Kentucky’s 49-point second half Tuesday night was a clearer indicator of the kind of team it will be this season. While the lackluster first half can provide a lot of teaching moments for a Wildcats team with a lot of potential, the second half provided reassurances for fans that this team is still going to be one of the best teams in the country.
Let’s take a look at the four players that stood out from Kentucky’s 77-51 season-opening win over the Nicholls Colonels.
4 players who stood out in Kentucky vs. Nicholls
1. Collin Chandler: 15 pts (5-8 FG, 4-7 3-PT FG, 1-2 FT), 4 ast., 2 stl, 2 rebs
It wasn’t just Chandler’s dunk
that landed No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. Chandler is showing that he is going to be, maybe, this team’s second-best player. He’s certainly this team’s fourth- or fifth-best player, but his ceiling keeps rising as high as he jumped on that emphatic slam dunk late in the second half Tuesday night.
Chandler can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, he can distribute the ball, he can cause turnovers on defense, and he can rebound. It’s remarkable how far he has come since the start of his Freshman season, but the extended playing time he got without Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler prepared him to be ready to make a high impact this season.
2. Denzel Aberdeen: 10 pts (4-9 FG, 1-5 3-PT FG, 1-1 FT), 6 ast., 5 rebs
Six assists, no turnovers, a +/- of 20 to tie for the team lead. When Aberdeen is on the floor, good things happen. His impact is felt on both ends of the floor, and there’s a reason Kentucky went and got him in the transfer portal just a week after he was a part of Florida’s national championship.
Aberdeen is going to be a huge part of however far Kentucky goes this season. He could have been viewed as a role player on a talented and deep Florida team last year, but at Kentucky, he will be one of this team’s most important and best players.
3. Mouhamed Dioubate: 7 pts (3-5 FG, 1-3 FT), 7 rebs, 4 ast., 1 stl
Dioubate is a player Wildcats fans are going to embrace for his toughness and hard-fought playing style. He only scored seven points, but he had a +/- of 20 to tie Aberdeen for the team lead on Tuesday night.
Kentucky needed a stretch-four last season, one that could play defense and be a versatile force on offense. Andrew Carr was a really good offensive player, but his defense came with shortcomings. Dioubate has that defensive prowess that will enable the Wildcats to better compete with the top teams in the SEC last season and this season.
4. Jasper Johnson: 11 pts (3-7 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG, 4-5 FT), 4 ast., 1 blk, 1 stl
The moment is not too big for the Freshman. Johnson has already become a player who can come off the bench and stabilize the offense. Think about that. He’s only played three games, one of which has counted, and has become a player the Wildcats rely upon for a spark on offense. That’s remarkable.
Johnson has incredible potential, and he’s only going to get better as this season goes on. There will be a game where he hits a shot that either wins Kentucky the game or is the reason why they go on to win the game.
