< Previous10 @KentuckyMBBIt's Easy to SAVE with the Kroger App Score big with weekly sales and digital coupons Official Grocery Partner of UK AthleticsWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 14 @KentuckyMBB From Press Row Last Time Out: Miami Recap Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard has his first opportunity to play on a really big stage at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night as the Cats hosted eighth-ranked Miami. And Sheppard made the most of his chance to make a big impression. Sheppard made eight of 13 from the field, including five of nine from behind the arc, on his way to 21 points as the Cats topped the ‘Canes 95-73. Sheppard added five rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Cats. UK head coach John Calipari gives Shep- pard a lot of credit for his hard work that has helped him continue to improve. “He was never a knock-down shooter,” Calipari said. “You know what he’s done, he lives in that gym. He works and he’s made himself, kind of like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexan- der) and some of these other kids that I’ve had, they build their own confidence.” Calipari also knows that Sheppard’s he- redity is playing a role in how good he has been early this season. But it may not be what most UK fans are thinking. “But I always saw his ability to have a feel for passing. His hands, and I’m not jok- ing when I say this, that’s (Sheppard’s moth- er) Stacey’s,” Calipari said. “That’s who that is. Jeff (Sheppard, Reed’s father) wasn’t that way. Stacey was that way. And you just seem him get his hands on balls.” Sheppard was not alone as the Cats han- dled the ‘Canes. Antonio Reeves had 18 points, while Tre Mitchell added 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Rob Dilling- ham had 12 points and a career-high nine assists, while Justin Edwards had 11 points. Kentucky closed the half on an 8-0 run to turn a three-point deficit into a 42-37 half- time advantage. And Sheppard was right in the middle of making it happen. After the Cats took a 38-37 lead on an Edwards dunk, Sheppard blocked a shot by Miami’s Nijel Pack, got the rebound and hit a sprinting Reeves for a layup, extending the lead to three. After Miami failed to score on its final possession of the half, the Cats ran the clock down and Sheppard assisted on a Tre Mitch- ell basket in the lane, giving UK a five-point lead at the break. For those into the plus/minus statistic, Sheppard was an amazing plus-18 in the first half. The UK streak continued early in the second half, and Sheppard was again in the middle of the action. He assisted on a Reeves layup to extend the lead to seven. Then, with the Cats leading by 10, Sheppard broke ahead of the pack and made a fast break layup, giving UK a 51-39 lead and forcing a Miami timeout. Sheppard put the finishing touches on a 13-2 UK run with a three from the right wing, extending the Kentucky lead to 57-41. Kentucky would extend the lead to as many as 29 points, 91-62, before settling for the 22-point victory. Final Notes from the Miami game: • UK’s largest over an Associated Press top-10 ranked opponent in Rupp Arena. The previous high was 21 points against No. 6 Louisville in November 1983. • Is UK’s second-largest over an Asso- ciated Press top-10 opponent since Coach John Calipari took over in the 2009-10 sea- son. The largest was a 32-point win over Kansas in November 2014. • UK has scored at least 81 points in all seven games this season, the first time that has happened to open a season since 1970- 71, when the Wildcats did so in the first nine games. • Kentucky had five players score in dou- ble figures, the fifth game this season that has happened. • Kentucky shot 59.7% from the field (37 of 62). It is UK’s fourth straight game over 50%. • Kentucky had only eight turnovers to- night. UK has had single-digit miscues in six of seven games this season and now is aver- aging just 8.1 TOs per contest. • UK entered the game leading the na- tion in turnover percentage (10.8%), second in the nation in turnovers per game and sec- ond in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.45). • Kentucky had 26 assists, the fourth straight game of at least 24. • Kentucky led by as many as 29 points. UK is 334-15 (95.7%) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at some junc- ture of the game. • Kentucky is 653-81 (89.0%) in the 48th season