The Kentucky Wildcats have begun the season with a big 103-62 win over the opposing Wright State Raiders team.
The Wildcats got out to an early lead against the Raiders and never really looked back in the game. Guard Otega Oweh led the Kentucky Wildcats in scoring with 21-points on 8-of-9 shooting for the team including three triples. Amari Williams was the real heart of the team, however, as the center recorded a double-double for the Wildcats against the Raiders defense.
Williams injured his ankle in the recent exhibition win for the Kentucky Wildcats, and was originally deemed a question mark for this game. However, the center looked excellent against the Raiders recording 12-points and 13 rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting against the Raiders. 12 of the 13 rebounds that Williams had came on the defensive side of the court for the Wildcats.
Guard Lamont Butler looked excellent for the team as the main distributor of the basketball in the starting lineup. Butler had five assists, 14-points, and also led the team with 12 shots against the Raiders doing a bit of scoring himself. Jaxson Robinson was expected to be the real shooter for the Wildcats this season, but looked a bit gun shy against the Raiders defense.
Off the bench, guard Kerr Kriisa was excellent but not for the reason that many people expected the guard to be. Kriisa is a long-range shooter, but the shots were not dropping and rather the guard opted to distribute the basketball. The guard recorded five assists off the bench and looked great in a role that he is not necessarily used to.
What Went Right, What Went Wrong For the Kentucky Wildcats Against the Wright State Raiders
While the Kentucky Wildcats secured a big win over Wright State, there were still some small things the team will need to figure out moving forward.
What went right for the Kentucky Wildcats was the transition play of the team, as speed is going to be the name of the game. When the Wildcats found any sort of space, the Wright State defense could not keep up with the team. The speed of the team also created opportunities for players that often would not be possible against other bigger, faster opponents.
Another key part of the success for the Wildcats was the bench play the team had, led by guard Koby Brea. The guard scored 18-points off the bench and provided an excellent spark for the second unit of the Wildcats team.
What seemed to go wrong for the Kentucky Wildcats involved some of the personnel choices for the team. Brea looked excellent off the bench, shooting three-point shoots as need for the second unit after previously starting with Dayton. Jaxson Robinson, however, did not look that good as a starter after dominating last season in the sixth-man role.
A possible change of who is in the starting lineup could make sense moving forward for the Kentucky Wildcats, but it is also just one performance.
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