Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell reflect on 2023-24 Wildcats: 'I loved every single second of it.'

Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell should be gearing up for a Round of 32 matchup on Saturday against NC State. Instead, Kentucky’s two veteran leaders end their Wildcat careers on the wrong end of a Cinderella headline.

They gave it everything they had in their final game, too.

During Kentucky’s 80-76 loss to 14-seed Oakland on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, Reeves led the ‘Cats in scoring with 27 points on 11-18 shooting (5-9 3PT) while playing 35 minutes. It marked the 20th time this season that the former Illinois State transfer hit the 20-point threshold, which allowed him to finish with a season-long average of 20.2 points per game — the most in a single season at UK under head coach John Calipari.

Meanwhile, Mitchell, who had been struggling on the floor in recent weeks while recovering from two injuries (back and shoulder), finished with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in 31 minutes before fouling out down the stretch. The former West Virginia transfer shot 4-8 from the floor and went 6-7 from the charity stripe.

For both players, this was their final game in a Kentucky uniform. The fifth-year veterans have officially exhausted their college eligibility. While that reality is tough to swallow now, it doesn’t change the fact that Reeves and Mitchell fully enjoyed their brief time in Lexington.

In particular, they enjoyed how much fun it was to play alongside this group made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores.

“We had a really special bond,” Reeves, who spent two seasons at Kentucky, said. “Everybody connected. Everybody stayed together. We went out together. We played the game together. We did everything together, and you know these bonds are going to last a lifetime and it’s going to be one of those things where, you know, I could just pick up the phone, I could call one of them, you know, those type of deals. So it’s definitely devastating, but you just gotta keep your head up.”

“I mean, I loved every single second of it,” Mitchell, who spent one season at UK, added. “I love these dudes, and I loved seeing them grow through the time that we had together. Like Antonio said, these are bonds that will last a lifetime. If I run into these dudes down the road, whether you stop talking now, I feel like no matter how much time goes by between when you’re talking to somebody on this team, when you see them it’s going to be like there was no time apart. And I really did enjoy it thoroughly, just laughing, joking, competing with these guys every single day. It really was a blessing.”

This group of Wildcats had a clear connection with each other. You could sense it all the way back in the summer during the GLOBL JAM in Canada. That carried into the regular season in the form of funky NIL collaboration deals and bench celebrations. From the starters to the walk-ons, everyone looked involved and eager to cheer each other. They were more than teammates; they were friends.

And while it’s unfortunate this is how their time together had to come to an end, this won’t be the end for them as future companions throughout life.

“It’s not the desired outcome, but you gotta live with what reality is for us,” Mitchell said. “But I’ve enjoyed every single second of being at Kentucky. I got an opportunity to live out a dream, and I’ve built bonds with people that will last a lifetime.”