Grady, Tshiebwe Power Kentucky to 95-60 Win over Western Kentucky

About once a year there’s a guy that comes into Rupp Arena and can’t miss. We remember the devastation the opponent leaves behind. The BBN will not forget Kellan Grady‘s coming out performance and Oscar Tshiebwe‘s historic rebounding night at Rupp Arena.

Playing in his eleventh game as a Kentucky Wildcat, the former Davidson Wildcat caught fire at Rupp. Grady drained 6-of-9 threes to score a season-high 23 points, powering Kentucky to a 95-60 win over Western Kentucky. Building momentum, Grady has now made 11 threes over the past two games.

Kentucky never seemed to have too much trouble with the Tops, but Rick Stansbury’s squad hung around for a half. What felt like a 20-point Kentucky lead was only nine at the break. A couple of quick buckets trimmed the deficit to only four. That’s when Grady took control.

The 6-foot-5 small forward’s three-pointer sparked a 15-0 run over three minutes. A 4-point game turned into a 19-point game in the blink of an eyed. It was all she wrote.

Tshiebwe’s Rupp Arena Rebounding Record

Kentucky’s rebounding machine was back at it again. Even with 7-foot-5 Jamarion Sharp patrolling the paint, Oscar could not be stopped. Tshiebwe set a new Rupp Arena record previously held by Shaquille O’Neal (21), securing an astounding 28 rebounds. Grady had one more rebound than the entire Western Kentucky basketball team.

It’s the sixth-best rebounding performance in school history, tying Mike Phillips’ career-high in an overtime loss to Tennessee in 1976. Bill Spivey (1951) and Bob Burrow (1955) hold the single-game record at 34. Can college basketball’s best rebounder surpass that extraordinary number this season? Anything is possible.

Highlight Time for Toppin

Similar to Grady, we’ve been waiting for Jacob Toppin to emerge as an experienced, consistent contributor. Tonight he did it time and time again with one highlight after another. There was a dunk in transition, a powerful tip-slam and he showed finesse with a pretty 360-finish. Toppin scored 12 points off the bench.

Lost in the awesomeness, TyTy Washington had a quiet 20-point performance. Kentucky is on a roll entering a brief holiday break. Hopefully COVID-19 cancellations do not slow down this team anytime soon.