The Justin Edwards Game: UK's freshman was perfect in his breakthrough performance
Saturday was a special day for Kentucky Basketball. The Wildcats scored over 100 points against the SEC’s first-place team, defeating Alabama 117-95 in front of 20,342 in Rupp Arena. Within the game, several spectacular moments and individual performances excited the Big Blue Nation, from Big Z‘s alley-oop finish to another remarkable performance from Antonio Reeves. Reeves outplayed the SEC’s scoring leader, Mark Sears, to tighten the league’s scoring race. Reeves had 24.
Still, nothing was as exciting as the breakout performance by Justin Edwards. Kentucky’s freshman wing played the best game of his collegiate career against the Crimson Tide, scoring 28 points on a perfect game from the field. He hit all 10 of his shot attempts, including four 3-pointers, a new career high. Edwards could not be stopped.
More than a scorer, Edwards also crashed the glass for three offensive rebounds and another two boards on the defensive end. Edwards played his best defense to date, too. On that end, he was active and physical and played confidently, leading to stops and two steals. He looked like a brand-new player, firing up the home crowd with more emotion than ever.
“They were so happy for Justin,” John Calipari said of the fans in Rupp Arena.
Edwards joins a short list of perfect games
From expert statistician Corey Price: Justin Edwards is only the third player in school history to take at least 10 shots without a miss. He joins Rodney Dent, who went 12 for 12 against Morehead State in 1993, and Kenny Walker, who went 11 for 11 against Western Kentucky in 1986, on the short list of perfect games. Neither Dent nor Walker attempted a 3-pointer in their record performances, while Edwards made four.
Knock on wood
Edwards realized that he hadn’t yet missed a shot somewhere amid his heater, so he looked for help from outside sources to prevent a jinx or, in this case, cooling off from the field.
“I had to knock on wood because I was like, dang, I haven’t missed a shot yet,” Edwards said after the game, revealing he is superstitious. “But I knocked on wood so the basketball gods were on my side.”
He also revealed that he had never been fouled on a 3-pointer until Alabama’s Sam Walters hit him on the arm as he sank his fourth 3 of the game. Edwards made the free throw to complete the four-point play, the first of his entire basketball career.
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Edwards at the 4
Adding to Edwards’ big day, he spent some time playing a new position once Kentucky found a small-ball lineup that was working. Calipari slid Edwards over to the 4, playing him alongside Zvonimir Ivisic and three other guards: Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, and Antonio Reeves. Calipari admitted afterward that he loved what he got out of that group in the second half.
“I thought they were good and I left them in,” he said in his postgame remarks. “All I said was if you need a sub, I’m going to sub you out but you will go right back in because this unit is really pretty good.”
On Edwards playing the four, Calipari added, “That worked out really well because now you have four guards out there with a big. That’s why I keep coming back to, we can do this all kind of different ways and we just have to have everybody ready when their opportunity comes up.”
Edwards’ opportunity came up against Alabama, and he answered with a historic performance. The Big Blue Nation will forever remember the 22-point win as the Justin Edwards game. Hopefully, it’s the beginning of more great things for #1.
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