“He’s a different point guard than the other point guards I’ve had.” John Calipari on his latest Freshman point guard, Brandon Knight.
Knight lived up to every bit of the hype in his first action as a Wildcat. Knight shot 10-14 from inside the 3-point line, for an amazing 71.4%, 1-5 from behind the arc for 20.0% and 11-15 overall for 57.9%. He was 8-8 from the free throw line and scored 31 total points as he led the Cats to a 95-62 victory over the Windsor Lancers.
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Never did he look more like Wall than early in the second half. Like Wall, Knight acted boldly, decisively and, most importantly, effectively early in the second half.
After Windsor reduced Kentucky’s lead to 49-41, Knight needed only seven seconds to change the course of the game. He zipped downcourt and scored in the lane while being fouled.
The three-point play put the Cats ahead 52-41. UK’s lead never returned to single digits again.
He was stellar in every aspect, both from leading the team at the point to his defense. Overall he had 7 rebounds, 4 assists and an amazing 0 turnovers. Knight played within himself, under control and poised. Granted, the competition’s not North Carolina or Duke, but he will only improve as he moves toward the season.
Windsor guard Monty Hardware had a summed Knight’s performance up stating, “He’s super fast, He’s super, super fast. If there’s no help, you see legs.”
As with any Basketball Game, the Cat fans were in full force. Coach Calipari stated, “I had a guy come up to me who was from Anchorage, Alaska. That’s our fans, their nice people, and their crazy.” Referring to the passion of the Big Blue Nation…
[B]GAME NOTES FROM UK[/B]
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[*]This was Kentucky’s first international exhibition game since August of 1995.
[*]This was UK’s first ever trip to Canada.
[*]Kentucky will play again tomorrow vs. Western Ontario at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Blue Network as well as Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Ohio.
[*]The game will also be streamed live on UKathletics.com.
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[CENTER][B]First-half notes[/B][/CENTER]
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[*]The Wildcats started Darius Miller, Jon Hood, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson.
[*]Darius Miller won the opening tip for the Wildcats.
[*]DeAndre Liggins scored the game’s opening basket.
[*]Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb were the first Wildcat subs on the evening.
[*]After trailing 33-30, the Wildcats went an 11-0 run late in the first half and outscored the Lancers 15-2 to take a 43-35 halftime lead.
[*]Freshman Brandon Knight led all scorers at the half with 15 points and led the Wildcats with five rebounds.
[*]UK finished the first half shooting 47.1 pct. (16-34) while holding the Lancers to 34.3 pct. (12-35).
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[CENTER][B]Second-half notes[/B][/CENTER]
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[*]Second half starters for UK were Darius Miller, Jon Hood, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson.
[*]Hood benefited from UK’s up-tempo style, getting out on the open floor and finishing with three dunks.
[*]Knight tallied 16 second half points.
[*]Kentucky outscored the Lancers 52-27 in the second half.
[*]The Wildcats shot 52.5 pct. (21-40) in the second half, while holding the Lancers to 28.1 pct. (9-32).
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[CENTER][B]Wrap-up notes[/B][/CENTER]
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[*]Darius Miller finished with a double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds. Miller also dished out four assists, blocked two shots and recorded a steal.
[*]Brandon Knight led all scorers with 31 points, while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
[*]Josh Harrellson missed a double-double by a point, finished with 11 rebounds and nine points. UK’s lone senior also recorded five blocked shots, a game high.
[*]Jon Hood finished with four steals.
[*]Kentucky had four players record four assists (Miller, Hood, Knight, Liggins).
[*]The Wildcats enjoyed a +18 rebounding margin (47-29).
[*]Kentucky finished the game shooting 50.0 pct. (37-74) from the field.
[*]The Wildcats played all nine players when Jarrod Polson checked in with just over seven minutes to go in the game. All nine Wildcats scored.
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