In game two of the season, Kentucky Men's Basketball's physicality and attention to detail were tested against the James Madison Dukes, and a more disciplined second half helped the Cats prevail, 89-80.
JMU head coach Preston Spradlin returned to Rupp after serving as a UK Graduate Assistant and Morehead State head coach. Justin McBride would face his former team, and Kam Williams would return to the floor.
Once the ball tipped, the Cats jumped out to a 16-8 lead, sparked by an Alex Wilkins three and a Zoom Diallo six-point run. But several scoring droughts and the Dukes' three-point shooting kept them close!
Diallo snagged the ball from JMU and passed ahead in transition for a beautiful lay-in by McBride, 18-15 Cats.
Jones would hit a three to tie at 18. JMU's movement, paired with a few defensive lapses by the Cats, allowed the Dukes to take several uncontested shots.
Nine lead changes and three ties would take the teams to the break tied at 39. Diallo led the Cats with 10, matched by Garrett Sundra. As a team, Kentucky shot 45% from the field, and JMU shot 38%, but the 3-pointers made the difference: nine from the Dukes compared to UK's five.
Ball movement was stagnant for the Cats, with only six assists at the break.
Out of the half, Diallo would quickly score six points.
Tied at 56. Wilkins followed with a three, then McBride, and BBN put the Rupp in eruption!! Kentucky hits an 8-0 run and takes a 62-56 lead. The lid was officially off the basket; Kentucky found a 13-3 run, capped by an N'Diaye 3-pointer, to take a 65-58 lead.
Mason & McBride hit back-to-back threes, and Rupp was PUMPED! Kentucky would take an 11-point lead with 6:19 left in the game.
Braydon Hawthorne gets a breakaway dunk in the final minutes to really cap off the evening. The Cats defended the 3-point line better in the second half, with the Dukes hitting six to close it out.
Five Cats finished in double figures. Kentucky heads to the Champions Classic in Chicago, 2-0. The Cats face Kansas Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Catch all the game day action and learn more about Kentucky Athletics on
BBN Tonight.The team provides the latest coverage and stats ahead of UK games.
