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The Kentucky Wildcats starting point guard had himself a night. Sahvir Wheeler lit up the North Carolina Tar Heels on both ends of the court last night. He scored 26 points- one point away from his career high- dished out 8 assists and nabbed four steals on defense.
There had been some questions surrounding Wheeler coming into this game due to his erratic play on offense, particularly against Notre Dame. But tonight he put those questions were put to bed as Wheeler was absolutely dynamic. North Carolina couldn’t stop him from getting into the lane and he took Caleb Love completely out of the game. Love leads the team in scoring with 16 ppg but ended the night with only 8.
It wasn’t all Wheeler, though. Oscar Tshiebwe played only 22 minutes but was able to record his 8th (!) double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kellan Grady broke out with 18 points going 5-7 beyond the arch. He also grabbed six rebounds on defense.
The Cats needed a feel good win after a disappointing showing in South Bend. It’s great that CBS was able to put this game together after Ohio State was forced to cancel due to COVID issues. The Wildcats needed a confidence boost before taking on UofL (we hope) on Wednesday.
Tweets of the Day
One more nice wrinkle by John Calipari. If you’re going to ice Sahvir Wheeler in the ball-screen, put him on the left side of the floor and the screen on his right side. Now he has an open driving lane with his left hand. Wheeler had 26 points on 12-15 shooting. pic.twitter.com/BprHnLohyU
— David Sisk (@CoachDavidSisk) December 19, 2021
John Calipari deserves as much credit this week for the great offense as he did blame last week for the stagnant offense. Things looked very different and guys hitting open shots cures a lot of things.
Great team win tonight!
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) December 19, 2021
Loved having @mookiebetts and my cousin @TjFriedl1 here with us. They talked to the team after the game about selflessness and the importance of being your brother’s keeper! #LaFamilia pic.twitter.com/rextWEr9CU
Smiles all around.
Headlines
What happens in Vegas? Kentucky pounds UNC 98-69 | WDRB- I thought Kentucky would win because Carolina plays their style of basketball. What I didn’t expect was complete domination on the part of the Cats.
‘That’s by far the best we’ve played’ | Cats Pause- John Calipari was almost downright giddy after the game. And if this is what Kentucky looks like at their best then this could be a really fun season.
UK Women host USC Upstate | UK Athletics- Come out and enjoy “Ugly Sweater Day” and bring a toy or a $25 VISA/Mastercard gift card in order to gain free entry into the game! The toys and cards will go to the Western Kentucky Toy Drive.
John Calipari knows COVID could play havoc with schedule | Vaught’s Views- The virus is once again an obstacle to professional and collegiate athletics.
Ugh. Sobering thought from Sahvir Wheeler as COVID hammers college hoops again:
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) December 19, 2021
"Some of us were like, man, this could be our last game for a while, so just go out there and give it your all."
Sobering for sure but it’s nice to see the fire from the starting point guard.
Kentucky hands UNC once of their worst losses in the history of the series | Tar Hill Blog- It’s always fun when Calipari can put the subs in against a Blue Blood program.
Louisville outclassed by WKU | Card Chronicle- Louisville already has four losses and it’s not even Christmas. The Cards are a bad basketball team right now and they’re going to be in fight or flight mode when they come to Rupp on Tuesday. Credit to WKU for leading the entire way and getting a big win after an emotionally charged week. Their football team also clobbered App State in the Boca Raton Bowl. A much needed lift for the area.
Starting Card center Malik Williams missed WKU due to COVID protocols | Cardinal Authority- UofL was missing their team captain in the road loss and coach Chris Mack doesn’t know if he will be available Wednesday night. Hopefully the COVID pause is just relegated to one player.
Badgers win the title in volleyball | ESPN- A truly impressive run for the Wisconsin volleyball team as they beat previously undefeated Louisville in the Final Four and rallied to beat traditional power Nebraska for the championship.
Taylor’s monster game snaps Pat’s winning streak | CBS- Johnathan Taylor rushed for 170 yards and stopped the Patriots comeback by ripping off a 67 yard touchdown run to ice the game.
Who to start for Fantasy Football | Sporting News- It's Playoff time for Fantasy Football so here is a guide for those looking who to start and sit. Yours truly has a bye so I’m chilling on this Sunday.
Urban Meyer apologizes to the Jags | SI.com- It’s not shocking that Meyer didn’t last in Jacksonville but it is shocking that it crashed and burned THIS quickly. Meyer denies allegations that he kicked player Josh Lambo.