Of course Aaron Bradshaw would have a big game against Kentucky

When Jeff Goodman broke the news that Aaron Bradshaw was going to play against Kentucky, I got weirdly excited. After all, Ohio State is not a great team, so the addition of the former Wildcat would serve more as nostalgic entertainment than an actual basketball threat.

I was way off.

This was Bradshaw’s first game back with the Buckeyes after sitting out while authorities investigated a domestic incident at an off-campus apartment. He returned to practicing with the team in the second week of December but it wasn’t until he faced his old school in Madison Square Garden that he made his triumphant return to the court.

Bradshaw checked into the game early in the first half without me noticing, but I instantly recognized his running style once he was on the court. That uniquely awkward gait of a 7-foot-2 center power forward jumped out like the idiosyncrasy of an ex-girlfriend you’d forgotten about until you saw it again.

It is safe to say he was motivated to stick it to Kentucky. At the halftime break, Bradshaw led Ohio State in scoring with nine in just eight minutes off the bench and finished with 11 points on the night. For comparison, Bradshaw only scored more than 11 points in a game four times in 26 games played at Kentucky.

Three of Bradshaw’s points came via a 3-pointer, his second of the season. He would later hit what initially looked like another but with a foot on the line, it was ruled a long 2. Last year with Kentucky, Bradshaw only hit four 3-pointers all season.

In addition to scoring, Bradshaw tied his career high with two steals and proved to be a nuisance for Kentucky most of the game. If he hadn’t gotten into foul trouble (something he also did during his time in Lexington) his stat line might have looked even more daunting.

Kentucky is already everyone’s Super Bowl biggest game on the schedule, so if a player has any extra motivation to play the ‘Cats, as Bradshaw did, they harness it. In this case, it helped lead to a blowout win.

Oddly enough, though, Bradshaw is the first former Wildcat to beat Kentucky with a new team since Marvin Stone did it with Louisville in 2002. We’ll see if the same thing happens when Kentucky plays a host of former Wildcats on February 1st when Arkansas comes to town.