KSR's takeaways from Kentucky's 73-69 win over Michigan in London

Kentucky made the plays when it mattered most down the stretch to secure a crucial victory over Michigan in London, defeating the Wolverines by a final score of 73-69 to move to 6-2 on the year. It was a matchup that saw the Wildcats shoot 46.6% from the field and 60% from three while holding the opposition to 39.1% shooting overall and 40% from deep.

Kentucky also controlled the glass with a plus-13 margin at 46-33, including 12 on the offensive end of the floor. The Wildcats did, however, turn the ball over 14 times compared to just seven overall for the Wolverines.

How did it all come together for UK? And what does it all mean? KSR has the takeaways.

Kentucky gets big-game monkey off its back

It’s bizarre to call the eighth game of a regular season a must-win for any team, but it’s not hyperbole to say this one qualified for the Wildcats — for seeding purposes, at least. Sitting at 5-2, Kentucky lost both games that actually meant something to open the regular season, vs. Michigan State in the Champions Classic and at Gonzaga at Spokane Arena, the latter a blowout loss. Opportunities for resume-building non-conference wins are now limited, and Michigan — a team with no quality wins also looking for a statement — was one Kentucky couldn’t afford to lose.

It was a matchup that forced the Wildcats to rebuild a lost lead and execute down the stretch to hold off the Wolverines in a high-profile matchup. Facing previous demons isn’t easy — and it wasn’t pretty at times — but UK did enough to get the big-game monkey off its back and head home with a win. Mission accomplished across the pond.

Cason Wallace, Sahvir Wheeler spark second-half run

Up one at the break, freshman guard Cason Wallace led Kentucky on an 8-1 scoring run by himself to open the second half, giving the Wildcats their biggest lead of the day. A double-clutch floater got things rolling, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers to put UK up eight with 17:44 to go.

Michigan fought back to take a one-point lead with 12:42 to go, followed by a back-and-forth down to the eight-minute media timeout that saw Kentucky lead by just two. That’s when senior guard Sahvir Wheeler — like Wallace shortly before — took over with six straight points on two buckets and two made free throws to push the lead back to eight.

As the Wolverines crept back in the final minutes — they got it down to two with 1:40 to go — the freshman standout knocked down a clutch 3-pointer from the left wing to seal the win.

Wallace finished the day with a team-high 14 points on 5-8 shooting and 4-4 from three to go with eight rebounds (four offensive), five assists, one block, one steal and two turnovers in 36 minutes. As for Wheeler, he added 11 points (4-10 FG, 1-2 3PT), seven assists, three rebounds, one steal and three turnovers in 37 minutes.

Missed free throws, other miscues limit blowout opportunity

Kentucky shot extremely well overall, with five players scoring in double figures and nine total makes from deep. Up eight on two separate occasions in the second half, the opportunities for a blowout were there.

With the lead swelling, though, shot selection, defensive slip-ups, turnovers and missed free throws killed the Wildcats’ chances to run away with it. Kentucky settled for long twos while allowing easy layups and open looks for Michigan on the other end, giving the Wolverines a chance to chip away and remain in the game.

As for the missed shots at the line, Kentucky blew four attempts in the final 39 seconds, five in the second half and ten in the game — the Wildcats hit just 10 of 20 overall. That’s just not good enough.

The final score shows just a four-point win, but this is a game UK controlled most of the way, specifically in the second half. It could (and should) have been more, as the opening spread (Kentucky -8.5) suggested from the start.

Jacob Toppin emerges in the second half

Toppin has become a box of chocolates — you really never know what you’re going to get out of him. And it’s not even a game-by-game thing, it’s a half-by-half and even possession-by-possession thing with the senior forward. The 6-foot-10 athlete started the day with two of Kentucky’s first four buckets, throwing down a dunk for the first score and then knocking down a jumper for the fourth. He then disappeared before ultimately sitting the final 7:30 of the first half with two fouls.

Then in the second half, he didn’t register a single stat for the first eight-plus minutes outside of three missed jumpers. From there, he scored six straight for the Wildcats with a jumper, dunk and layup, followed by another layup and two clutch free throws to end the game. Toppin finished the day with 14 points — tied for the team-high — on 6-12 shooting to go with five rebounds and two turnovers in 25 minutes.

Often, he settles for mid-range jumpers and floats on the perimeter looking for threes. Other times, he looks to attack using his physical tools as a finisher around the basket, thriving as a lob threat and clean-up specialist. He’s got the talent to knock down shots — example: Gonzaga second half — but it should simply be an aspect of his game, not his entire offensive identity. A mixed bag is when Toppin is at his best, the senior forward’s best shot at reaching star status this season.

Ugonna Onyenso again thrives behind Oscar Tshiebwe

It’s hard to not get excited about Ugonna Onyenso’s future as a Wildcat. He remains a work in progress, struggling with physicality with a raw offensive game, but the tools and instincts are so clear. The 6-foot-11 freshman backed up Oscar Tshiebwe at center, where he again showed spurts of brilliance, specifically as a shot-blocker.

Daimion Collins was at the scorer’s table on two separate occasions, but called back after Onyenso made a play on either end. He got a follow-up score at the rim when Kentucky couldn’t buy a bucket, knocked down two free throws in the first half as an injury replacement, and swatted a shot away in both halves.

He got worked a bit defensively in the second half, specifically guarding Hunter Dickinson, but that’s to be expected for now. Onyenso is who he is at this point, which is a great thing, because the current product is serviceable while the long-term possibilities are worth getting giddy over.

Antonio Reeves gets his big-game shots (while CJ Fredrick struggles)

All eyes were on Kentucky’s sharpshooters going into this afternoon, a third opportunity to find out if they can hit big shots against teams that matter. It’s cool to get hot against mid-majors, but what about games of substance?

Antonio Reeves broke through against Michigan, hitting three first-half 3-pointers and 11 points overall (4-9 FG, 3-4 3PT) to go with four rebounds, two assists in 26 minutes. He was a little sloppy at times with the ball, turning it over three times, but still a very strong all-around performance for the senior guard.

As for CJ Fredrick, his struggles continued, scoring just three points on 1-3 shooting and 0-1 from the line to go with one assist in 15 minutes. His lone make touched every inch of the rim before falling, resulting in a roar from the Kentucky bench and fans in attendance hoping to push the senior guard through his cold streak.

Fredrick’s other two looks were clean and had a chance, but he couldn’t knock them down. Hopefully his third attempt and make can get him going moving forward.

Kentucky needs at least one of the two making shots every night, and luckily for the Cats, they got that in Reeves in London.

Oscar Tshiebwe vs. Hunter Dickinson was another fun battle

Both sides got their jabs in throughout the head-to-head frontcourt battle, with Oscar Tshiebwe making a significant impact early and Hunter Dickinson exploding late.

The Kentucky star center had a few strong finishes inside and converted at the line to open the game while also hitting a baseline jumper in the second, paving way for another double-double finish with 13 points (5-10 FG, 3-4 FT) and 14 rebounds to go with an assist and a steal.

As for the Michigan standout, he didn’t score his first bucket till the 10:42 mark in the first half, but exploded after the break with 15 points to bring his total to 23 overall (10-22 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-3 FT). He also added nine rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes.

Dickinson got the counting stats, but he also got to eat his words after saying Kentucky was ducking the matchup last season and Michigan was ready for the smoke.

@lanceware12 tell your man Cal stop ducking we want that smoke‼️ https://t.co/XU2hYiPQKU

— Hunter Dickinson (@H_Dickinson24) August 30, 2021

Clearly not.