Reed Sheppard makes his own history vs. Louisville plus Boxscore and Other Game Notes

 

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KENTUCKY MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KFC YUM! CENTER | LOUISVILLE, KY
DEC. 21, 2023
ATTENDANCE: 17,293

Final Score: No. 9 Kentucky 95, Louisville 76

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 9-2 on the season, Louisville is 5-7.
• Kentucky leads the series 39-17 and has won two in a row.
  • UK leads 14-10 in games played in Louisville.
• UK is 133-36 all-time in games played vs. any opponent in the city of Louisville.
• Next for Kentucky: UK returns to action Friday, Dec. 29 as the Wildcats host Illinois State at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

Team Notes

• UK scored 95 points tonight. The Wildcats entered the game sixth in the nation at 90.2 per game.
  • It is the most points ever by a Louisville opponent in the Yum! Center.
  • It is the most points for UK vs. Louisville since a 103-89 win on Dec. 28, 1991.
• Kentucky shot 51.5% from the field, 35 of 68. It is the fifth time this season that the Wildcats have made at least half their shots in a game.
• Kentucky made 12 of 25 3-point shots. The Wildcats entered the game 15^th in the nation with 10.4 long balls made per game.
  • UK shot 48% on 3-pointers, entered the contest fifth nationally at 40.8%.
• Kentucky won the rebounding, 37-35. UK is 6-0 this season when leading the boardwork.  
  • UK got 11 offensive rebounds, leading to a 15-10 advantage in second-chance points.
• UK dished out 19 assists, entered the game 11^th in the country with 19.1 per game.
• Sparked by 12 points from Rob Dillingham and 11 from Reed Sheppard, UK won bench points 30-15.
• Kentucky blocked eight shots tonight, one shy of the season-high nine in the previous game vs. North Carolina.
• Kentucky led by as many as 26 points. UK is 337-15 (95.7%) in the Calipari era when leading by at least 10 points at any time in the contest.
• Five Wildcats scored in double figures tonight, the fifth game this season that has been accomplished.

Player Notes  

• Antonio Reeves tallied 30 points and was named the game's Most Valuable Player by the Bluegrass Sports Commission. 
  • It is the most points for a Wildcat vs. Louisville in the Calipari era, previous best was 27 by Tyrese Maxey on Dec. 28, 2019. 
  • It is the most for a Wildcat vs. Louisville since Tony Delk scored 30 on December 23, 1995. 
  • It is Reeves' second 30-point game at Kentucky, also scoring 37 last season at Arkansas.
  • He extended his streak of 22 consecutive games with a 3-pointer, longest since Jamal Murray's school-record 36-game streak in the 2015-16 season. 
• Tre Mitchell had 18 points and 12 rebounds, his first double-double at Kentucky, and the 12^th of his collegiate career.  
  • He has had at least four boards in every game this season.
  • He added three blocks and two steals. 
• Reed Sheppard notched his first double-double with 11 points and a career-high 11 assists.
  • 11 assists are the most ever for a Wildcat vs. Louisville. The previous mark was nine assists by Dicky Beal, Richie Farmer and Sahvir Wheeler.
  • He also had two steals, extending his streak of at least two steals in every game this season.
  • He led the team in the plus/minus statistic with a mark of +27. 
• Justin Edwards had 13 points, his seventh double-figure game of the season, and tied his season high of seven rebounds. 
• Rob Dillingham had 12 points. He has scored in double figures in every game but one this season.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has an 841-255 (76.7%) all-time on-court record, including 396-115 (77.5%) at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 325-65 (83.3%) at UK against unranked competition.
• Calipari is 19-8 vs. Louisville, including 13-3 as coach at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 20-1 in games coached against former assistant coaches.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started D.J. Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw and Tre Mitchell for the second game in a row.  
• Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard were UK's first substitutions with 17:23 remaining.
• Louisville scored the first five points. UK did not score on its first five possessions, but got on the board at the 16:30 mark with a pair of free throws by Dillingham.
• UK took its first lead, 9-7, on a Reeves basket at the 15:03 mark. 
• Trailing 17-16, Kentucky went on a 15-1 spurt for a 31-18 lead, coaxing a Louisville timeout with 8:20 on the clock. UK scored on six straight possessions during that stretch. 
  • All totaled, UK scored on nine straight possessions, turning a 15-14 deficit into a 36-22 advantage.
• Reeves hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left, giving UK its largest lead, 53-33, going into halftime.
  • It is UK's second-largest halftime lead in the history of the series. UK led by 21 at intermission on Jan. 17, 1922.
• Reeves had 22 points in the first half, going 9-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 on 3-pointers.
• After missing their first five shots, the Wildcats made 19-of-30 (63.3%) the remainder of the half.
• After not scoring on the first five possessions, UK scored 53 points on 30 possessions, an average of 1.77 per possession.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• UK scored the first five points of the half, extending the lead to 58-33.
• UK led by as many as 26 points at 60-34 and 62-36.
• UofL got within 17 points on two occasions but no closer.