Kentucky Wildcats run past San Lorenzo: 4 things to know and postgame banter

It was anything but a normal game—due to a power outage Kentucky had to cut the first half short and then play a 22-minute second half, 10 minutes of which was not televised.

But nonetheless, Kentucky is now 2-0 in the Bahamas trip, and even pulled an upset tonight, according to Vegas, who had San Lorenzo favored by nine.

The Wildcats managed to defeat Argentinian team San Lorenzo De Almagro thanks to strong shooting from Tyler Herro and marked improvement from PJ Washington and Reid Travis.

Here are four things to know from the 91-68 win.

Starting lineup remained the same

Thursday’s starting five, which was the same as Wednesday’s:

• Immanuel Quickley
• Quade Green
• Keldon Johnson
• PJ Washington
• Nick Richards

This was a surprise. Herro and Ashton Hagans were revelations Wednesday, and in games that don’t actually count, I expected John Calipari to make some moves and test out something new.

He stuck with the same starting lineup, and it certainly wasn’t a bad one. Does this mean that Calipari already has a more solid idea of what the starting lineup will be than we thought?

With as many as nine guys that could start on this team, there’s no way that he’s already decided he’ll stick with this. But it must be the lineup he likes right now.

A Herro-ic impact

Kentucky was bad from 3-point range Wednesday (once again), but the Wildcats looked a lot better from deep Thursday and it was mostly because of Herro.

He was red hot from deep, and just like Wednesday, he did not hesitate when he had a shot he liked. And that was regardless of the time left on the shot clock.

There is already a growing list of highlights that feature Herro dropping a shot off a screen.

Herro led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting (he was 3 for 3 from deep) in just 10 minutes of playing time at the half. Kentucky needs this kind of confidence from deep if the team is going to make the run its expected to make to the National Championship.

PJ and Reid bounce back

While seeing Herro play well was nice, seeing Washington and Travis rebound from their quiet outings on Wednesday was one of the big stories here. Against a physical and talented San Lorenzo frontcourt, Washington and Travis were able to find offensive rhythm without forcing many shots.

Travis even hit a mid-range jumper and looked far more confident in his offense compared to Game 1.

As for Washington, he was back to looking like a bull in the paint that no one could slow down:

Three-ball improves

It was night and day compared to Game 1 when it came to Kentucky’s three-point shooting. On Wednesday, they didn’t hit their second three until it the game was over when Brad Calipari hit one late.

But on Thursday, the Cats were sizzling from deep, hitting five of their first six threes, which were a big reason why they build a 45-27 halftime lead that proved too much for San Lorenzo to overcome.

It may be an exhibition game, but this was a great offensive showing that shows just how dangerous this team will be as the the months roll on.

Remember, we’re still three months away until Game 1 of the regular season. Imagine how good this offense can be then, and the thought of what it can be in March is terrifying for the rest of college basketball.

Now, let’s discuss the Cats’ 2-0 start in the Bahamas!