3 players to watch as Kentucky hosts Duquesne

The Kentucky Wildcats are back at home tonight, hosting the Duquesne Dukes (1-0) in the second game of the regular season for both squads.

Kentucky had a strong showing in its opening game, a 95-63 win over Howard.

As the Wildcats prepare to host the Dukes, here are three players to watch.

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#1. Ugonna Onyenso

Onyenso has opened some eyes through the exhibition games and the season-opener, in which he finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds, along with a team-high 4 blocks.

When Onyenso joined the team, most people didn't expect him to play 20 minutes in the season opener, but with Oscar Tshiebwe still recovering from an injury and Daimion Collins taking personal time for a death in the family, Onyenso has stepped up and shown why he was viewed as one of the best rim protectors in high school basketball.

Onyenso’s abilities on defense to alter and block shots make a major difference for Kentucky and some believe Onyenso could be one of the best rim protectors in Lexington in many years.

It seems like Tshiebwe will most likely be out or play very limited minutes against the Dukes, so we could see Onyenso play major minutes again. It will be interesting to see if he can put up another similar defensive performance.

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#2. Antonio Reeves

Antonio Reeves jumped out to a hot start this season, leading Kentucky in scoring against Howard with 22 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc, knocking down 6 threes.

It was a great start for Reeves, who looked like a guy that could be one of the focal points of Kentucky’s offense this season.

After a big night in the season opener, you have to think the Dukes will pay close attention to try to avoid giving Reeves good looks. Let’s see how Reeves performs in his second official game as a Wildcat.

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#3. Cason Wallace

In his debut as a Kentucky Wildcat, Cason Wallace came up big, nearly finishing with a triple-double with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, along with a pair of steals.

With Sahvir Wheeler out, Wallace filled in as point guard and did a solid job running the offense.

Going into the matchup with Duquesne, there hasn’t been said much about Wheeler’s status, but whether he’s out or returning (possibly with limited minutes), Wallace showed he can easily play point guard or playing off-ball.

Wallace had a great first showing in Lexington, so it will be interesting to see what he does against the Dukes.