Exhibitions are all about gaining experience and teaching. Heading into Monday's men's basketball exhibition at the University of Kentucky, Campbellsville University head coach Keith Adkins had a five-point lesson plan: limit UK's runs, handle adversity, keep your control, stay true to the game plan and compete. Despite a 25-point deficit in the first half of the 74-38 loss, the Tigers stuck to their plan on the Rupp Arena floor.
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I think you saw, obviously, the difference in levels," Adkins said. "If you told me we'd only give up 74 points to this team, I'd say we'd take our chances."
More than 21,000 fans turned out to watch first-year Kentucky coach John Calipari in his first intercollegiate competition as the Cats' leader. And the men in blue did not disappoint their home crowd, jumping out to a 7-0 lead.
Chicago native
Caleb Harris gave Campbellsville its first basket 2:13 into the game, hitting a 3-pointer. The Tigers managed to keep it close, 9-6, in the first five minutes, but that's when the Wildcats went on a run. As the Tigers struggled to find a shot, shooting 21.6 percent in the game, Kentucky scored 15 unanswered points over the next nine minutes to build a 19-point lead, 24-6. But even though the Tigers gave up the big run, they did not quit competing.
"I don't think we ever quit," Adkins said. "We held them to 34 points in the first half. I'll take that. We won't face talent. We won't face size. We won't face athleticism like this another time this year. I was proud of our effort, and I thought we really competed. That was key for us."Â
The Tigers, though trailing 36-11 coming out of halftime, rallied to out score UK by a basket most of the second half, until Perry Stevenson came off the bench to score 11 points for UK in the final two minutes.
Last year's starting point guard
Shawn Savage came off the bench to lead Campbellsville with three 3-point baskets and nine points, while
Joe Robinson also scored nine points, becoming the first and one of the only Tiger players to score points in the paint against the tall Wildcat defenders. Five minutes into the game, Robinson broke under the basket and reversed a layup to give the Tigers their second field goal of the game.Â
"They're long. They're way long. All of their players are 6-5 and over so it makes it real hard to get shots off, so we tried to run an open offense and use our quickness against them," Robinson said.
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Sporting News Preseason All-American
Nestor Colmenares was shut out in the paint most of the game, scoring his first basket on a goal tending call with 3:45 to go in the game. He added a steal and lay-up late and also had two free throws to finish with six points.
"They were tough, very tough," Colmenares said. "I did my best against them, but they blocked a lot of my shots. They are very good, and very big."
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Adkins quickly pointed out after the game that Colmenares would have played a different game if he'd had at least one 6-foot-10 big guy on the court with him.
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CU head coach Keith Adkins
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"There is probably a lot of people who would be very unimpressed with him tonight, but he is an absolute beast at our level. He is as good as there is at the NAIA level. I really think that if we had a 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10 kid to go with him, you would see a different kid. He wouldn't try to carry so much of the load for us," Adkins said. "I beg you to keep up with our line scores from here on out, becuase you'll see how special of a player he is."
Kentucky was led in scoring by Eric Bledsoe, who shot 50 percent from the field for 19 points and six rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
Campbellsville opens its regular season Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the Lindsey Wilson Classic in Columbia, Ky.Â
