There is a moment in every season where a player steps forward and makes a claim about who they are and where they are going.
For Malachi Moreno and Kentucky Basketball, that happened Saturday against Vanderbilt.
Just a few weeks ago, Vanderbilt said they looked at the film and knew they could physically outmuscle Kentucky. On the very first possession of the game, Malachi Moreno got swallowed up as he missed a layup. Vanderbilt would go on to outrebound Kentucky 43-37. Moreno would finish with 4 points
and 8 rebounds in a less-than-convincing performance.
This time, the Cats opened up with the big man down low, and Moreno turned into a make, backing down the defender, making a claim that today is going to be different. And then all game long, he proved it.
Mark Pope noticed the physicality all week
Talking with Tom Leach after the game, Pope was full of praise.
“Listen, guys, Malachi Moreno is really special…All week long, he was so physical in practice…That’s how he responds when things don’t go right like they did in Nashville.”
Things definitely went right. Malachi would finish the day with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was strong defensively and helped lead the effort on the boards. Kentucky would outrebound Vanderbilt 29-22, and held Devin McGlockton scoreless; he had been averaging nearly 11 points per game on the season.
Collin Chandler, Denzel Aberdeen, and Otega Oweh might be getting all the headlines, but make no mistake, the freshman big man from Kentucky is a huge reason why Kentucky is where it is.
The Cats head to Texas to take on the Aggies on Tuesday in a game that could help Kentucky inch closer to a double-bye in the SEC Tournament.
Drew Holbrook has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion
