Tag: Antonio Reeves

Gallery: The best images from the Kentucky Wildcats 2023-24 regular season wins

The best image from every Kentucky win this season

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team starts their NCAA Tournament journey on Thursday against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Through the regular season, they earned a number three seed in the South Region, having gone 23 – 9, with several wins over ranked teams.

The Cats performed very well in the non-conference portion of their schedule, with wins over North Carolina and Miami, and a near-win over Kansas.

The SEC part of the season was a bit of a struggle. At one point the lost three consecutive home games, but went on a run of wins to end the season.

This year’s Kentucky team was one of the most fun in recent memory. The defense wasn’t always as good as it needed to be, but the offense was one of the country’s most explosive all season long.

Every game the Wildcats played in had multiple great images that told the story of their season. Here is one image from each game that Kentucky won during the regular season.

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Multiple Wildcats honored by SEC coaches as All-SEC

Four Kentucky players were recognized with awards by SEC coaches

The 2023-24 regular season was another great one for the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team. On Monday, several members of the team were honored by the Southeastern Conference coaches, and were recognized for their play.

Senior guard Antonio Reeves didn’t win Player of the Year, but he was voted as first team All-SEC. Reeves is currently on track to have the highest per game scoring average at Kentucky since John Calipari became the coach.

Rob Dillingham has been one of the most exciting players in Kentucky basketball history. His ability to take over games earned him the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He was also second team All-SEC and a part of their All-Freshman Team.

Like his father Jeff, Reed Sheppard has become one of the most popular Wildcats ever. His clutch shooting and high basketball IQ propelled him to the SEC’s Freshman of the Year award. Like Dillingham, he was also second team All-SEC.

D.J. Wagner has struggled with injuries this season, but has proven to be an excellent defender. He also flashes an innate ability to get into the lane. He joined Dillingham and Sheppard on the SEC All-Freshman team.

The recipients, and their teammates have games still to play, beginning with the SEC Tournament, which starts later this week. Kentucky will play their first game on Friday.

Antonio Reeves Named Finalist for Jerry West Award

Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves is a finalist for a major award

Kentucky Wildcats guard Antonio Reeves was named one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award this week, which is given to the nation’s top shooting guard. The other finalists are Caleb Love of Arizona, Kevin McCullar Jr. of Kansas, Tyson Walker of Michigan State and RJ Davis of North Carolina.

Reeves is leading Kentucky and the SEC scoring 20 points per game while shooting 50.9% from the field and 44.2% from behind the three point line. Reeves is also averaging 4.1 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists.

The Senior has scored in double figures in all but one game this season for the Wildcats and has scored over 20 in 17 games. Reeves is only the second player in the Calipari era for Kentucky to score over 20 points in at least 20 games for Kentucky.

Reeves is playing some of his best basketball as of late, scoring at least 20 points in his last five games. Reeves has scored 1,068 points for the Wildcats in his two years here, just 49 points behind Oscar Tshiebwe for the second most in UK history in a two year span and just 145 points behind Bill Spivey for the most all time.

Kentucky is next in action on Wednesday, March 6 at 9 p.m. EST when they play Vanderbilt. The game will air nationally on SEC Network from Rupp Arena.

Fans can support Reeves by participating in fan voting, starting Friday on hoophallawards.com.

Antonio Reeves chasing the top ten scorers under John Calipari

Antonio Reeves looks to join the list of Kentucky’s top ten per-game scorers under John Calipari

In the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team defeat of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, guard Antonio Reeves scored 22 points. It led the team, but that’s not why it’s significant.

The 22 points Reeves scored on Saturday brought his scoring average up to exactly 20 points per game. Since John Calipari has been the head coach at Kentucky, only one other player has averaged 20 points per game. Jamal Murray averages exactly 20 per-game in his lone season with the Wildcats.

Calipari’s teams at Kentucky are almost always loaded with talent. Therefore they haven’t needed one player to dominate the scoring in that manner. Murray’s team had lots of talent, but not many scorers, so he was asked to do more.

Reeves is in a bit of a different situation. The current Wildcats are loaded with guys who can score. So Reeves potentially being the highest per-game scorer in Cal’s time in Lexington is impressive.

Outside of Reeves and Murray, Kentucky has had plenty of great players who were capable of scoring when needed. Here’s a look at the top per-game scorers in a season at Kentucky under Coach Cal, not counting Reeves until his season is complete.

Antonio Reeves scores his 1,000th career point in loss to LSU

Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves scored his 1,000th point as a Wildcat on Wednesday.

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team suffered another tough loss on Wednesday night, this time to the LSU Tigers. It was another setback for a team that looked to be on the rise just days ago after beating a ranked Auburn team. However, while the team took a loss, guard Antonio Reeves had an individual milestone to celebrate.

