College Basketball

5 Takeaways: Cats' Dominating Exhibition Win Over Clarion

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:18 p.m. ET

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The fourth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were impressive in their opening exhibition game of the season, routing Clarion, coach John Calipari’s alma mater, 108-51 at Rupp Arena. In a game that was up and down the court most of the night, the Cats were at times impressive defensively and finishing at the rim, while displaying explosiveness in transition.

Multiple lineup combinations led to a dozen Cats logging nine minutes or more, while six players scored in double figures. How the Cats finished in transition was arguably the most impressive takeaway of the night, from thunderous lob dunks, to slashing drives, to kick-out threes, Kentucky dominated on the break.

While the game was sloppy at times, and this group is still raw in early season form, there was a lot to like in this first look at Kentucky’s 2016-2017 campaign, with signs pointing toward yet another group with Final 4 potential.

Sep 15, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De Aaron Fox (0) guard Malik Monk (5) and guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) during Kentucky media day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

In the first half, before the game got out of hand, Kentucky flashed some stretches of serious on-ball defensive pressure in the backcourt, with Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Dominique Hawkins forcing turnovers. The Cats scored 23 points off turnovers in the first half, 38 for the game. Monk, who Calipari has said needs to improve his defense overall, recorded four first half steals to lead the Cats, while Briscoe added 3 steals and Fox swiped two steals. In all, the Cats turned those turnovers into fast break points—23 in the first half, 34 for the game.

Sep 15, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De Aaron Fox (0) guard Malik Monk (5) and guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) during Kentucky media day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The much-ballyhooed freshman guards were impressive, with Fox controlling the pace and Monk displaying elite scoring potential. Although Monk didn’t get the start, when he entered the game he was instant offense and led Kentucky in scoring with 15 points. With a stroke reminiscent to last year’s star, Jamal Murray, Monk was pure with his one-dribble, 15-foot jumper. With his speed and explosiveness, defenders will have to honor his driving ability all season long, which means his mid-range opportunities will be there. If Monk consistently knocks down the 15-footer, he will be a tough assignment for defenders.

John Calipari raised some eyebrows with some early-season comparisons to former Cat John Wall, suggesting Fox’s speed on the dribble was similar to the current Washington Wizard. But seeing is believing, as Clarion defenders couldn’t come close to containing Fox in space, and his burst with the ball is so quick, he often created transition opportunities that wouldn’t exist for anyone else, accelerating past defenders to create numbers situations and layup opportunities.

“I was expecting Monk to start,” said Clarion head coach Marcess Williams. “So when he didn’t, they went a little bigger than we thought. But they’re super talented. It allows them to play a little more full-court. I’ve been watching Cal coach over the years, especially with the connection with Clarion and everything. I’d seen in the preseason that they were going back to the dribble drive, so I knew right away he felt comfortable with his guards that he went back to his dribble drive offense that they ran several years ago. Like I said, they’re explosive. I mean, they really get out and challenge you a little bit more than they have been since (John) Wall, (Eric) Bledsoe and those guys. They’re tough. Those three guys on the floor, I think they’re all three first-round draft picks.”

Oct 14, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Bam Adebayo (3) shoots the ball during Kentucky Midnight Madness at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Cats were much bigger than Clarion, and we expected our bigs to have their way in the paint. But what stood out in this first exhibition was how well our big men ran the floor in transition for easy layups and dunks.

While we didn’t run a ton of half court sets, when our post players did establish good position on the block, they held off the defender, caught the ball and finished strong. As such, Bam Adebayo finished with 13 points and 14 boards, while Sacha Killeya-Jones added 12 points.

“We can play inside-out, and that gives our guards lots more opportunities for open shots,” said Kelleya-Jones, on establishing the inside game early against opponents this season. “If we started scoring on the inside, they got to double down and you’ve got guys like (De’Aaron) Fox and (Isaiah Briscoe) who get wide open shots.”

Oct 21, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Sacha Killeya-Jones (1) dunks the ball during the Kentucky blue-white game at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe the greatest takeaway of the night was how well the Cats shared the ball, with Briscoe leading the way with 11 assists. With so many new players, all of them blue chip all stars, you never know how the chemistry will play out on the court. At first glance, Kentucky was incredibly unselfish with the ball, as the guards pushed the tempo, found cutters, fed the post, and everyone got in the act in transition. The Cats recorded 14 assists in the first half and 29 in the game, leading to a whopping 66 points in the paint, versus just 10 for Clarion.

“It starts with our chemistry over the summer,” Willis said. “Everybody got to know each other really quickly and everybody liked each other. Not that it hasn’t been like that in the past, be we just play well together and we’re working on communicating on the court. That’s just how our team is.”

Sep 15, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) forward Derek Willis (35) and guard Dominique Hawkins (25) during Kentucky media day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

While Anthony Davis and his fellow freshmen clearly propelled the Cats to the National Championship in 2012, the presence of Darius Miller was a key cog in that machine. In that sense, arguably no Cat was more impressive last night than senior Derek Willis, who got the start and was seemingly everywhere at times during his 19 minutes of action that led to 13 points and four rebounds. Of course, Briscoe, though only a sophomore, brings valuable big-game experience as well, and Dominique Hawkins contributed solid minutes. We expect Briscoe to be big all year, and Willis looks primed to be a key factor. Look for Hawkins to be a potential X-factor in this talented backcourt.

“We had 29 assists to 15 turns,” Calipari said. “So for the fist time out of the gate—but you got Derek (Willis) as a veteran, Dom(inique Hawkins) is a veteran, Isaiah Briscoe—and Isaiah was outstanding. He was five assists, one turn at the half, and I looked at it, I called him, I said, ‘Come here. Score the ball, man. You’re going to score the ball for us.

“But again, it starts with Isaiah Briscoe, and he’s coaching De’Aaron Fox, he’s coaching these guys, he’s talking, if you listen, you hear his voice more than you even hear mine, which is perfect, which is what I want,” Calipari added. “But it starts with him. But again, he made the 3, makes the free throw. Come on. And that, when you think of his game, if that’s who he is, make some 15-footers, he’s as good as anybody in the country now. He’s as physical, he’s a beast. And he defends and rebounds.”

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