Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over Duquesne

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 77-52 victory over the Duquesne Dukes on Friday night at Rupp Arena:

1. The new center has to play

Here’s what Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot said after the game about Kentucky’s 6-foot-11 freshman center Ugonna Onyenso: “That guy’s going to make a lot of money. He’s the new-fangled (center). That’s what those centers look like in the NBA.”

“Oh, really,” said Onyenso when informed of Dambrot’s comments.

True, Onyenso has played 39 minutes these first two games simply because Oscar Tshiebwe is still watching from the bench while he recovers from knee surgery. True, Tshiebwe didn’t just win national player of the year honors last season, he swept them. True, when Oscar is ready to play again, he’ll play. A lot.

But Onyenso has to play, too. He’s too valuable not to get some clock. Against Duquesne, the Nigerian scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in 19 minutes. He has now blocked seven shots in his first 29 minutes as a collegian. And we know that when John Calipari dreams at night, he dreams of shot swatters.

As for the offensive end, Onyenso is raw but improving. He has made seven of his 11 shots. He even tried a hook shot on Friday. The shot missed. Badly. But, as Calipari said, at least he had the courage to try.

In fact, asked if he expected to make this kind of impact so soon, Onyenso replied with a smile, “I’m not surprised.”

2. Sahvir Wheeler is back

After missing the first “real” game of the season with a leg injury, Kentucky’s starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler made his 2022-23 debut on Friday, entering the game with 14:45 left in the first half.

Yes, Sahvir being Sahvir, he threw a couple of passes out of bounds. And he began the night 2 of 5 from the floor, including a miss on his first three-point attempt.

Ah, but after shaking off the rust, Wheeler was the wheeler-dealer Sahvir Wheeler, notching a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. Wheeler ended the night 4 of 7 from the floor and 1 of 2 beyond the arc. If you believe in the importance of the plus/minus stat, Wheeler was a plus-32.

He also played 27 minutes despite the fact that Calipari said he had no intention of playing Wheeler that long. And the New Yorker even asked to be taken out of the game at one point before getting his second wind.

“That’s the first time I’ve done that,” Wheeler said about subbing himself out. “And the last.”

Obviously, the 5-9 senior is a huge key to this Kentucky men’s basketball season. He’s not just the point guard. He’s Calipari’s point guard. And Friday night was a good start.

3. A true test comes next

Calipari said he was worried about Howard, UK’s opening opponent on Monday. He had no reason to worry. Kentucky rolled 95-63. Duquesne arrived at Rupp Arena fresh off a 91-63 mauling of Montana in the Dukes’ opener on Tuesday. But the visitors were no match for the Cats.

“It was too early for us to win the game,” Dambrot said. “We’re not quite ready to play that caliber yet.”

Next Tuesday, however, Kentucky’s degree of difficulty rises a level. Or two. Maybe even three. It’s the annual Champions Classic, this year in Indianapolis. Michigan State is Kentucky’s foe for the 7 p.m. game on ESPN. Hall of Famer Tom Izzo. The Spartans. The Big Ten. All of that.

“It’ll be a roughhouse game,” Calipari said Friday. “Either you can play in a roughhouse game or you can’t.”

To this untrained eye, this particular Kentucky team appears more capable of playing in a roughhouse game than the past couple of Calipari teams. A pair of freshmen have something to do with that. Cason Wallace is a physical player. Chris Livingston is a physical player. Both are young, but have the bodies too bang.

Can the Cats bang with Michigan State? We’ll see. The Spartans took No. 2-ranked Gonzaga to the wire before losing 64-63 on an aircraft carrier Friday. Had Izzo’s team not gone 3-for-16 from three-point range on the ship, the Spartans might have pulled off the upset.

“They are as well-coached a team as we’re going to play all year,” Calipari said of Izzo.

And under the circumstances, the Spartans might be as tough a test as the Cats will face all year.