LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky senior forward Oscar Tshiebwe, last season's consensus national player of the year, was sidelined for the fourth-ranked Wildcats' season-opening 95-63 win against Howard on Monday.
The school announced before the game that the 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe (right knee) and guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) were out along with sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons).
The absences of all three regulars opened up a lot of minutes for others, and the results were encouraging. Antonio Reeves (22 points) and CJ Fredrick (20) were a strong backcourt tandem, and Kentucky showed depth in outscoring Howard's bench 32-15.