Reeves began his college career at Illinois State, and spent three seasons there before transferring to Kentucky. In two years in Lexington, he has become a fan favorite, and a leader on the team. On Wednesday night, he also scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the 61st player in school history to hit the mark.

Last year, Reeves was mainly a three-point specialist. He made a lot of big shots, but mainly stayed behind the arc. This season, he has developed into a true scorer, capable of getting baskets from three-point range, but also in the paint or around the rim.

With several more games to be played this year, Reeves will likely end up in the top 50 all-time at Kentucky in terms of points scored. He has a shot at the top 40, and doing so in just two seasons would be impressive.

It was a tough night for the Wildcats basketball team, and Reeves would certainly have preferred a win to a milestone, but it’s a milestone worth noting. He’s having a great season, and will go down as an all-time great player at Kentucky.

Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves on midseason team for Naismith Trophy

Antonio Reeves has been named to the Naismith midseason team which includes the top 30 players up for the Naismith trophy

Kentucky Wildcats guard Antonio Reeves is having a terrific season. The Senior is leading the team in scoring at over 19 points per game, while adding 4 rebounds per game and playing solid defense. His leadership, while playing with a large group of Freshman and Sophomores has also been invaluable.

Reeves has caught the attention of analysts all season, and now he has been honored once again. Reeves has been named, along with 29 others, as part of the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Midseason List.

After last season, Reeves considered transferring to another school. He was talked into staying, and it has paid dividends for himself, and for the Wildcats.

Reeves was terrific in the 2022-23 season, but has improved his game in every area this year. His already very good three-point percentage has increased to 43%, and he has developed other moves as well. He is able to consistently hit a variety of runners and floaters in the lane, and has been good at driving for points at the rim or foul shots.

The Kentucky roster is loaded, and several different players are capable of big games on a give night. Reeves, however, has been consistent. He has been the Wildcats most important player, and if he keeps it up, it might net him one of college basketball’s biggest honors at season’s end.

Michigan basketball misses out on Kentucky transfer

Well, that’s a bummer.

Michigan basketball has been active in the transfer portal this cycle, for better and for worse.

The Wolverines have gotten a few key pieces this offseason, including Nimari Burnett from Alabama via Texas Tech, Tray Jackson from Seton Hall, and Olivier Nkamhoua from Tennessee. But, they also had former five-star Caleb Love from North Carolina committed, though he didn’t clear admissions and ended up having to leave the class.

Michigan had hoped to continue to bolster its roster which saw losses of Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard to the NBA draft, and star center Hunter Dickinson along with forward Gregg Glenn to the transfer portal. One name that had kept popping up was Kentucky shooting guard Antonio Reeves, who was reportedly looking to seek a new opportunity and was enrolled in courses at Illinois State after withdrawing from the NBA draft.

However, according to 247Sports, Reeves has opted against going to Ann Arbor (or to Indiana) and has chosen to rejoin the Wildcats in Lexington.

Kentucky shooting guardAntonio Reeves is back on Kentucky’s campus and is expected to play for the Wildcats in 2023-24, a source told 247Sports. Reeves’ situation has been extremely fluid this offseason. First, Reeves entered the 2023 NBA Draft. But after withdrawing his name, his future at Kentucky immediately became uncertain as he enrolled in courses at Illinois State in order to graduate.

However, after weeks of uncertainty as to whether he will graduate and transfer — or, if he could even graduate from another school and transfer — he is back on Kentucky campus and expected to be coming back for his final season of college basketball.

Michigan was also reportedly looking at Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month. However, it appears that he is not considering the Wolverines at this time. We’ll see if that changes now that the maize and blue aren’t targeting Reeves given this new development.

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Illinois State transfer guard Antonio Reeves lists Oregon amongst top five

Reeves was one of the country’s best scorers last season, averaging 20.1 points per game. That could be huge for Oregon after losing De’Vion Harmon.

The Oregon Ducks got unwelcome news regarding their backcourt on Tuesday when guard De’Vion Harmon reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The portal giveth and the portal taketh away, and in Oregon’s case that could mean good news is on the horizon as they continue to be an oft-considered destination for some of college basketball’s best available players.

That list now includes Antonio Reeves, an elite scoring point guard from Illinois State who listed Oregon among the five schools he is still considering.

Oregon is on a list alongside Kentucky, Nebraska, Xavier, and DePaul, according to ON3’s Joe Tipton, who tweeted the news on Tuesday morning.

Reeves was one of the country’s best scorers last season, averaging 20.1 points per game for the Redbirds while playing nearly 35 minutes per night.

He’s a prolific shooter, knocking down 39% of his three-pointers last year, although he was only a 31% shooter in his previous two years with Illinois State so that could be an area of regression for him next season.

Regardless, Reeves would be a huge get for coach Dana Altman in the portal, especially if Harmon is headed elsewhere for the second year in a row.

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Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.