After a horrendous start in the first two games of conference play, the Kentucky Wildcats bounced back in an emphatic way as they cruised past the Mississippi State Bulldogs 92-68 this past Saturday night for their first SEC win.
The Wildcats got off to another disappointing start as they were down 12 and once again got booed by the Big Blue faithful while losing Jaland Lowe to what was later revealed to be a season-ending injury. Although things looked extremely dire early on, the Wildcats were able
to punch the Bulldogs right in the mouth to enter halftime with a 44-39 lead and never looked back.
This marked the first win and hopefully many more to come in conference play for the Wildcats this season, and I think everyone around the fanbase hopes to see many more dominant performances like they saw this past Saturday night, at least after they went down 18-6.
The Wildcats will have another Quad 1 opportunity as they take on the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Wednesday night at 7:00 P.M.
Risers
Kam Williams
Even though the Wildcats have had a disappointing start to conference play and have not met the expectations of this storied program, Kam Williams has been one of the brightest spots as he continues to impress and improve more and more off the bench game by game. One could definitely argue that he’s been the Wildcats’ second-best player through the first three games into conference play, as he went for 14 points and grabbed 5 boards off the bench, which played a huge part in Kentucky’s first conference win of the season.
Getting 20 minutes off the bench or potentially even starting for the Cats going forward seems long overdue.
Malachi Moreno
The Kentucky native has played exceptionally well through three games in conference play. Despite the rebound efforts for Moreno in losses against Alabama and Missouri, he bounced back in a major way Saturday night as he was one of the most important contributors in the Wildcats’ dominant win over the Bulldogs from start to finish, recording 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
As Jayden Quaintance continues to work his way back into game shape, Moreno’s presence will play a huge part in deciding what kind of success the Cats will have going forward in conference play.
Otega Oweh
I think it’s safe to say the Otega Oweh of old is finally here as he’s started conference play on a complete tear, scoring at least 20 points in all three games of SEC play. Oweh is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3.3 assists through the Wildcats first three games into conference play. It’s not a secret that this squad will go as far as he takes them through the course of this season, but he’s also going to need some help from his fellow teammates as well.
Fallers
Mo Dioubate
Through the first three games of SEC play, Dioubate has been quite disappointing in each outing. The junior forward has shot 33% from the field in games against Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi State. He’s been hurting more than helping the team, and that’s going to have to change moving forward.
Dioubate’s too big and too important of a player to this squad to be this inefficient like he has to start conference play. With that being said, I’m expecting him to turn it around and turn it around quickly.
Collin Chandler
An individual who was hot for the first month, Collin Chandler has struggled mightily as of late and has been benched in between a few games due to getting picked on over and over defensively. He’s also hit just three of his last 14 3-point attempts. He’s virtually unplayable if this continues.
For Chandler to be a consistent part of the rotation during conference play, he’s going to have to find and knock down shots more so than not moving forward if he doesn’t want to lose any more minutes.
