KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's 2023 Blue-White scrimmage

Kentucky men’s basketball is officially ready to play against someone other than themselves. On Saturday night at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena, the Blue Team got the best of the White Team, 100-89, in the team’s annual Blue-White scrimmage. It was a packed house at NKU, as proceeds from ticket sales went to relief efforts in eastern and western Kentucky. Notably, the ‘Cats will head back to Lexington without anyone suffering an injury. All-in-all, it was a good night of hoops up in NKY.

Looking ahead, Kentucky will now prepare for the first of two preseason exhibition games when they host Georgetown College on Friday, Oct. 27. The regular season is almost here.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves, we need to talk more about the Blue-White Game, which saw plenty of high-scoring individual performances. KSR had multiple boots on the ground at NKU to soak in all of the action. Check out our top takeaways from the night as Jacob Polacheck, Daniel Hager, and I recap everything we saw.

Rob Dillingham puts on a show

It was the Rob Dillingham show Saturday night in Northern Kentucky. The freshman guard went for 40 points on 14-for-23 from the field in Blue’s 100-89 win. Dillingham excelled at playing through contact (head coach John Calipari said he’s gained 20 lbs since the Canada trip) while also adding four steals, five rebounds, and seven assists in an all-around effort.

The combination of Rob Dillingham and Adou Thiero was no match for the White team, with Dillingham dishing out seven assists and Thiero scoring 26 points himself.

— Jacob Polacheck

Kentucky wants to play FAST

With such a thin frontcourt (which we’ll touch on more in a moment), Kentucky might have to start the season running small ball. But if the Blue-White Game was any indication of how that might play out, the Wildcats will be in good shape. Kentucky emphasized transition and getting up as many shots as possible on Saturday. Dillingham and Thiero both remarked after the game how the lack of bigs allows them to play faster — although they still can’t wait for the seven-footers to return.

That was evident in the box score, too. Both teams combined for 189 points despite playing on tired legs down the stretch. The White Team fired upon 24 three-pointers while the Blue Team wasn’t far behind with 22 of their own. Possessions were shortened and it resulted in exciting basketball. It was a sneak peek at what’s to come when the regular season finally gets rolling.

— Zack Geoghegan

Adou Thiero’s ankle is just fine

Just 10 days after Adou Thiero left Kentucky’s Pro Day early with an ankle injury, the sophomore guard looked unfazed during Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage. Thiero finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, played nearly the entire game, and threw down a nice one-handed putback dunk in the first half. Thiero showed immense potential during the back half of last season and is poised for a bigger role off the bench this season. He’s bulked up to the point where he looks unrecognizable from 2022-23.

— Daniel Hager

0/3 on 7-footers for Kentucky

After John Calipari said following Big Blue Madness that 7-foot-2 Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic would participate in the Blue-White Game, the BBN was met with some unfortunate news in the hours leading up to tipoff — Ivisic was going to be held out of the game due to precautionary reasons. Calipari said postgame that Ivisic is dealing with soreness — not an NCAA eligibility-related issue — following his first three days of practice after arriving in the United States just last week. The head coach made sure to add that, regardless of health, Ivisic can play in games right now.

Additionally, yet not unexpectedly, Kentucky was also without their other two seven-footers, Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso. Both continue to rehab from foot injuries, and Calipari refused to put another timeline on any potential return. However, he did add that Bradshaw will likely return before Onyenso due to the timing of their respective surgeries.

— Zack Geoghegan

Reeves struggles with his shot

In the last organized game that Antonio Reeves played in (not including GLOBL JAM), he shot 1-10 from deep in Kentucky’s 75-69 loss to Kansas State in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Reeves’ live game action woes continued Saturday night, as the SEC Preseason Second-Teamer shot 1-9 from three and 6-19 overall from the field. That being said, there shouldn’t be any concerns (for now) about the back-to-back Big Blue Madness Three-Point Champion. Reeves still finished with 15 points. His body of work speaks for itself.

— Daniel Hager

Have no fear, Tre Mitchell is here

Tre Mitchell showed why he could be Kentucky’s most important piece to start the season, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the bigs. Despite the loss, Mitchell finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists, and showed that he can fill in at the center position while Bradshaw, Ivisic, and Onyenso work their way into the lineup. His versatility allows Kentucky to play with a number of different lineups and his experience boons a very young roster.

— Jacob Polacheck