< Previous18 @KentuckyMBB From Press Row Up Next: Kentucky Hosts its Most Played Opponent Up next for Kentucky is its longest-stand- ing opponent in program history and its border-state rival, Tennessee. UK owns a 157-75 all-time record vs. the Volunteers, including 92-19 in games played in Lexing- ton, Kentucky. During John Calipari’s tenure, the Wildcats lead the series 14-9, but the Volunteers have a 6-4 clip over the last 10 meetings. The teams have split the last three regular-season series and five of the last six. Tennessee has won two straight in Lex- ington and three of the last four, including an 82-71 victory last season in Rupp Arena. UK returned the favor two weeks later with a 70- 55 win in Knoxville, Tennessee. As usual, the Volunteers feature one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. Tennessee is con- sidered the second-best defense in the coun- try, according to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings. Santiago Vescovi leads the Vols in scoring with 13.6 points per game, and freshman guard Kennedy Chandler has been an in- jection of offensive explosiveness with 13.4 points and a team-best 5.1 assists a contest. Wheeler Expected to Play vs. Tennessee Kentucky guard Sahvir Wheeler remains day-to-day with a neck injury he suffered in last week’s game at LSU, but did resume practicing this week and is expected to play against Tennessee, head coach John Calipari indicated on Friday during his weekly press conference. Wheeler was knocked out of the LSU game less than four minutes into the game when he ran head-first into a screen by LSU’s 7-foot, 230-pound Efton Reid. He did not return to the game and has missed the last two games. Without Wheeler at LSU, UK scored a sea- son-low 60 points and shot a season-worst 36.2%. With freshman guard TyTy Washing- ton Jr. also sidelined for part of the second half with cramps in his legs, UK managed just one field goal over nearly a 12-minute stretch and was outscored 20-2 after UK took a 50-41 lead with 13:06 left to play. “You saw that Sahvir stirs the drink offen- sively for us,” Calipari said. “Makes our game fast. Someone said, in the last minutes Kellan (Grady) didn’t get the ball. And I say, we didn’t have a point guard in. So, those guys who would find him, that’s who they are. So now we’ve got to say, all right, how do we do this?” Kentucky has bounced back without Wheeler vs. Georgia and at Vanderbilt. Wash- ington set the UK single-game school record with 17 assists vs. the Bulldogs and Oscar Tshiebwe dominated at Van- derbilt with 30 points. Wheeler led the South- eastern Conference in assists per game and assist-to-turn- over ratio last season at Geor- gia. His 193 assists in 2020- 21 broke Georgia’s previous single-season assists record by 24 dimes despite a short- ened season. He transferred after the year was over. Wheeler has been as good as advertised for the Wildcats. His assists average took a hit with the limited action vs. LSU, but he is still ranked third nationally with 7.3 assists per game (through games on Jan. 11). Wheeler has dished out at least eight assists seven times and at least six assists in 11 games while adding 9.6 points per game. His 26 points vs. North Carolina is the most by a Wildcat this season. Oscar-Worthy: Tshiebwe Making National Player of the Year Case At first Oscar Tshiebwe grabbed the na- tion’s attention with historic rebounding num- bers. Now he’s making a run at national player of the year consideration with utter domina- tion in all facets of the game. At the midway point of the regular sea- son, Tshiebwe is averaging a team-best 17.0 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per game. He is looking to become the first Divi- sion I player to average at least 15.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season, and the first Wildcat to do it since Bob Burrow tallied 19.1 points and 17.7 rebounds per game in 1954-55. Setting records what seems like every oth- er night, Tshiebwe has captivated the country with his relentless work ethic and never-end- ing fight to grab every rebound and loose ball. The latest eye-popping stretch was a com- bined 59 points and 30 rebounds in wins vs. Georgia and Vanderbilt. A game after posting 29 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia -- the first UK player with at least 29 points and at least 17 rebounds in a game since Jamal Mash- burn totaled 38 points and 19 boards vs. East- ern Kentucky on Dec. 8, 1992 -- he went for 30 points and 13 rebounds at Vanderbilt. That marked the first 30-point, 10 rebound-game for a Wildcat since Patrick Patterson did it vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 22, 2008. The back- to-back performances also marked the first time a Kentucky player has scored at least 29 points in consecutive Southeastern Conference games since Kenny Walker in February 1985. The uptick in scoring to go along with the dominating rebounding performances from the outset of the season has put Tshiebwe firmly into the discussion for national player of the year. He is already on two midseason watch lists -- the John R. Wooden and Lute Olson awards -- for their respective nation- al honors and earned national player of the week distinction from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association at NCAA March Mad- ness on Dec. 28. He set new records for the Champions Classic and UK debut with 20 boards vs. Duke in the season opener, nearly tied the Rupp Arena record with 20 rebounds in his first home game, and then just recently shattered that Rupp record with 28 boards vs. West- ern Kentucky. That easily surpassed Shaquille O’Neal’s previous mark of 21. It’s worth not- ing Tshiebwe did that primarily against the tallest player in college basketball, Jamarion Sharp, who stands at 7-foot-5. With 20 boards the following game against Missouri, his 48 boards tied for the most over a two-game span by any Division I player over the last 25 seasons (according to ESPN Stats & Info).167 W Main Street, Lexington | @LockboxLex | LockboxLex.com LEXINGTONLocated at GLOW BIG BLUE Just blocks from Rupp Arena, we’re the perfect destination for your pre-game dinner or post-game drinks. Make a night of it and enjoy free valet parking with the 21c Game Day Package.20 @KentuckyMBB Florida Lexington, Ky. 4 p.m. Saturday February 12 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 9 p.m. Tuesday February 15 Alabama Lexington, Ky. 1 p.m. Saturday February 19 LSU Lexington, Ky. 9 p.m. Wednesday February 23 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 2 p.m. Saturday February 26 Ole Miss Lexington, Ky. 7 p.m. Tuesday March 1 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 2 p.m. Saturday March 5 SEC Tournament Tampa, Fla. TBA Wed.-Sun. March 9-13 NCAA Tournament Final Four® New Orleans | TBA March- April TBA LSU Baton Rouge, La. L, 60-65 Tuesday January 4 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. W, 78-66 Tuesday January 11 Texas A&M College Station, Texas 8:30 p.m. Wednesday January 19 Auburn Auburn, Ala. 1 or 1:30 p.m. Saturday January 22 Mississippi State Lexington, Ky. 9 p.m. Tuesday January 25 Kansas Lawrence, Kan. | SEC/Big 12 Challenge | 6 p.m. Saturday January 29 Vanderbilt Lexington, Ky. 7 p.m. Wednesday February 2 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. 8 p.m. Saturday February 5 South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 7 p.m. Tuesday February 8 Georgia Lexington, Ky. W, 92-77 Saturday January 8 Duke New York L, 71-79 Tuesday November 9 Robert Morris Lexington, Ky. W, 100-60 Friday November 12 Mount St. Mary's Lexington, Ky. W, 80-55 Tuesday November 16 Ohio Lexington, Ky. W, 77-59 Friday November 19 North Florida Lexington, Ky. W, 86-52 Friday November 26 Central Michigan Lexington, Ky. W, 85-57 Monday November 29 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. L, 62-66 Saturday December 11 Southern Lexington, Ky. W, 76-64 Tuesday December 7 North Carolina Las Vegas | CBS Sports Classic | W, 98-69 Saturday December 18 Western Kentucky Lexington, Ky. W, 95-60 Wednesday December 22 Missouri Lexington, Ky. W, 83-56 Wednesday December 29 High Point Lexington, Ky. W, 92-48 Friday December 31 UAlbany Lexington, Ky. W, 86-61 Monday November 22 Home Neutral Away 2021-22 Basketball Schedule Tennessee Lexington, Ky. 1 p.m. Saturday January 15We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter. ShelterInsurance.com • 1-800-SHELTER WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE KENTUCKYKENTUCKY WILDCATS!WILDCATS! KENTUCKYKENTUCKY WILDCATS!WILDCATS! ® BEAVER DAM Robbie Parham BEREA Chad Tate BENTON Michelle Clark BOWLING GREEN Nancy Hickey BUTLER Jason Laytart CAMPBELLSVILLE Joseph Hamilton CARLISLE Bill Clark CYNTHIANA David Yeiser DANVILLE Troy Wheeler ELIZABETHTOWN Jamie Martin Alice Slaubaugh EMINENCE Fred Downey EVANSVILLE, IN Rick Koberstein FAIRDALE Jamie Norsworthy FLEMINGSBURG Cole Clark FLORENCE Rocky Bryan Will Gilliland FRANKLIN Brian Knapp FRANKFORT BJ Hurst Audrey Marshall GEORGETOWN Steve Black Spencer Kilpatrick HARDINSBURG Sandra Bruington HARRODSBURG Jamie Dunn HENDERSON Lesley Liley HODGENVILLE Teddy Sandford HOPKINSVILLE Scott Leuckel LAGRANGE Paula Kaeser LANCASTER Cindy Lanham LAWRENCEBURG Ashley Bailey Larry Moore LEITCHFIELD Donna Vanmeter LEXINGTON Tony Arnold Linda Fugate Dawan Hart Willie Morrison Maddie Stiles Terry Wolfe Gene Young LIBERTY Kevin Atwood LIVERMORE Katie Gunterman LONDON Jeffery Anderson LOUISVILLE Larissa Spears MADISONVILLE Kelly Madison MAYFIELD Steve Jones MOREHEAD Caleb Staggs MOUNT STER- LING Elizabeth Shelley MURRAY Doug Henry NICHOLASVILLE Marc Miller Russ Owens OWENSBORO Karen Keller Bob Smith Nick Warren PADUCAH Toby Boone RICHMOND Ashley Kovaleski Evan Worrell SHELBYVILLE Jessica Cole SLAUGHTERS Sam Westfall SOMERSET Jason Weatherford SPRINGFIELD Sue Blair STANFORD Sean Slusher VERSAILLES Janice Frasier WINCHESTER Kay Brandenburg Olin Woolum22 @KentuckyMBB 2021-22 Kentucky Wildcats Statistics TOTAL 3-POINT F-THROW SCORING REBOUNDS No. Player GP-S Min. Avg. FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Pts Avg. Off Def Total Avg. PF A TO Stl Blk. 34 Tshiebwe, Oscar 16-16 466 29.1 111-177 .627 0-0 .000 50-69 .725 272 17.0 85 156 241 15.1 40 15 25 21 23 03 Washington Jr. , TyTy 16-16 503 31.4 91-183 .497 21-52 .404 16-21 .762 219 13.7 15 54 69 4.3 25 76 28 18 5 31 Grady, Kellan 16-16 485 30.3 65-137 .474 44-98 .449 11-17 .647 185 11.6 4 26 30 1.9 9 17 10 17 1 12 Brooks Jr., Keion 15-15 349 23.3 66-131 .504 4-17 .235 24-34 .706 160 10.7 21 48 69 4.6 20 10 17 6 12 02 Wheeler, Sahvir 14-14 409 29.2 56-127 .441 4-23 .174 18-21 .857 134 9.6 11 22 33 2.4 33 102 41 20 1 10 Mintz, Davion 13-1 283 21.8 38-95 .400 21-57 .368 20-28 .714 117 9.0 11 20 31 2.4 16 19 16 5 2 00 Toppin, Jacob 12-1 202 16.8 27-52 .519 0-1 .000 13-18 .722 67 5.6 12 31 43 3.6 13 18 8 6 7 04 Collins, Daimion 15-1 162 10.8 26-42 .619 0-3 .000 7-9 .778 59 3.9 15 28 43 2.9 26 4 13 5 19 11 Allen, Dontaie 11-0 95 8.6 13-44 .295 6-32 .188 4-4 1.000 36 3.3 3 16 19 1.7 7 6 3 2 2 23 Hopkins, Bryce 16-0 141 8.8 17-42 .405 4-14 .286 3-5 .600 41 2.6 13 17 30 1.9 11 7 13 4 2 55 Ware, Lance 10-0 69 6.9 6-9 .667 0-0 .000 7-16 .438 19 1.9 4 15 19 1.9 13 1 8 1 5 14 Canada, Brennan 8-0 12 1.5 3-4 .750 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 6 0.8 1 0 1 0.1 0 1 0 0 0 20 Payne, Zan 8-0 12 1.5 2-6 .333 0-3 .000 2-2 1.000 6 0.8 0 2 2 0.3 1 0 1 1 0 25 Watkins, Kareem 8-0 12 1.5 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0.0 1 2 3 0.4 2 2 2 2 0 Total 16 3200 200.0 521-1050 .496 104-301 .346 175-244 .717 1321 82.56 226 469 695 43.4 216 278 187 108 79 Opponents 3200 200.0 371-949 .391 101-335 .301 151-211 .716 994 62.13 124 329 453 28.3 232 161 202 103 49This relationship has already benefited those we serve by: • Providing access to UK HealthCare’s nationally ranked pediatric cardiology program • Improving access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists • Streamlining referrals to tertiary-level healthcare services such as neurosurgery and transplantation • Enhancing primary care services • Sharing best practices and coordinating response to COVID-19 • Providing a clinical site for UK medical students and residents, which supports physician recruitment and retention Working together for the health of all! In April 2021, King’s Daughters and UK HealthCare formalized a partnership that has already enhanced the delivery of healthcare services in eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio, and western West Virginia. 