If the Blue/White game proved anything, it confirmed that this Kentucky Basketball team has a ton of talent.
James Young led the Blue squad with 25 points as they pounded the White team 99-71 in from a Blue/White game record of 15,035 in Rupp Arena.
Young looked NBA ready as he shot the basketball from behind the arc and dazzled while driving into the paint. Young nailed 3 of 5 from behind the arc and was 11-16 from the field.
Julius Randle also had a big night, showing off a nice outside game, along with a powerful paint presence. Randle finished with 21 points, making 8 of 13 from the field, and grabbing 8 rebounds.
The biggest surprise of the night was Derek Willis, as he canned 21 points, including 5 of 6 from behind arc, while grabbing 8 boards.
Aaron Harrison had 19 points, while his brother Andrew sat the second half with a knee contusion. Andrew was banged up in practice earlier in the week and Coach Cal thought he might not even give it a go earlier today.
Dominique Hawkins finished with a total of 11 points and Calipari raved about how well he played.
This team is going to be a lot of fun, and my guess is, you better make sure you don’t miss a second.
Team Notes
This was the sixth year that the Blue/White Scrimmage has been played in Rupp Arena.
This was the 12th-consecutive time that the Blue team has won the game, with the last loss to White coming in 2000-01 (scrimmage not held in 2007-08).
The Wildcats made 53.6 percent from three-point range, 15 of 28.
The team showed plenty of hops tonight with 19 total dunks.
Two students who came to tonight’s game will be awarded tuition scholarships for the spring semester. The winners are Joshua Lawson, a senior mechanical engineering major from Boyle County, and Amanda Dowell, a freshman biology major from Stanford, Ky.
Kentucky returns to the court Friday, Nov. 1, as the Wildcats play host to Transylvania. The exhibition game is at 7:00 p.m. EDT and will be televised live by Fox Sports South and delayed on the UK IMG Network.
The regular season tips off Fri. Nov. 8 as UK hosts UNC Asheville at 7 p.m.
First-Half Facts
The Blue team started four freshmen, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young and Julius Randle, along with sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein.
The White team opened with seniors Jarrod Polson and Jon Hood, sophomore Alex Poythress, and freshmen Derek Willis and Marcus Lee.
Ahead 6-4, Blue went on a 10-0 run for a 16-4 lead.
Blue extended its advantage for the remainder of the first half and went into intermission with its biggest lead of 50-29.
Second-Half Story
Blue started with Aaron Harrison, Young, Poythress, Randle and Cauley-Stein.
White started Dominique Hawkins, Polson, Hood, Willis and Dakari Johnson.
Blue stretched its lead to as many as 37 points and coasted to a 99-71 win.
Player Notes
James Young (Blue) led all scorers with 25 points. He also had a game-high seven steals.
Julius Randle (Blue) tallied 21 points.
Derek Willis (White) canned 21 points, including 5 of 6 on three-pointers, and also gathered eight rebounds.
Aaron Harrison (Blue) scored 19 points, including 3 of 4 on three-pointers.
Playing for both teams, Dakari Johnson had a double-double, totaling 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
