Kentucky's Ugonna Onyenso answers the call in sophomore debut
All week long, the expectation was that 7-foot center Ugonna Onyenso would make his sophomore debut for Kentucky in Atlanta against North Carolina. It would be a slow introduction into the rotation for the big man, who has been recovering from a broken foot he suffered in July. A last-minute illness nearly knocked that plan off course, but Onyenso found his way out of Lexington the morning of the game and was officially made available by head coach John Calipari not long before tipoff.
Onyenso finished with 10 minutes of clock in Kentucky’s massive 87-83 win over No. 9 North Carolina, which was in line with how much time Calipari predicted he would play. But had fellow seven-footer Aaron Bradshaw not gotten into foul trouble, Onyenso likely wouldn’t have seen the floor for that long. With little prep time, Onyenso was thrust into extra minutes against North Carolina’s All-ACC center, Armando Bacot.
So what did Onyenso do? Just block three of North Carolina’s shots while challenging a couple more. He only managed one point, one rebound, and one assist, but his rim protection was the difference-maker at a time when Kentucky needed a paint presence.
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“How about Ugonna? He just started practicing, he got the flu, and could not travel with us. Flew in this morning,” Calipari said after the win. “Went to the shootaround, had to do what? Went in the bathroom. I can’t play him. He said ‘I’m gonna be fine.’ He helped us.
“Aaron (Bradshaw) gets a fourth foul, I’ve got to play him. I’m happy about him.”
As it turns out, having multiple seven-footers available is, in fact, a good thing. The extra size helped Kentucky win the battle on the glass by 10 while bringing down 12 more offensive rebounds. With help from Onyenso, UK recorded a season-high in blocks against North Carolina with nine. His impact was definitely felt by the Tar Heels.
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