KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's blowout win over High Point

Make that four consecutive blowout wins for the Kentucky Wildcats, this time being a 92-48 victory over Tubby Smith and the High Point Panthers on New Year’s Eve.

How did Kentucky come out on top? And what does it mean for the Wildcats as they look ahead to their trip to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on Tuesday?

Welcome back, Tubby Smith

The Smith family received the red-carpet treatment from UK Athletics in their return to Lexington. It started with a standing ovation for Tubby Smith as he walked on the floor for the first time, followed by his jersey retirement ceremony prior to tip-off. Later in the game, Tubby’s wife, Donna, was brought out as the honorary ‘Y’ at mid-court.

Big Blue Nation helped make Smith’s return a bright one, erupting when he first entered the arena, during the jersey retirement ceremony and pregame introductions, and finally as he participated in postgame radio. Essentially every time fans had the chance to cheer for the former UK coach, they did so with force.

Kentucky did its part to ensure Tubby’s return to Lexington was a positive one.

Kellan Grady is a human flamethrower

As for the Wildcats, it’s hard to ask for a better all-around performance, and it starts with Kellan Grady. The graduate transfer finished the day with a team-high 23 points on 8-12 shooting and 7-10 from three to go with four rebounds, two steals and a block.

His seven-make performance from deep marked his tenth game of two or more 3-pointers and tied for most of his five-year career. It’s the fourth time he’s knocked down seven 3-pointers in a game.

He caught fire in the second half, knocking down four threes in just over three minutes, including three in just 89 seconds (16:40, 15:55, 15:11). The crowd exploded with every make, with his last attempt giving the Wildcats their first 30-point lead of the game.

Keep feeding him the rock.

TyTy Washington, the “Silent Assassin”

Calipari gave Washington an official nickname during his postgame presser, “Silent Assassin.” And it’s one that fits what the standout freshman brings to the table every game at this point.

Finishing with 15 points on 6-9 shooting and 3-5 from three to go with nine assists, two rebounds, one steal and just one turnover, Washington did it all for the Wildcats on Friday. His pull-up mid-range jumper is money, he’s a catch-and-shoot artist from three, and he can finish at the rim with the best of them. A true three-level scoring threat.

It’s the tenth time this season Washington has finished in double figures and the twelfth consecutive time he’s shot greater than 42 percent from the field.

On the year, the standout freshman is now averaging 14.0 points on 50 percent shooting and 41.3 percent from three to go with 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Just 1.6 turnovers per contest, too.

TyTy Washington, the Silent Assassin.

Davion Mintz embraces bench role

It may not be the role he expected when he announced his return to Kentucky for one final season, but it’s one Davion Mintz has embraced quite well. A spark plug off the bench, Mintz finished with 10 points on 5-8 shooting to go with two steals, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes.

It took him a while to find his groove, but the sixth-year guard has emerged as a clear scoring threat in transition and a change-of-pace piece at the point guard position. He explodes with the ball and looks to create offense with every touch, never seeing a shot he didn’t like. His 3-point attempts aren’t yet falling — he’s shooting just 27 percent from deep — but he’s finding other ways to be effective when his number is called.

Kentucky will need Mintz’s scoring bursts in conference play, and today was another step in the right direction for that.

Lance Ware steps up behind Oscar Tshiebwe

Kentucky has been waiting for one of Lance Ware or Daimion Collins to emerge as a go-to backup center behind Oscar Tshiebwe. Both have shown flashes, but consistency has been an issue throughout the season.

Recently, though, Ware has thrived in that spot, picking up two points, five rebounds and two blocks in just eight minutes for the Wildcats. While limited offensively, he’s a high-energy player who is growing as a rebounder, picking up 12 boards in 28 minutes over his last three games.

Collins held his own today, as well, recording six points, eight rebounds, one block and one assist in 12 minutes. The bulk of his playing time came with the game out of reach, but it was a strong performance nonetheless.

Sahvir Wheeler’s shooting struggles continue

As a playmaker and defender, Wheeler was solid, picking up seven assists and two steals in the blowout win. A little sloppy at times — he added four turnovers — but still effective during his time on the floor.

His shooting, though, remains a clear issue, with the junior guard hitting just one of seven attempts from the field, including 0-2 from three. His 3-point percentage has now dropped to 17.4 percent on the year, down from the 22.5 percent mark he hit last season at Georgia.

Wheeler is pretty accurate with the t-shirt cannon, at least.

This is awesome. pic.twitter.com/rITCRUu2A0

— T.J. Walker (@TJWalkerRadio) December 31, 2021

Dontaie Allen must get out of his head

The shot opportunities are there for Dontaie Allen, he just can’t get them to fall. After starting the year 3-6 from deep in three games against Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary’s and Ohio, the sophomore guard has now hit just three of his last 26 attempts after an 0-4 performance against High Point.

On the year, Allen is now shooting just 29.5 percent overall and 18.8 percent from three. He’s getting open looks, but they’re all rimming out, certainly a frustrating start to the season for the Falmouth native.

At this point, it’s all mental. He’s got to get some shots to fall sooner rather than later.

Still waiting on Shaedon Sharpe

No, Shaedon Sharpe wasn’t at Rupp Arena today. He’s not even in Lexington — not yet, anyway.

With questions regarding the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Calipari confirmed the team is still awaiting his arrival, adding that classes don’t start until January 10 for the spring semester.

“He’s not here yet,” Calipari said.

Will he play? That’s another question. As of today, Calipari says the plan is for him to get in shape and “go from there.”

“We haven’t talked about (him playing), the family hasn’t talked about it,” Calipari added. “My guess would be, he’s fine. Let’s get him in shape and go from there. There was never a plan to play him. I left that out there so everybody would panic, but there has never been a plan to play him. But, let’s get him here and work him out, see how things are, and see how our team is.”

Until then, enjoy some photos from Kentucky’s big win, courtesy of Aaron Perkins: