Reed Sheppard Celebrated a Kentucky Win at the Rodeo

Is it the dust and mud, the boots and chaps or the cowboy hats? We’re not sure what exactly drew Reed Sheppard to the rodeo, but that’s how he celebrated the Wildcats’ come-from-behind win over the Florida Gators.

The Kentucky kid was not exactly a flamethrower in the swamp. One of the nation’s top three-point shooters was only 1-of-3 from long range. Despite making just two shots, he was second on the team in scoring, finishing the game with 14 points. He also pitched in five rebounds and a pair of assists.

Sheppard did his damage in crunch time, knocking down crucial free throws and playing keep away from the Gators to eat clock in the final minute. Even though he missed the front-end of a one-and-one, Sheppard sunk 9-of-11 free throws, including six straight down the stretch, to put the game on ice.

According to Corey Price, it was the best performance from the free-throw line by a Kentucky freshman in a true road game (81.2%) (min. 10 att.) since February 1st, 2020 at Auburn (Immanuel Quickley, 90%; Tyrese Maxey, 83.3%).

“We learned we got to stick together,” Sheppard said after the victory. “I think there’s multiple times in that game where we could’ve continued to play one-on-one, iso ball and just tried to take over the game by ourselves. But we all stayed together and kept sharing the ball and did what we needed to do to get the win.”

The Kentucky kid thanked the fans, then met some of the best from around the BBN back in Lexington. Sheppard was among the thousands who went to Rupp Arena to watch Professional Bull Riding on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour. That’s one heck of a day.

Reed Sheppard wins on the road at Florida, meets UK fans at PBR in Rupp at night pic.twitter.com/uPCvxg4ix2

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 7, 2024

Want more Kentucky hoops coverage? Join the KSR Club.

KSR has been delivering UK Sports news in the most ridiculous manner for almost two decades. Now, you can get even more coverage of the Cats with KSR+. With the transfer portal opening and the coaching carousel spinning, now is the perfect time to join our online community. Subscribe now for premium articles, in-depth scouting reports, inside intel, bonus recruiting coverage, and access to KSBoard, our message board featuring thousands of Kentucky fans around the globe. Just $1 gets you one month of access. Come join the club.