Denzel Aberdeen shook off a groin injury to help lead Kentucky past Nicholls

The Big Blue Nation didn’t know Denzel Aberdeen was going to suit up for Kentucky’s Tuesday night season-opener until shortly before tipoff, but the senior guard knew his official debut as a Wildcat was coming the day prior.

Aberdeen was a surprise scratch ahead of Kentucky’s final exhibition game last Thursday against Georgetown, which the ‘Cats would go on to lose. His absence was felt throughout as offense was a struggle for UK against the Hoyas. The Florida transfer did not practice that Wednesday with what was labeled as a leg issue. After the win over Nicholls, he gave the scoop on what happened and that he’s back to feeling 100 percent healthy.

“I had strained my groin one practice and I just got treatment every day,” Aberdeen said, adding that he didn’t know he was playing in the season-opener until Monday’s practice. “Trying to get it back right, and I felt good yesterday.”

Getting him back on the floor against Nicholls proved to be vital, even if the opponent was overmatched. After initially coming off the bench, he filled in as the starting point guard out of the intermission, fueling Kentucky’s offensive surge in the second half. Aberdeen finished with 10 points (4-9 FG), a career-high six assists, five rebounds, and zero turnovers in his 23 minutes of action. Kentucky won 77-51 to start 1-0 on the season.

“It’s all about confidence,” Aberdeen said about sparking the offense. “I know everybody was jittery; it’s the first game in front of a crowd. But we just gotta keep shooting, it’s gonna fall eventually.”

That's a pro move by Denzel Aberdeen pic.twitter.com/0wXE4QghzP

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Five of Aberdeen’s assists came in the second half as Kentucky shook off a 32 percent shooting performance in the opening half by posting a 61 percent mark after the break. His willingness to push the pace on offense opened the floor up for the rest of his teammates. The shots eventually did fall for the ‘Cats because of it.

Especially with Jaland Lowe, Kentucky’s presumed starting point guard, still on the mend from a shoulder injury, Aberdeen’s ability to fill in and run the show was massive in racking up a 26-point win over Nicholls. He played a little bit of point guard last season at Florida en route to a national title, but not quite to the level he did against Purdue in the exhibition and Nicholls on Tuesday night. Taking pieces from Lowe’s game helped prepare him for the opportunity.

“That’s mostly why I’m ready for these types of games,” Aberdeen said, referring to his battles with Lowe in practice.

On both ends of the floor, Aberdeen set the tone in the season-opener, particularly in the second half. After three years of playing in the SEC before arriving in Lexington, he knows what it takes to pull out wins no matter the situation. That experience showed itself when Kentucky faced some early adversity against Nicholls.

“Denzel, he’s one of our leaders on the court,” Kentucky forward Mo Dioubate said. “You feel his presence on the court. He can score the ball, he can get downhill, facilitate, he had a team-high six assists today. He’s got a lot of tools with him that we can use. If we need to score, he can score. If we need an assist, he can do that for us, too.”

And that’s exactly what he did in his official game as a Kentucky Wildcat.