Antonio Reeves on pace to make NCAA history; Cal calls him UK Basketball’s best

The Kentucky Wildcats are 15-4 on the season and have two huge matchups with the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on the docket for this week.

To this point in the year, this UK squad has had a few letdowns, but overall, they have brought back the joy to the BBN of having a top team in the country. A primary reason for this team’s success is coming from the play of one player in particular, Antonio Reeves.

In his second season in Lexington, Reeves has taken a huge step forward and not just in his scoring. His rebounding and defense have made huge strides, but overall, it is his ability to be a three-level scorer that has taken his game to the next level.

For his efforts, Reeves was just named to the Jerry West Award Top 10 List. The award annually honors the top shooting guard in college basketball. Making this list only begins to show the level of impact he’s made in what’s becoming an All-American type of season.

On Twitter, some people took the stat digging to the next level, and Reeves is on track for a record-breaking season in his final year of college basketball.

Posted by Kyle Tucker of The Athletic, Reeves is looking to become just the fifth player since 1992 to average 20+ points per game on shooting splits of 50/40/90.

To this point in the year, Reeves is averaging 19.5 points on 50.2/43.1/87.3 shooting splits. He is also adding 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

But don’t forget his improved defense. In fact, during his Monday call-in show, John Calipari called Reeves the Wildcats’ best perimeter defender.

What’s even more wild is the radio silence on his numbers this year nationally. That won’t be the case for long, however, as Reeves gets his chance to battle Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht this weekend at Rupp Arena.

Will this help push one in front of the other for SEC Player of the Year? Looking at the stats to this point, the case should be made for Reeves before Knecht.

The freshman made it a point to recruit Reeves back to Kentucky for this season. Up to this point, it is looking like the right call for both parties involved.

Let’s hope Reeves continues to blossom and helps lead the Wildcats to their first real deep postseason run since the 2018-19 season.