Kentucky basketball gets off to slow start before cruising to season-opening victory
LEXINGTON — If Kentucky basketball were a high-powered sports car, it would be fair to say it took time for it to start hitting on all cylinders Monday night.
But the Wildcats had more than enough in the tank to leave New Mexico State in the dust.
After leading by only eight points at halftime, UK put it in cruise control in the final 20 minutes, taking an 86-46 win at Rupp Arena in its 2023-24 opener.
"We only had six turnovers, guys," Kentucky coach John Calipari said during his postgame news conference. "And we're playing fast. ... Think of that. Why?
"All these guys can dribble, pass and shoot. You're not going to have a whole lot of turnovers if you have that."
At times, Kentucky (1-0) found it difficult to settle into a rhythm offensively; it took until 2:18 to play in the first half before it finally hit back-to-back shots from the field. But that set off a white-hot stretch: From the 3:18 mark of the first half until 16:18 remained in the second, the Wildcats made seven of their eight field goals. That took what had been a seven-point lead (27-20) to a 15-point advantage (48-33).
It also finally gave the Wildcats some breathing room. Though they led for nearly 37 minutes, they didn’t take their first double-digit advantage until the end of the first half.
Kentucky closed the contest on a 17-0 run in the final six minutes.
Calipari said this team has the potential to "be one of the best" offensive squads he's had during his tenure in Lexington, which now is in its 15th season.
And Monday night, the Wildcats' plethora of weapons was on full display: No player dominated in the points department, as five players finished with 10 or more, led by freshman guard Rob Dillingham’s 17 — off the bench, no less.
Things came so easy for Dillingham in the second half — he had 13 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) to go along with five rebounds and three assists — he let it show. As he scored his final points, a layup and a 3 with less than two minutes to play, Dillingham winked at the New Mexico State bench.
"I just think it's competitiveness," said Dillingham, a five-star signee in the Wildcats' top-ranked 2023 recruiting class. "If he says something to me, I'm not gonna say nothing. I'm just gonna show it with my game."
Calipari joked that Dillingham is permitted "two or three" head-scratching decisions per game; if it gets to five or six, however, the North Carolina native is coming off the court.
"He can't help himself," Calipari said. "But I'll tell you that he creates space for himself and his teammates as good as anybody I've coached."
He wasn't the only UK freshman to showcase his talent Monday.
D.J. Wagner (13 points, four assists and three steals), Justin Edwards (12 points, five rebounds and two steals), Reed Sheppard (12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals) and Jordan Burks (seven points, making all three field goals attempted and also grabbing three rebounds) had stellar college debuts as well.
"The guards, Reed, Robert, even D.J. — D.J. did a good job in the pick-and-roll defense. ... And then Reed was just — Reed may have the best hands of anybody I've coached," Calipari said. "I mean, his feel to get (the ball), blocking balls. He was really good today. Really good."
For Sheppard, Monday was the culmination of a lifelong dream.
“It was awesome. Putting on the jersey for the first time and running out with my teammates, running out to the best fans in the nation hollering? It was really, really cool," said Sheppard, a UK legacy whose parents both played for the Wildcats, with his father, Jeff Sheppard, winning two national titles (1996 and 1998) and capturing the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award during the second national championship run.
The Wildcats' two seniors, guard Antonio Reeves and forward Tre Mitchell, did their part as well. Reeves had 11 points, and Mitchell posted a game-high nine rebounds, a team-high five assists and nine points.
"I (told the team) at the beginning of the game, 'You can't do this,'" Calipari said. "Antonio didn't get any looks for (five or) six minutes. He is too good a shooter. That means, 'Someone drive down and find him. We don't have to run plays. He'll move to get free, but you've got to keep an eye on him.'"
Jaylin Jackson-Posey and Christian Cook had 10 points apiece to pace New Mexico State (0-1).
“Thoughts on the game? Whew, not a lot of good thoughts," New Mexico State coach Jason Hooten said. "I thought that we were pretty competitive (in the) first 20 minutes. I didn’t think we played great, but I thought we played good enough to be in the game and be where we needed to be. I was happy with our effort."
Hooten said it's scary to think how good the Wildcats could be once their three 7-footers (Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivišić and Ugonna Onyenso) hit the floor.
"They can be a team that you guys can be excited about, I think, at the end of the year," Hooten said. "I think they're that good. ... If they get those big guys in there (who) can protect the rim? I think they've got a chance to be great."
Until then, this bespoke sports car of a Kentucky team has one more tuneup (Friday night versus Texas A&M-Commerce) before it needs its engine running at full song next week, when it squares off with top-ranked Kansas in Chicago.
"I'm trying to get us to think about us playing against ourselves," Calipari said. "How good can we be?
"(And) how do we get these other habits to be the dominant habits that we're trying to play with?"
'I'm not changing': Will Calipari going all-in on freshmen pay off for UK in 2023-24?
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs New Mexico State score? John Calipari, UK basketball win
