Tyler Herro’s top 5 moments of the 2018-19 season

If you’re like me and loved what you saw from Tyler Herro this past season in Lexington, purchasing a Miami Heat jersey (preferably those sexy “Vice” jerseys) with “HERRO 14” on the back is high on your summer to-do list.

Not only did Herro have one of the sauciest looks at the 2019 NBA Draft where the three-time champion Heat took him 13th overall, Herro was one of the most exciting players on this past season’s team for Kentucky. Whether it was his clutch shot-making or his enjoyable quotes that ended up on local T-shirts, Herro was truly one of the Big Blue Nation’s favorites.

When you’re a fan favorite like Herro was this past season, you tend to have some fun memories to leave behind before the venture into the NBA.

Speaking of those moments, let’s take a look at five of Herro’s best, starting with a big-time holiday performance in one of the biggest games of the season every year for Big Blue.

5. Beating up Little Brother

24 points on 10-of-13 shooting with five rebounds = MVP in the battle for the Commonwealth.

The BBN enjoyed a stellar athletic season in the two main collegiate sporting events against their little brother to the west. Kentucky obliterated the Cards on the gridiron (love you forever, Benny Snell) and on the hardwood, the result was no different.

Facing another tough non-conference challenge after rebooting their season in a beautiful win over North Carolina in Chicago, the young Cats brought in the new year on a high note with a convincing 71-58 win over their in-state rivals.

Tyler Herro was excellent in the contest, scoring a game-high 24 points with four made triples in one of his strongest performances all season.

4. He’s not just a shooter

Every shooter knows that feeling. Some nights, your shot just isn’t going to fall. It happens.

On this night, one that turned out to be a pivotal night in the process of swaying new Wildcat Keion Brooks, Jr. to join #LaFamilia, Tyler Herro showed the world that he’s not ‘just a shooter.’

Despite a 3-for-11 shooting exhibition against then-No. 1 Tennessee in what was the biggest game of the season up to that point, Herro had one of his grittiest performances to date, finding a way to still score 15 points, but also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in a 86-69 blowout over the Vols.

3. Road Herro

24 against Louisville.

20 at Auburn and Ole Miss.

19 at Florida.

18 against Mizzou.

He wasn’t perfect, nor was anybody else, but more often than not, especially on the road, when the Cats needed someone to step up, Tyler Herro was their guy.

He wasn’t just a stud against Louisville. He did it Auburn. He did it at Ole Miss, Florida and Mizzou when they almost lost Reid Travis for the season in a freak collision.

Herro’s 3-point percentage was just slightly better at home (39.7 percent to 39.1 percent on the road), but his overall shooting percentage was better on the road (50.5 percent-47 percent), his 2-point percentage was better (58.7 percent-52.4 percent) and he made all 27 free throws he attempted on the road.

2. “I’m a bucket.”

Oh, you didn’t know? You better call somebody.

Arguably Herro’s most popular moment happened at the end of the tightly-contested victory against Arkansas late in the season when he stepped to the line for two clutch-time freebies.

The Hogs rallied ferociously to almost steal one in Lexington, but Herro, playing on a sore Achilles/ankle, put the entire program on his back to score 29 points on just 10 shot attempts. He made nine of those attempts, including all four 2-pointers he attempted and five of the six triples he shot.

A bucket indeed.

1. He’s a bucket!

The block, the find from Keldon Johnson, the shot, the win.

This past season didn’t end how the BBN had hoped it could/would, but it did bring a sequence that will live in Kentucky lore for years to come.

Trailing 58-57 inside of the final minute, the Cats needed a stop and a bucket to advanced to the Elite Eight against Houston after leading for much of the evening.

The stop came thanks to an absurd PJ Washington block at the rim and the bucket came off the right hand of Tyler Herro, who swished home a go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Cats the lead for good.

Clutch.