2021-22 Tennessee Volunteers Statistics TOTAL 3-POINT F-THROW SCORING REBOUNDS No. Player GP-S Min. Avg. FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Pts Avg. Off Def Total Avg. PF A TO Stl Blk. 25 Vescovi, Santiago 15-15 440 29.3 69-166 .416 42-119 .353 24-34 .706 204 13.6 11 58 69 4.6 42 51 22 31 0 01 Chandler, Kennedy 14-14 416 29.7 71-162 .438 18-52 .346 27-42 .643 187 13.4 9 35 44 3.1 23 71 36 32 5 13 Nkamhoua, Olivier 15-15 331 22.1 55-106 .519 11-22 .500 18-25 .720 139 9.3 29 60 89 5.9 32 18 23 9 18 10 Fulkerson, John 13-13 320 24.6 46-83 .554 0-0 .000 25-36 .694 117 9.0 35 43 78 6.0 19 26 18 5 18 05 Zeigler, Zakai 15-1 281 18.7 37-95 .389 16-52 .308 14-18 .778 104 6.9 3 22 25 1.7 20 39 21 24 0 30 James, Josiah-Jordan 12-10 329 27.4 27-89 .303 16-67 .239 10-14 .714 80 6.7 18 55 73 6.1 28 14 12 21 14 24 Powell, Justin 14-1 254 18.1 29-62 .468 16-41 .390 7-11 .636 81 5.8 9 18 27 1.9 8 12 8 6 4 12 Bailey Jr., Victor 15-4 201 13.4 23-73 .315 11-49 .224 7-10 .700 64 4.3 4 10 14 0.9 14 9 4 6 2 02 Huntley-Hatfield, B. 15-0 177 11.8 29-57 .509 1-5 .200 4-7 .571 63 4.2 15 27 42 2.8 10 3 10 8 8 33 Plavsic, Uros 15-2 171 11.4 23-41 .561 0-1 .000 9-18 .500 55 3.7 19 24 43 2.9 23 6 13 4 1 03 Diboundje, Quentin 5-0 28 5.6 3-7 .429 1-3 .333 3-6 .500 10 2.0 1 5 6 1.2 0 4 0 2 0 35 Jancek, Brock 4-0 9 2.3 1-4 .250 0-0 .000 3-4 .750 5 1.3 3 0 3 0.8 1 1 2 0 3 15 Mashack, Jahmai 12-0 68 5.7 5-12 .417 1-3 .333 2-6 .333 13 1.1 9 5 14 1.2 13 6 3 9 1 00 Aidoo, Jonas 5-0 13 2.6 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 2-2 1.000 4 0.8 1 0 1 0.2 0 1 0 2 0 21 Gilbert, Kent 4-0 7 1.8 1-2 .500 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 3 0.8 0 1 1 0.3 1 0 1 1 0 31 Sulack, Isaiah 3-0 5 1.7 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 15 3050 203.3 420-962 .437 134-416 .322 155-233 .665 1129 75.27 185 385 570 38.0 234 261 180 160 74 Opponents 3050 203.3 326-821 .397 106-329 .322 152-237 .641 910 60.67 142 390 532 35.5 249 167 276 96 39 John Fulkerson Josiah-Jordan James 24 @KentuckyMBBFind your vibe at VisitLEX.com26 @KentuckyMBB 2021-22 Kentucky Wildcats No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School 0 Jacob Toppin F 6-9 200 Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y. / Woodstock Academy 1 CJ Fredrick G 6-3 190 RJr. Cincinnati / Covington Catholic 2 Sahvir Wheeler G 5-9 180 Jr. Houston / Houston Christian 3 TyTy Washington Jr. G 6-3 197 Fr. Phoenix /Compass Prep 4 Daimion Collins F 6-9 202 Fr. Atlanta, Texas / Atlanta 10 Davion Mintz G 6-3 195 Gr. Charlotte, N.C. / Mecklenburg 11 Dontaie Allen G 6-6 205 RSo. Falmouth, Ky. / Pendleton County 12 Keion Brooks Jr. F 6-7 210 Jr. Fort Wayne, Ind. / La Lumiere School 14 Brennan Canada F 6-6 198 Jr. Mount Sterling, Ky. / George Rogers Clark 20 Zan Payne G/F 6-4 215 RJr. Lexington, Ky. / Lexington Catholic 23 Bryce Hopkins F 6-6 220 Fr. Oak Park, Ill. / Fenwick 25 Kareem Watkins G 5-8 170 So. Camden, N.J. / Kingsway Regional 31 Kellan Grady G 6-5 205 Gr. Boston / Northfield Mount Hermon School 34 Oscar Tshiebwe F 6-9 255 Jr. Lubumbashi, Congo / Kennedy Catholic 55 Lance Ware F 6-9 225 So. Camden, N.J. / Camden Coaching Staff Head Coach: John Calipari Associate to the Head Coach: James "Bruiser" Flint Associate Coach: Orlando Antigua Assistant Coaches: Ronald "Chin" Coleman, Jai Lucas Quick Facts Location: Lexington, Ky. Founded: 1865 Enrollment: 31,800 Conference: SECNext >