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The Kentucky Wildcats started off Thanksgiving right by defeating the Winthrop Eagles Wednesday afternoon 87-74.
The Cats came out firing early and often as they were able to do whatever they wanted offensively all game long. The problem, yet again, was a mix of the opponent’s insanely good shooting and absolutely no defense from the Cats.
However, there is a lot to like about this team. They do so much really well. They have a variety of weapons on the offensive end. They relentlessly crash and control the boards. They share the ball. And they’re the best free throw shooting team I’ve seen under Calipari.
The only thing this team is missing is the defense. And the worst part about it is UK has a lot of good defensive players, they just haven’t put it together yet as a unit. But I’m confident it will come. There’s too much defensive talent on the court for this team to be so atrocious on that end of the floor.
With that being said, the Kentucky Wildcats are 4-1 and have a ton of potential to get better and better. This is still a legitimate top-ten team and there’s no reason anyone should think otherwise.
Hopefully, Cal is able to work his magic and help this team pull it together defensively. Regardless, there’s a lot to like about this team and a lot to look forward to.
Box Score
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Game MVP
Tyler Herro was great tonight. He was knocking down shots from all over the place and distributing the ball like a point guard.
This was the best Herro has looked since the Bahamas and it was nice to see him finally get it going.
Herro is unstoppable when he’s hot. He’s a somewhat streaky shooter, but I think he’s more consistent than, say, Malik Monk. He’s not that streaky. He has a pretty stroke and when he does miss, it’s not by much.
He’s able to pull up on a dime, which allows him to get his shot off whenever he wants to. Add in his 6’5 frame and decent athleticism and he’s simply a problem on the offensive end of the floor.
Oh, and he’s getting better defensively, too.
Herro finished with 15 points and seven assists.
Also, I want to give a shout-out to PJ Washington. The dude was a beast again. He finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, notching yet another double-double and being this team’s anchor when they need it most. The reason for picking Herro was that Cal was clearly trying to get him going today and he responded.
Happy Thanksgiving, BBN!