The University of Kentucky hosted their highly-anticipated Big Blue Madness Blue-White game this past Saturday. While fans still have a bit of waiting to do before the season starts, they did get to see the Wildcats put on a competitive scrimmage that pitted the roster’s players against each other.
The Blue Team opened the scoring and never looked back, leading all the way through to a 100-89 victory.
The weekend spectacle saw five-star freshman Rob Dillingham put up 40 points to lead everyone in scoring. He added five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.
Sophomore Adou Thiero added 26 points and nine rebounds while freshman Jordan Burks posted 20 points of his own.
Freshman Justin Edwards led the White Team with 26 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 18 points in the second half, while another first-year player, DJ Wagner, put up a 25-point total along with seven rebounds, and six assists.
Tre Mitchell, a fifth-year forward, chipped in with a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds while Antonio Reeves scored 15 points on 6/19 shooting from the field and 1/9 from three.
There were a few notable absentees, no more so than Zvonimir Ivisic. The Croatian flew in earlier this month but did not participate in the scrimmage. He was expected to make his debut on Saturday, however, head coach John Calipari has since revealed he had cramps and wasn’t at the requisite fitness level as his arrival was delayed and he was not able to put in enough preparation.
“I wasn’t comfortable,” Calipari said. “He’s going to be fine. I’m just a little leery. I want him to be at his best. My guess is he’s a little frustrated with me, but there seems to be a lot of people frustrated with me, so that’s OK. Like I always do, I’m going to look after the kids and try to do what’s best for him and us.
“I think we threw him in a little too fast. And he was good. Anybody who came in and watched was like, ‘Yeah, he’s good.’ He’s a good basketball player. But he’s not King Kong. He’s another piece for us.”
Ivisic landed in the United States with a big reputation as he had already attracted attention from NBA teams. Sports betting in Kentucky could trend on the up simply due to his presence. The Wildcats are currently +1800 to win the National Championship next season, but those odds could shift based on what we see from the 21-year-old in his first few games.
Reporters got a first look at the center during Media Day this Tuesday and all of the attention seemed to force him into a shell for a few seconds, but he still managed to have an amiable chat with the press.
“This is all new to me,” he admitted. “It’s pretty nervous. Yeah, it’s pretty nervous. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty nervous.”
“Everyone welcomed me nicely, so, yeah, I am having fun right now. Everything was fine with me,” he continued. “I was having a hard time (early). But everything will come into place, so I am not worried.”
Ivisic is already impressed with his UK teammates, who he described as dogs.
“We’ve got some dogs on the court… Everybody has that dog in them,” he noted “I’ll do my best to help the team so I’ll give 100%, of course. I’m gonna help a little bit, at least.”
Calipari reckons his new star will be ready to play the team’s second exhibition game on November 2 vs. Kentucky State. The Wildcats will begin the regular season against New Mexico State on November 6.
“I want to play so bad, but I need to get in shape first,” Ivisic added. “He’s not pressing me to do stuff right now, because maybe I can’t. He’s taking it really slowly.”
The Wildcats will also hope to have big men Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso back soon, with both players having undergone foot surgery. Calipari was not able to offer any meaningful updates on the centers and could only say that they’re “fighting to come back.”
The head coach had put a timeline of 5-7 weeks on the returns when he spoke at Kentucky’s Pro Day on October 11 but has reneged, stating the players will return when they’re ready.