Kentucky put on its best rebounding performance of the season against Penn

As it turns out, it helps to have humans over seven feet tall on your basketball team. Aaron Bradshaw made his Wildcat debut against UNC Wilmington last Saturday but had his coming-out party against Penn. His 17 points and 11 rebounds were crucial in Kentucky keeping a scrappy Ivy League team at arm’s length most of the game and getting the ‘Cats back into the win column.

It is easy to look at his scoring (including going 1-2 from behind the arc) and three blocks as huge benefits, but his 11 rebounds helped Kentucky out-rebound Penn 41-31. The Wildcats’ 41 boards are the second-most of the year, and the performance marks only the third time all season Kentucky has out-rebounded its opponent, the first time it did so by double digits.

The rebound margin was one of the main reasons that led Kentucky to shoot 12 more field goals than Penn, and with both teams shooting roughly the same percentage from the field, these extra shots played a big part in the outcome of the game.

It wasn’t just Bradshaw hitting the glass. Tre Mitchell, who Cal said had an easier time rebounding with Bradshaw in the game, had nine boards, and the guards combined for 17 on the day. Not a single Kentucky player put up a goose egg in the rebounding column.

To be fair, it helped that Penn was undersized. The Quakers’ tallest player on the court was just six-foot-nine with the next tallest guy who played more than six minutes standing at six-foot-six.

It won’t be that easy against Armando Bacot and the North Carolina Tarheels next week, but rebounding has been one of Kentucky’s struggles all season, so to see this team utilize its newfound seven-foot weapon and fill one of the few gaps that the ‘Cats have showcased thus far this season.