UK POSTGAME NOTES: Oscar Tshiebwe Posts 4th Double-Double as UK Wins 86-61
Compiled by UK Athletics
UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES UALBANY at KENTUCKY RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY. NOV. 22, 2021 ATTENDANCE: 18,201
Final Score: No. 10/13 Kentucky 86, UAlbany 61
Team Records and Series Notes
· Kentucky extended its winning streak to four games and is now 4-1 in the 2021-22 season. UAlbany fell to 0-5 this season.
· UK now leads the series 2-0 with both games having taken place in Rupp Arena.
o UK is 11-0 against teams comprising the America East Conference.
· Next up: Kentucky will continue its season-long seven-game home stand on Friday when it hosts North Florida at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by SEC Network.
Team Notes
· Kentucky held UAlbany to 61 points. The Wildcats are 192-9 (95.5%) under head coach John Calipari when limiting the opponent to 63 points or less.
· UK kept UAlbany at 35.3% from the field. UK is 213-24 (89.9%) under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 40 percent or less.
· Kentucky led by as many as 26 points. The Wildcats are 290-12 (96.0%) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any time during the contest.
· UK shot 54.2% from the field, the third game this season the Wildcats have made at least half their shots during the game.
· Kentucky continued its rebounding dominance, 48-24, a +24 margin. UK has outrebounded all five opponents and has a +20.2 average margin for the season.
· The Wildcats continued their solid performances at the free-throw line, making 77.3% tonight, 17 of 22. UK is now at 83.3% on the campaign.
· All five starters scored in double figures, the second time this season that five Wildcats tallied double digits.
Player Notes
· TyTy Washington Jr led the Wildcats in scoring for the first time this season with a game-high 20 points, his second consecutive game tallying 20.
o He made 7 of 14 from the floor and has made at least 50% of his shots in four straight games.
o He has matched or increased his point total in all five games this season.
o He is now the team’s leading scorer with 15.0 points per game.
o He blocked a career-high two shots.
· Sahvir Wheeler, who entered the game second in the nation in assists with 8.5 per game, dished out seven dimes on Monday to go along with 15 points.
· Keion Brooks Jr. scored in double figures for the fourth straight game with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
o He also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
· Oscar Tshiebwe posted his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
o It was his fifth straight game in double-figure rebounding to start the season.
o He is the first player to grab 10 or more rebounds in five straight games since Julius Randle posted a 10-game streak in February and March of 2014.
· Kellan Grady splashed in a game-high three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the second half to post 14 for the game, his second game in double figures this season.
· Jacob Toppin (shoulder), Lance Ware (ankle) and CJ Fredrick (hamstring) did not play because of injury.
o Toppin has missed four straight games and Ware has missed the last three. They are day-to-day.
o Fredrick is likely to miss the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a hamstring injury.
· Davion Mintz did not play Monday due to illness. He is day-to-day.
Coach Calipari
· Calipari improved to 343-94 at UK.
· Calipari has a 788-234 all-time on-court record.
· UK is 279-55 in games vs. unranked Associated Press competition.
· Calipari is 2-0 all-time vs. UAlbany.
· Kentucky is 192-17 in Rupp Arene under Calipari, winning the last five in a row.
In the First Half
· Kentucky started Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington Jr., Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks Jr. and Oscar Tshiebwe for the fifth straight game to open the season and is now 4-1 with that lineup.
· Brooks scored the game’s first points off a jumper for the second game in a row.
· UK jumped out to an 8-3 lead with a pair of Tshiebwe jumpers but UAlbany kept it close early in the first half.
· Aided by consecutive 3-pointers from Washington and Grady, the Wildcats scored 10 straight points midway through the first half to turn a one-point lead into a 25-14 advantage with 8:34 left in the first half.
o Kentucky held UAlbany without a point for five full minutes of game action.
· UAlbany scrapped back to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 31-26 but UK outscored the Great Danes 6-2 over the final two minutes to take a 37-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
· Turnovers were a problem for the Wildcats in the first half. They committed nine of them with just three assists.
· Washington led UK in the first half with 13 points.
· Tshiebwe posted six points and nine boards in the first half.
· Wheeler added nine points and three assists.
In the Second Half
· Kentucky started the second half with the same starting five: Wheeler, Washington, Grady, Brooks and Tshiebwe.
· Up 43-35, the Wildcats began to pull away with a 9-2 stretch to take a 52-37 lead. Washington was the catalyst with five points during the run.
· The Wildcats really took control with a 9-0 burst midway through the first half. A 3 by Grady from the right corner put Kentucky up 59-39 with 8:50 to go and forced UAlbany to call a timeout. Out of it, Daimion Collins slammed home a Washington miss to complete the run.
· UK led by as many as 26 points at 86-60 before the final tally of 86-61.
· Brooks led UK’s second-half effort with 13 points, with Grady adding 11.
