Having finished up the non-conference portion of the schedule and heading into SEC play, Kentucky has three of the top 10 freshmen in college basketball, according to long-time industry analyst Andy Katz.
Katz has Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, both of whom come off the bench for the Wildcats, at Nos. 1 and 2.
Sheppard has done a little bit of everything for UK off the bench this season, averaging 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.8 steals in 26.3 minutes per game all while shooting 57.8% from the floor, 56% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line.
Sheppard has turned in three 20-point scoring games, including 21 in Kentucky’s 95-73 win over No. 8 Miami at Rupp Arena. He also finished with 11 points and 11 assists in UK’s 95-76 win at archrival Louisville. He’s also on pace to break Rajon Rondo’s single-season school record for steals of 87 set as a freshman during the 2004-05 season.
Like Sheppard, Dillingham comes off the bench, where he averages 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 44.7 % from beyond the arc. In addition to leading Kentucky in assists, Dillingham has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games this season.
In Friday’s 96-70 win over Illinois State at Rupp Arena, Dillingham and Sheppard combined for 27 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocked shots.
In its updated NBA Draft rankings for 2024, ESPN had Dillingham and Sheppard at Nos. 7 and 16, respectively.
DJ Wagner is also ranked in the top 10, checking in at No. 9.
Wagner, who has been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice, is averaging 11.9 points, 3.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 41.7% overall and 30.8% from 3-point range.
He finished with 22 points and 6 assists in an overtime win over St. Joe’s, 28 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in a win over Marshall, and 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a win over No. 9 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic.
The Wildcats are off to a 10-2 start this season and ranked No. 6 in the country, its highest ranking in the new year since the 2016-17 season.
UK has scored 95 or more points six times in 12 games this season and have scored 81 or more points in 11 of its first 12 games for the first time since The Untouchables won the national championship in 1995-96.
Kentucky ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 91.1 points per game and seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The Cats rank in the top 20 in pace all while ranking third in 3-point percentage (41.6) and 12th in 3-point makes per game.
The Wildcats also have six players averaging between 19.0 and 9.8 points per game while averaging nearly 20 assists per game, which ranks No. 9 nationally.
Kentucky opens SEC play Saturday at Florida. The Wildcats have won 9 of the last 10 meetings against the Gators, including each of the last five trips to Gainesville dating back to 2019.
