Kentucky freshmen steal the show in season opener

Early on, it looked as if Kentucky could have a repeat of the Transylvania game on their hands with Marist. As time wore on, the Wildcats and their talented freshman on to take the Red Foxes to the woodshed as Kentucky won 108-58 in their season opener.

Kentucky started three freshman for the first time in a season opener in Kentucky basketball history and without Terrence Jones in the starting lineup. Head Coach John Calipari decided not to start Jones as part of an in-house discipline when Jones was caught out late in the evening after he and teammate Stacey Poole were involved in a car accident early Friday morning.

Jones hardly showed any ill effects of the situation as he boosted the Kentucky team when he finally entered the game in the middle of the first half. Freshman Anthony Davis, however, stole the show. Davis was an animal attacking the basket and made himself readily available around the rim with his size and athleticism. Teammates found him often for several lobs and alley-oops at the basket, while Davis slammed a few home on his own. Davis finished the night as the leading scorer with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks while shooting 10-13 from the field.

Davis was hardly the only impact freshman on the night. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a factor on the defensive end with his physical play and was able to excel in the fast-break situations. Kidd-Gilchrist may be one of the best finishers around the rim and that’s probably the reason why Calipari wants his guys getting the ball to him in those situations. Kidd-Gilchrist finished 15 points and was a perfect 5-5 from the line.

The man at the helm of the offense, Marquis Teague, played a great game as well in his Wildcat debut. Teague handled the ball well and did a great job of finding the open man all night. His shot selection was not the best, but he was very affective when attacking the rim. The kid can flat out fly and is probably the most complete point guard that Calipari has had since coming to Kentucky. Teague registered 16 points on the night with four assists.

The upper-classman were disappointing on the evening, except for Doron Lamb. A shooting guard by nature, Lamb distributed the ball better than the starting point guard and dished out eight assists on the night while kicking in 15 points and shooting the ball very well. He’s going to be the key on the perimeter for this team all season when they need big shots.

Kentucky’s defense was sluggish to start and the Marist offense was impressive. As Calipari always says, Kentucky is everyone’s Super Bowl, and the Red Foxes played like it early. They were able to knock down shots and were hardly intimidated by the blue and white and the grand stage of Rupp Arena. They even held a lead early on and gave Kentucky a run for their money. It was short-lived, however, as the Kentucky players had enough. Calipari got his message through loud and clear as the Cats came out a different team after half time. The Cats scored at will in the second half and the Red Foxes never had a chance.

It wasn’t a perfect game, and Calipari said as much in the post-game press conference, but this team showed its potential. Kentucky needs to have a short memory and start getting prepared for a Kansas team that also dropped 100 points in their season opener. The Cats and Jayhawks will tip off at 9 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Champion Classic at Madison Square Garden.