4-Point Play: 24 hours until Big Blue Madness

by:Jack Pilgrim•about 8 hours

2023 Big Blue Madness - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Have you caught your breath yet? Good, me too — finally. It’s been a hectic week around these parts, starting with UK Pro Day on Monday, followed by Media Day on Tuesday. Wednesday was dedicated to picking needles out of a content haystack from the first two days while now we can slowly transition back into our next task at hand, the show of all shows and the official tip-off to Kentucky basketball season, Big Blue Madness. That takes place Friday evening inside Rupp Arena where the next group of Wildcats — Mark Pope’s first — will meet BBN for the first time.

Hours away, not days. Cool, huh?

We’ve got to pass the time somehow until then, so why not run through an evening edition of 4-Point Play together? Sounds like a plan.

Acaden Lewis arrives for official visit to Kentucky

One very important visitor has already arrived, and he’s wasted no time making himself at home. Acaden Lewis, the No. 30 overall prospect and No. 5 point guard in 2025, has emerged as a prime target and is approaching commitment watch for the Wildcats.

Set to make an announcement on his future in early November, Kentucky entered the visit seen as the favorite and could push to seal the deal with the four-star guard and his parents in town.

Lewis’ father shared footage of his son getting shots up with team managers and graduate assistants at the Joe Craft Center, what could be his practice gym a year from now.

.@AcadenLewis is making himself at home during his official visit to Kentucky 😻💙

Show him some love, BBN!

(🎥 IG: jlewis313) pic.twitter.com/TS7mDcLnHY
— KSR (@KSRonX) October 10, 2024

From there, the coaches took Lewis and his parents to Rupp Arena to check out the new ASB GlassFloor installed ahead of Big Blue Madness.

More from @AcadenLewis’ official visit to Kentucky: pic.twitter.com/a7EwdXhTvp
— KSR (@KSRonX) October 10, 2024

Time to see if Pope and his staff can wrap this one up.

Anthony Thompson finalizes BBM official

Who will be joining Lewis in Lexington this weekend? One additional high-profile visitor has been confirmed as an attendee.

Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ broke the news in September that 2026 top-15 prospect Anthony Thompson was “planning to visit Kentucky for Big Blue Madness” after assistant coach Cody Fueger made a trip to see him in Ohio. Those plans have since been finalized and the 6-7 wing will be at Rupp to soak in the action, according to numerous reports.

That will be an unofficial visit, but an important one as the Wildcats look to lay the foundation with the No. 24 overall recruit in On3’s ranking of the best long-term players regardless of class.

Wait, Pat Forde wrote something positive about Kentucky?

You know it’s a new era of Kentucky basketball when Pat Forde of all people has something positive to say about the program. That was the case on Thursday when the Sports Illustrated columnist dropped a feature on Pope featuring quotes from the head coach, his wife, Lee Anne, Mitch Barnhart, Rick Pitino and Mark Fox.

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In it, Lee Anne says her husband’s buzzed hair is one of many examples of his selflessness as “the most secure human being I’ve ever been around.” That came across in his pitch to Barnhart explaining why he should get the Kentucky job.

“You can hire somebody that’s going to go up there and you’re going to hand them a jersey and they’re going to do a photo shoot and throw [the jersey] in the corner,” Pope told Barnhart. “But when we do this press conference, I’m going to bring my own jersey, and it’s got blood and sweat and tears on it from the national championship season. And that’s the difference between me and anybody else for this job.”

He also understands this program is bigger than any one person — coach, staffer or player. Forde threw several jabs at John Calipari — “Some of Pope’s predecessors had the audacity to view the most enormous job in college basketball as their own vanity project” being one — for not understanding that the way the new head coach does.

“I know this is about something bigger than me,” Pope said. “If I win 10 national championships in a row, it will always be so much bigger than me.

Never thought I’d see the day.

Reed Sheppard heats up in his second game as a pro

The No. 3 overall pick was recently called “the closest thing to Steph Curry” the NBA has seen. Sheppard wasn’t able to show that off in his first preseason game as a pro — he shot just 2-7 from the field for four points, but added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 20 minutes.

How did things go in game two? The former Kentucky star finally got things rolling, finishing with 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 1-1 from three to go with four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Sheppard was tremendous, getting to his spots and knocking down tough shots to go with all of the other stuff he brings to the table. And he did it against a pair of familiar faces in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace.