Aaron Bradshaw soars, Kentucky earns hard-fought homecoming win (with room to grow)

Aaron Bradshaw was excited to go home. Not to see friends and family or throw down pork rolls — apparently that’s New Jersey’s most iconic food — but for what his return meant to the community. The Rahway native wanted to show kids growing up in the area that they too can make a name for themselves and shine on the bright stage.

He wanted to give them a reason to believe.

“It’s going to be a blessing to me because not too many people where I come from get to that collegiate level, or even make it past high school,” Bradshaw said leading up to Kentucky‘s matchup in Philadelphia, just 80 miles from his hometown. “It’s going to be a teaching moment for the kids where I live. I can’t really explain the feeling, but it feels amazing.”

Bradshaw’s impact beyond the box score

Bradshaw was like a bull in a china shop in his debut, just looking to get his feet wet in spot minutes here and there vs. UNCW. A week later, the 7-foot-1 freshman was ready to really prove what he could do.

The result? His first career double-double, dropping a team-high 17 points on 7-12 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 29 minutes. And he even stepped out and knocked down a 3-pointer to become the tallest Wildcat in school history to hit a shot beyond the arc.

Sure, Bradshaw was clunky at times. Spacing got weird and defense was a team-wide issue (more on that in a bit). But it’s impossible to see what a difference-maker he can be and just how necessary it was to add size to what was already working for Kentucky. He is a non-stop ball of energy who is relentless on the glass, particularly on offense with five of his 11 boards coming on that end of the floor. He’s a willing clean-up specialist who doesn’t hunt shots, but comfortably takes them when the opportunities comes — both 3-point attempts were wide-stinkin’-open. He splashed the first and missed the second by a few inches. And then defensively, his arms flail a bit at times — gotta be careful with fouls down the road — but his length is problematic for any opposing player hoping to score inside. That translated to three blocks in the win.

Bradshaw wanted to make a positive impact with all eyes watching closely back home. He undoubtedly made them proud — and was the single-biggest difference in Kentucky’s win.

Offense vs. defense

The 7-foot-1 forward’s 17-point effort was just part of a well-rounded offensive performance in Philadelphia. Rob Dillingham added 17 points on 6-14 shooting and 3-5 from three — including a big one to cover the spread in the final minute — while Antonio Reeves rounded out double-digit scorers with 16. From there, though, you got five additional players with multiple buckets scored, starting with DJ Wagner going for nine points and seven assists in his homecoming performance and return to action following a one-game hiatus. Then you had a trio of six-point scorers in Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards and Adou Thiero, followed by Tre Mitchell with four points (and nine boards).

As a team, the Cats shot an impressive 49.3% from the field and 40% from three — though shot volume from three took a slight hit with 20 attempts overall, down from the season average of 26.5 per game. It happens when you work new players into the lineup, even shot-making 7-footers.

Perimeter defense continued to be a problem, though, Penn capitalizing on straight-line drives despite the athleticism and quickness disadvantages. Kentucky went through an old-school week of practice that consisted of lane slides and wall sits, but the Cats still weren’t good enough on that end of the floor. Same issues the team dealt with in the loss to UNCW, only making up for it this time in the form of 15 forced turnovers turning into 22 points the other direction. That was the difference.

Clark Slajchert and Nick Spinoso were pains

To give credit where credit is due, though, Penn made some tough shots and earned a lot of its success. This is a team that entered the game averaging 83 points per game while shooting 41.5% from three — No. 6 nationally — with eight different players shooting at least 40% from beyond the arc overall. Sam Brown and Tyler Perkins combined for seven makes alone (five in the second half) to keep things uncomfortable, while Clark Slajchert and Nick Spinoso were grade-A pains-in-the-*** from start to finish. Slajchert had 12 points in the first half and 17 for the game while Spinoso had 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks and a steal in 34 minutes. Thank goodness he missed three free-throws and turned the ball over five times (Slajchert with six, too) or he would be a contender for the all-time villains list.

It’s easy to exhale now and appreciate the 15-point win, but Penn made life difficult for the Cats and deserve a hat-tip, too.

Back to the drawing board following a solid — albeit ugly at times — neutral-site victory.