In back-to-back road games, Denzel Aberdeen has saved Kentucky down the stretch.
We’re just a few days removed from the Florida transfer helping the Wildcats overcome an 18-point second-half hole against LSU in Baton Rouge. Aberdeen dropped all 17 of his points after halftime in the win over the Tigers. And yet, he was somehow even better on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.
Down by as many as 17 in the first half and as many as 13 in the second half, Aberdeen helped fuel Kentucky to a massive comeback victory, 80-78, over No. 24 Tennessee. The 6-foot-5 guard registered 18 of his 22 points after the intermission, once again serving as the steadying point guard force that head coach Mark Pope needed — even more so now that lead guard Jaland Lowe is out for the season due to injury.
“I thought Denzel Aberdeen was ridiculous tonight. He was so good,” Pope said postgame. “Really it came down to just putting the ball in his hands and saying, ‘Hey, let’s just extend this thing out and let’s try and you go attack space.’ And he made every right decision.
“His ball protection — I mean, the ball was in his hands. I mean, it must have been his hands for six minutes in the second half, which is crazy, right? And just made great decision after a great decision. I don’t know if there’s anybody playing better than him over the last game and a half, he was incredible. So he was a huge part of taking care of the ball.”
Similar to what he did against LSU, Aberdeen took control of the offense against Tennessee. He was navigating ballscreens with precision, carefully weaving through the lane to get to his spots. He shot 3-5 from deep and 4-5 on two-pointers in the second half while playing all 20 minutes. Aberdeen only racked up a pair of assists, but he did so without turning the ball over once. He even recorded a couple of steals along the way.
After picking up two early fouls to open the game, Aberdeen spent most of his first half on the bench, but he responded in a way that someone who has won a national championship would know how to.
“I thought Aberdeen was terrific in the second half,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “It didn’t matter who was guarding them. He got it where he wanted to go.”
It hasn’t always been a productive season for Aberdeen — or for Kentucky as a whole, for that matter — but he’s coming alive at the perfect time for this team. That’s now two straight games the Wildcats have looked dead in the water in the first half on the road, only to find enough courage down the stretch to pull off seemingly miraculous wins, in large part due to Aberdeen’s impressive production.
You can say what you want about this group, but you can’t say they lack a willingness to respond. Having a player like Aberdeen help spark that mindset certainly helps.
“No matter what situation we’re in, we never put our heads down,” Aberdeen said.