in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. The Winner is ... D.J. Wagner The Wildcats garnered their first South- eastern Conference weekly award on Nov. 27 when D.J. Wagner was tabbed the league's top-performing freshman. Wagner averaged 25.0 points and 5.5 assists per game in an overtime win over Saint Joseph’s and a re- cord-breaking victory over Marshall. Kentucky has dominated the weekly SEC awards with John Calipari at the helm. UK has won more weekly SEC honors (126) than any other school during the Calipari era, in- cluding 95 SEC Freshman of the Week awards and 31 SEC Player of the Week honors.Thank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNEKENTUCKY BASKETBALL 18 @KentuckyMBB Around the SEC Around the Country 2023-24 SEC Standings and Statistics Team SEC Overall Home Road Ole Miss 0-0 6-0 5-0 1-0 South Carolina 0-0 6-0 3-0 0-0 Kentucky 0-0 6-1 6-0 0-0 Mississippi State 0-0 6-1 3-0 0-1 Auburn 0-0 5-1 3-0 0-0 Missouri 0-0 6-2 4-2 2-0 Texas A&M 0-0 6-2 2-0 2-1 Alabama 0-0 5-2 4-1 0-0 Arkansas 0-0 5-3 4-1 0-0 Florida 0-0 4-3 3-0 0-1 Georgia 0-0 4-3 3-0 1-0 LSU 0-0 4-3 2-1 0-1 Tennessee 0-0 4-3 2-0 1-1 Vanderbilt 0-0 3-4 3-2 0-0 Scoring Player-Team ...................................................................PPG Mark Sears, ALA ............................................................20.7 Dalton Knecht, UT ........................................................20.3 Allen Flanigan, MISS .....................................................19.3 Antonio Reeves, UK ......................................................18.9 Wade Taylor IV, TAMU ...................................................18.6 Rebounding Player-Team ...................................................................RPG Jimmy Bell Jr., MISS ST ..................................................10.0 Henry Coleman III, TAMU ...............................................9.1 Colin Smith, VU ..............................................................8.6 Johni Broome, AU ...........................................................8.5 Tyrese Samuel, UF ...........................................................8.3 Assists Player-Team ...................................................................APG Rob Dillingham, UK ........................................................5.7 Ta'Lon Cooper, SC ...........................................................5.2 Wade Taylor IV, TAMU .....................................................4.4 Mark Sears, ALA ..............................................................4.0 Walter Clayton Jr., UF ......................................................4.0 Steals Player-Team ...................................................................SPG Reed Sheppard, UK .........................................................3.1 Cameron Matthews, MISS ST ...........................................2.1 Mike Williams III, LSU .....................................................2.1 Wade Taylor IV, TAMU .....................................................2.1 Walter Clayton Jr., UF ......................................................2.0 Blocks Player-Team ...................................................................BPG Jamarion Sharp, MISS ......................................................2.7 Aidan Shaw, MIZZOU .....................................................2.1 Grant Nelson, ALA ..........................................................2.0 Trevon Brazile, ARK .........................................................1.9 Jonas Aidoo, UT ..............................................................1.9 (through November 30 games) 2023-24 Associated Press Rankings As of November 27, 2023 (week 4) Team Record Points 1 Purdue (60) 6-0 1572 2 Arizona (1) 6-0 1467 3 Marquette 5-1 1418 4 UConn (2) 6-0 1411 5 Kansas 5-1 1312 6 Houston 7-0 1289 7 Duke 5-1 1194 8 Miami 5-0 1031 9 Baylor 6-0 1030 10 Tennessee 4-2 967 11 Gonzaga 4-1 964 12 Kentucky 5-1 727 13 Florida Atlantic 5-1 664 14 Texas A&M 6-1 646 15 Creighton 5-1 613 16 Texas 5-1 571 17 North Carolina 5-1 567 18 Villanova 6-1 534 19 BYU 6-0 416 20 Colorado State 6-0 330 21 Mississippi State 6-0 309 22 James Madison 6-0 303 23 Alabama 5-1 259 24 Illinois 5-1 134 25 Oklahoma 6-0 120We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter. ShelterInsurance.com • 1-800-SHELTER WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS! 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