4-Point Play: Slowly moving past Duke as a top-10 team

It’s not that we want to, but we probably have to move past the Duke win at some point. We had fun in Atlanta watching Blue Devil fans cry and whine about being the better team with woulda, shoulda, couldas about making more shots, now having to live with the fact that they’re below Kentucky in the latest AP Poll — we can’t hear you all the way down there at No. 10.

Now, though, it’s time to turn the page and direct our attention toward Lipscomb coming up on Tuesday. So how about some late-night leftovers to get the week started on a high note? Sounds like a plan.

Kentucky is Dickie V’s Team of the Week

The accolades continue to rack up for Kentucky following its upset win over Duke. Andy Katz named the Cats his March Madness National Team of the Week while Jon Rothstein pushed the Wildcats all the way up to No. 4 in his power rankings — plus moves to No. 9 and No. 11 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. Now, the one and only Dick Vitale has named Coach Pope’s group his Team of the Week, joining Bill Self as his Coach of the Week, John Tonje (Wisconsin) as his Player of the Week and Dylan Harper (Rutgers) as his Diaper Dandy.

My Dickie V- Weekly stars! @BadgerMBB JOHN TONJE Player of the Week @RutgersMBB DYLAN HARPER Diaper Dandy @CoachBillSelf GOAT @KUHoops @CoachMarkPope has BBN in Hoops Hysteria @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/VckhUU1CqB

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) November 18, 2024

Some of the national rankings rolling out this week:

• Jon Rothstein: No. 4
• Andy Katz: No. 5
• Rob Dauster: No. 6
• Jamie Shaw, On3: No. 7
• ESPN: No. 8
• Jeff Goodman: No. 8
• The Athletic: No. 9
• Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: No. 9
• Gary Parrish, CBS Sports: No. 11

No. 2 in assists, No. 15 in scoring

We know the rankings and polls, but where do things stand for the Cats nationally in terms of statistics? Again, it’s a small sample size — some teams have played nothing but cupcakes while others have participated in high-profile tip-off events with top-tier competition — so take it all with a grain of salt at least early on. Things will balance out a bit more in the coming weeks.

Until then, though, Kentucky has at least put itself in the ballpark for most offensive and defensive numbers among its peers — including top-10 in a few categories.

• No. 2 in assists (23.3 per game)
• No. 9 in fastbreak points (23.33 per game)
• No. 9 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12)
• No. 15 in scoring offense (93.3 PPG)
• No. 24 in blocks (6.0 per game)
• No. 24 in scoring margin (+24)
• No. 25 in 3PG (11.3 per game)
• No. 34 in bench points (36.0 per game)
• No. 45 in 3PT% (40.0%)
• No. 50 in EFG% (57.5%)
• No. 57 in FG% (49.28%)
• No. 60 in 3PA (28.3 per game)
• No. 68 in defensive FG% (38.21%)

Expect those 3-point attempts to rise while the unselfishness numbers hold firm with assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Lakers announce statue for Pat Riley

An all-time Kentucky Wildcat as a player at the collegiate level, Riley is being permanently immortalized for his impact as a head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Winning six world championships in L.A. as a player (1972), assistant (1980) and head coach (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) the franchise announced a statue will be displayed in his honor on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.

“Pat is a Lakers icon,” said Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss. “His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today. My dad recognized Pat’s obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team.” 

One of the greatest coaches of all time — The Lakers are proud to announce Pat Riley's legacy will be cemented and his statue will find a home on Star Plaza pic.twitter.com/bHkjarx8CV

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 18, 2024

During his time as a Wildcat, Riley was a First-Team All-American while also earning SEC Player of the Year honors. His No. 42 jersey is retired and hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.

Now, the legendary basketball figure is getting his own statue honoring his time with the Lakers.

Reed Sheppard finally gets rolling

It’s been a slow burn for the Laurel County native to open his NBA career, scoring no more than seven points through his first 13 games as a pro with three scoreless outings. He’s had four games where he failed to break the double-digit-minute mark, averaging 11.8 minutes on the year overall with just 3.3 points per contest in that stretch.

Sheppard’s latest performance? 12 points on 4-5 from three with three blocks, two rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes. It was his best night since being drafted No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets in June — and it’s not particularly close.

Reed Sheppard tonight:

12 PTS
2 REB
1 AST
3 BLK
4/5 3P 🎯
85.7% TS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/umpj0mjPRh

— RocketsMuse (@RocketsMuse) November 18, 2024

“He was aggressive. Obviously, he was looking for his shot,” Houston coach Ime Udoka, who has pushed Sheppard to let it fly, said Sunday. “He hit those ones late. … We talk about not being selfish offensively, and that’s taking the right shot and not passing it up at times. He’s starting to do that a little bit better.”

Where have you heard that before?