupp Arena.
Located just 16 miles from the University of Kentucky, the Asbury Eagles are coming off of a 15-16 season last year and a loss in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinals.
The Eagles lost three starters from that team, but return plenty of guys with experience including Lexington native and Bryan Station alum Tyler Smith, who is the leading returning scorer and rebounder for the Eagles with 10.5 ppg and 7.7 rpg.
However in the Eagles’ first two games this season (both victories), it has been 6’7 Cynthiana, Ky. native Trenton Thompson leading the way, averaging 20 ppg. Thompson (as well as Mt. Washington native, freshman Jared Farris) is the Eagles’ tallest player, which could create some problems against a Kentucky team that possesses a ton of height and length.
The Eagles are coached by Will Shouse, a 2002 Asbury alum and a native of Lawrenceburg, Ky. Shouse is in his ninth year as the Eagles head coach.
It’s typically a great experience for players at these smaller schools in Kentucky when they get to play an exhibition against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena. This has become a regular thing under John Calipari, with the likes of Georgetown, Transylvania, Pikeville, and others having the opportunity to come into Rupp and play against the Wildcats.
Many of these teams, like Asbury, are primarily made of Kentucky kids who grew up as Wildcats fans and were never able to make the KHSAA Sweet 16 to play at Rupp Arena. I could imagine that it is an awesome experience for players at these schools.
Here is everything you’ll need to watch and follow this exhibition affair.
Asbury Eagles at Kentucky Wildcats
When: Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. ET
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
TV: SEC Network
Announcers: Tom Hart and Daymeon Fishback will be on the call.
Radio - UK Radio Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt
Odds: Stop it.
Live stats: UKathletics.com
Social media: @KentuckyMBB
UK Roster:
No. 0 De'Aaron Fox, Point Guard, Freshman
No. 1 Sacha Killeya-Jones, Forward, Freshman
No. 3 Edrice ‘Bam’ Adebayo, Forward Freshman
No. 5 Malik Monk, Shooting Guard, Freshman
No. 10 Jonny David, Guard, Sophomore
No. 11 Mychal Mulder, Guard, Senior
No. 13 Isaiah Briscoe, Guard, Sophomore
No. 14 Tai Wynyard Forward, Redshirt Freshman
No. 15 Isaac Humphries, Forward, Sophomore
No. 20 Brad Calipari, Guard, Freshman
No. 25 Dominique Hawkins, Guard, Senior
No. 30 Dillon Pulliam, Guard, Redshirt Sophomore
No. 32 Wenyen Gabriel, Forward, Freshman
No. 35 Derek Willis, Forward, Senior