Freshmen Keeping Kentucky Wildcats Unbeaten
By Tim Letcher
@TimLetcher
Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Kentucky Wildcats were supposed to be playing a team that could match their size inside on Tuesday night. The LSU Tigers were the opponent and their Pete Maravich Assembly Center was sold out with a loud crowd propelling their talented team.
One would think that Kentucky would rely on its experience in this situation. However, when the Wildcats needed a big play on Tuesday, they turned to their outstanding group of freshmen, as they have in several big games this year.
Tuesday, it was freshman big man Karl-Anthony Towns atoning for an earlier technical foul by grabbing an offensive rebound to keep possession of the ball with less than a minute to go. Towns had 12 points and 13 points in the 71-69 win in Baton Rouge, moving Kentucky to 24-0 this season..
It seems that every time Kentucky has been seriously challenged this season, a freshman has stepped forward to help the Wildcats stay unbeaten. This was the second straight game in which Towns played big, following Saturday’s big effort in a win over the Florida Gators in which Towns scored 19 points.
Earlier this season, in Kentucky’s toughest non-conference game, it was freshman guard Tyler Ulis who came up with 14 points in a 58-50 win on the road against the Louisville Cardinals.
When Kentucky needed double overtime to win on the road against the Texas A&M Aggies, it was freshman sharpshooter Devin Booker who led the team with 18 points.
While freshman playing big roles for Kentucky is nothing new, it’s a big deal in this particular season. That’s because the Wildcats were supposed to (and do) have quite a bit of experience on this year’s team, and one would think that the more experienced players would be the leaders.
But so far this season, when Kentucky has needed a big performance in a tough game, it’s been the freshmen who have saved the unbeaten streak.
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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