Wildcats hit a trifecta not seen since 2009

The No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats battled the Saint Joseph’s Hawks on Monday, and fans saw an absolute thriller. The Cats came out with a 96-88 win and have moved to 4-1 on the season.

This Kentucky team clearly needs more size, but it is surviving till the return of several big men. The Wildcats shot 51.6% from the field and ended up nailing 48% of their attempts from deep.

Kentucky needs to be better from the free-throw line, where it shot just 18/27.

That said, a trio of Cats put in most of the work and did something that three Wildcats haven’t done in a single game since a 2009 trifecta of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson, all future NBA Draft lottery picks.

This, according to UK stat extraordinaire Corey Price.

DJ Wagner, who hasn’t been as impressive as many had hoped for, tallied 22 points. He and center Tre Mitchell led the team with 22, so a great response for the freshman, as well as another strong performance from the fifth-year senior.

Antonio Reeves, one of the veterans on the roster, tallied 20. Star freshmen Justin Edwards and Rob Dillingham respectively scored 12 and 13 as well. The only other Wildcat to get on the board was guard Adou Thiero, who tallied seven points.

This Cats team has the versatility and scoring variety to be among the best in the country. Expect big things from the Cats, especially as they return several key big men from injury in the coming weeks.