It wasn’t the smoothest 40 minutes, but Kentucky basketball came out with a vengeance in the second half and cruised past Nicholls 77-51 on Tuesday night in the 2025-26 season opener.
The Wildcats saw four players score in double figures, had 21 assists, and out-rebounded the Colonels 51-30.
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After a disjointed first half, where the Wildcats shot just 10-31 from the field, including 2/16 from 3-point range, the Wildcats looked like a completely different team in the second half, scoring 49 points and shooting 19/31 from the field, including 6/11 from 3-point range.
Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh both looked like how you would expect them to look, scoring a combined 2o points on 7/8 shooting and 4/5 from three-point range.
Chandler had four assists in the second half, second to Denzel Aberdeen’s five assists, and led the Wildcats in scoring for the game with 15 points. Aberdeen led the Wildcats with six assists.
Trent Noah left the game midway through the first half with what is speculated as an ankle injury. He returned to the team huddle before the second half, and he looked good going through physical and shooting drills during halftime but didn’t play, so this will be something to monitor.
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Highlights
MVP: Denzel Aberdeen
You can see the difference in the flow of Kentucky’s offense when he’s on the floor. Aberdeen had six assists and no turnovers Tuesday night, scoring 10 points on 4/9 shooting and pulling down five rebounds.
Aberdeen’s offensive presence and winning pedigree are going to be a crucial component for the Wildcats this season. This was a strong reminder that he needs to remain in the starting lineup all season.
Box Score
Kentucky vs. Nicholls Twitter Reactions
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