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The Kentucky Wildcats were in action in the Bahamas this week for the second time in four games.
After defeating the Dominican Republic national team on Wednesday, the Cats looked to match that success against Monterey Tech.
Kentucky was huge on the board in this one, and it was a great start for the Cats as they quickly built a comfortable lead.
The first half was another strong defensive performance as they took a 53-21 lead into the break.
The second half was more of the same with Kentucky completely outscoring their opponent.
Kentucky was able to get away with easy baskets in transition as their strong defense led to an easy offense.
After 40 minutes of dominating football, the Cats won 102-40 to make it 2-0 on their trip to the Bahamas.
Things to know
Chris Livingston continues to amaze.
Livingston was one of the bright spots for me in Game 1 and it continued in Game 2.
It was his defense that stood out for me, while he was impressive in attack. Livingston was creating steals and using his length to compete on passing routes, making it difficult for Monterey Tech to get clean looks.
He is also not afraid to hit the glass and bring rebounds that lead to transition opportunities.
Livingston finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block.
And another big shout out to Adou Thiero, who started tonight and finished with 13 points (5-7 shooting), six boards and two assists. He looks like a player ready to earn minutes in Year 1.
Damion Collins is a different player.
Collins was the story of the first game with an all-around great outing and highlight reel.
I was interested to see how he would fare in game 2 to see if he has the same strength.
Well, the answer to that is yes.
Collins looks like a completely different player on the floor. He is stronger and has a confidence in him that we didn’t see last year.
Collins already had the shot-blocking ability to offer. Now, get into a more polished offensive game, and it’s going to be tough to get him off the floor.
Collins finished with 10 points, five rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks.
Sahvir Wheeler is back
I wouldn’t say Wheeler played badly in Wednesday night’s game, but he had some bad turnovers and looked out of control at times.
However, in this one, Wheeler was more in control, getting the ball into the lane and getting his teammates in position to score or himself.
After struggling a bit in Game 1, it was good to see him finish with 14 points, 10 assists and two steals in this one. Great to see from the veteran guard.
Jacob Toppin tackles offensively.
On Wednesday, Toppin wasn’t aggressive offensively, but made several solid defensive plays with some huge blocks.
At the beginning of game two, it was a bit of a struggle for Toppin to fall because he couldn’t fall.
Down the stretch, Toppin began to find offense and was having more success finishing the game on a more positive note. He finished with 12 points on 5-12 shooting and added 11 rebounds, four blocks and an assist.
However, we still need to see Toppin come out aggressive and put together a complete game. Thankfully, it’s only August.
Hopefully, we’ll see a game this weekend where Topi shines offensively and shows what we’ve all come to expect from him this season.
This team could be the best free shooting team.
In Game 1, the Cats were excellent from the free throw line, going 13-14 (92.9%).
That carried over into Game 2 when the Cats went 15-19 from the charity stripe.
Kentucky has had some struggles from the line during the Calipari era, but early on, this could be one of the better shooting teams when it comes to the line.
Now, let’s celebrate Kentucky’s 2-0 start in the Bahamas!
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