Highlights, Box Score and Game MVP from Kentucky beating Transylvania

The 2018-19 men’s college basketball season got under way tonight. Well, sort of.

The Kentucky Wildcats started the preseason tonight with a 94-66 exhibition game win over Division-III Transylvania.

I know it’s Transy, but it was nice to finally see the Cats play against some real competition with less than two weeks before the regular season begins.

But with that being said, it was pretty sloppy. It definitely looked like October as UK struggled to take care of the ball and the three-point shooting was atrocious. Hopefully, it was just a slow night, but they’re going to need to get it together and fast because that November 6th showdown with Duke will be here before we know it.

Let’s get to the good stuff, though.

Reid Travis put up another dominant showing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The dude is an absolute beast. He bullies defenders down low and he always finds a way to get to the ball for rebounds.

EJ Montgomery showcased why he was so highly regarded as a recruit. This kid has the most potential of any player on the roster. He can spread the floor as he consistently knocks down mid-range jumpers. He’s going to be very, very good and it’s going to be hard to keep him off the floor.

Sophomore Nick Richards played well again as well. Richards did a good job of protecting the rim and taking timely shots. He didn’t force it, but he also seemed kind of passive at times.

PJ Washington and Keldon Johnson both looked solid. PJ still looks like a man, but he also uses his length more to his advantage this year. Keldon’s motor is always running and he is nonstop talking trash. I love it.

Overall, it was a good showing. UK had seven players score in double figures and the high was EJ Montgomery with 14. It was a very balanced effort. Like i said, it was nice to see the Cats take on a real opponent in front of that Rupp Arena crowd. Kentucky basketball is back.

Box Score

Go here for full postgame stats.

Game MVP

This was tough tonight because the scoring was so balanced. A lot of players played well, yet it was hard to pick one out of the crowd. But I’ve got to go with the guy who looked extremely talented and has a lot of potential. That’s EJ Montgomery.

EJ is so smooth around the rim. He consistently knocks down mid-range jumpers and when he can extend to the three-point line, he’ll score at will. He’s long and he’s very athletic, so it’ll be fun to watch him improve defensively as well.

He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds on 7-10 shooting from the field.

It’s just the beginning of what’s going to be a fun year.

Highlights

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