Observations, box score and Twitter reactions from Kentucky Basketball Blue-White Game

Travis Perry sunk the game-winner, while Collin Chandler stole the show.

The Kentucky Wildcats held their annual Blue-White Game on Friday night for the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Historic Memorial Coliseum.

For the women, the Blue Team came away with a 43-29 victory in just two quarters of action.

Then came the men’s turn, which saw the Blue Team come away with a 67-66 win that featured an Elam Ending (target score was 67) across 40 minutes of action.

Travis Perry hit a late 3 and later sunk two free throws to push his team over the finish line.

Andrew Carr scored a game-high 25 points, followed by Collin Chandler with 19 and several highlight-reel dunks. Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams each scored 15.

Both sides combined to hit 17/49 3-point attempts (34.7%).

The game featured a running clock for a long stretch, which explains the fairly low scoring, despite both teams shooting a combined 47/97 from the field (48.5%).

Though it wasn’t televised, we were lucky enough to have Drew Brown and Tristan Pharis to provide fans with some observations they witnessed. Here are their takeaways from Friday Night.

Tristan Pharis’ Observations

• This women’s basketball team deserves the support of the BBN. The talent Kenny Brooks has assembled this offseason is impressive.
• Georgia Amoore is the real deal. An aggressive guard that can shoot and pass.
• Self-admittedly, the women’s team had trouble stopping drives to the basketball. Room to improve defensively.
• As said many times, expect a lot of 3s from Mark Pope’s squad. In the first four minutes, the Cats were 5/9 from deep.
• “Beat the camera,” Mark Pope says. The Wildcats’ average possession was less than 15 seconds.
• As fast as they play, things were a bit sloppy at times.
• There were some issues defensively, but they played hard and scrappy. Multiple players on the floor for each 50/50 ball,
• Jaxson Robinson is a pro. Makes things look so easy on the court and Mark Pope trusts him a lot.
• Kentucky’s offense never stops moving. There is constant movement.
• Amari Williams’ ability to run the floor, at his size, is very impressive. Size and mobility!
• As expected, Lamont Butler is the best perimeter defender on the team. Very good on-ball pressure and active in passing lanes.
• Collin Chandler may not be a one-and-done, but he will not be in Lexington very long.
• The event itself was a bit of a letdown. It is reported to have raised $750k-$1 million in NIL, which is great. However, for the $125-$1,550 per ticket price tag, there was little added value.

Drew Brown’s Observations

The event had some hiccups. Props to the program for getting innovative and looking for ways to generate NIL funds.

The spirit of the Blue-White event was terrific but there were some hiccups. This is an event that I see getting better with time after a trial run.

Several breaks in the action took the air out of the building, and the men didn’t take the floor until almost 7:30.

There was also confusion all afternoon on which portion of the event would be live-streamed, if any.

Next year I’d expect there to be more continuity and likely some form of pay-per-view live steam for fans to watch at home.

If I had to guess, I would say that the building was about 60% full.

Get on the Kentucky Women’s basketball train.

Kenny Brooks looks poised to completely transform the dynamic of the Kentucky women’s basketball program. The continuity and competitive spirit of the team really shined through on Friday night in Memorial Coliseum.

Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore will be the catalyst for the Cats offensively. She flashed her ability at the Blue-White event scrimmage by scoring at all three levels, cooking her defender on multiple possessions, and even knocking down a half-court shot to end the women’s session.

Amoore and the entire team will be a joy to watch this season and appear to have Final Four potential. Get on the train now.

It’s officially Mark Pope’s time.

Now that the spectacle of Big Blue Madness is over and we’re talking about actual basketball, it really slaps you in the face that John Calipari is gone and Mark Pope has the keys to the program.

Pope did a great job shepherding the crowd through the Blue-White event. He was mic-ed up and talked through a few things with the crowd.

The team played for a good stretch and provided a sneak peek of what to expect when they tip-off the season on November 4th against Wright State.

Mark Pope looks extremely comfortable in his role heading into his first season as the UK head coach.

Strength and maturity.

Very quickly, you can tell that this Kentucky team is littered with older, stronger, and more mature players.

The Cats will have experienced players at every position on the floor, which should prompt some smooth basketball, especially early in the season.

Amari Williams is a man in the paint and should act as UK’s enforcer. I was impressed with his play and how he carries himself.

The fans are ready for a run.

Despite the logistic hiccups, the fans in the arena stayed engaged, and there was a palpable buzz.

You can just tell this fan base is ready to bust at the seams for a big win and especially a potential run in March.

The team play was a little choppy, but the guys played hard and appeared to know their assignments.

Collin Chandler could be a star.

Pope’s first-ever signee flashed his shooting ability and athleticism on Friday night.

Chandler is smooth and has a great feel for the game. He’s someone I would peg as having the potential for a breakout season in his first year of college basketball.

Women’s Box Score

Men’s Box Score

Twitter Reactions

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