ESPN names Reed Sheppard Freshman of the Year, Rob Dillingham Runner-Up

College basketball award season is right around the corner. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello got a head start on his colleagues this morning, handing out his picks for the top players in the sport. Three Kentucky Wildcats made the list, two who come off the bench.

Kentucky swept the “Freshman of the Year” category, with Reed Sheppard narrowly beating out his backcourt BFF Rob Dillingham for the top spot. Borzello said Sheppard’s performance in Starkville last week was the deciding factor.

“In a battle of Kentucky reserves, Sheppard might have just edged out Rob Dillingham with his 32-point, 7-assist outing last week in the win at Mississippi State, a performance that included the game-winning floater in the final seconds. Sheppard has started only five games for the Wildcats, but he has been incredibly efficient. He leads the nation in 3-point shooting at an otherworldly 51.7% and was averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.6 steals entering the week.”

Against Vanderbilt, Sheppard bumped his assists average up to 4.5 per game with a career-high 11 dimes to go along with 8 points and 1 steal. That said, it was Dillingham’s night to shine. He led the Cats with 23 points, his seventh 20+ point game of the season. As Borzello writes, when Dillingham is scoring like that, he’s the most electric player in the sport.

“There might not be a more fun player in men’s college basketball than Dillingham, who has started only one game in Lexington this season but is averaging 14.8 points and 3.8 assists, and shooting 43.4% from 3. He had 35 against Tennessee in early February.”

After a very fun regular season, I can’t wait to see what Reed and Rob do in March.

Antonio Reeves named Third Team All-American

A few weeks ago, Kentucky launched Antonio Reeves’ All-American campaign with a video featuring Kenny Walker making the case Reeves is the most underappreciated player in program history. In his final game at Rupp Arena, Reeves had 20 points, becoming the first Wildcat to hit that mark in six straight games since Jamal Murray in 2016. Speaking of Murray, he and Reeves are tied for the top scorer in the John Calipari era at 20.0 points per game.

Reeves has scored in double figures in every game but one this season. Borzello tabbed him Third Team All-American, writing that even though Reed and Rob steal the headlines, “Reeves might be playing his best basketball right now.” Last night, John Calipari seized the opportunity to praise Reeves and the improvement he’s made since last season.

“Great layup shooter. Mid-range game, as good as anybody in the country. And he’s shooting 50% from the three. What’s he do from the foul line? I think he’s missed one in the last 10 games; every other one he’s made.

“For us, he’s also rebounding, he’s defending better. Look, he gained weight so now he’s a different player. He also has lived in the gym, so when he misses he is stunned. Stunned. Because he’s shooting 5,000 shots every two weeks or more, 8,000, whatever it is. The guy is putting up shots. Sometimes you’ve just got to show up every day. Show up every day, even if you’re not the best, at your best, you show up and he does.”

Reeves is one of four players on Borzello’s three All-American teams. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht was named First Team All-American, while Alabama’s Mark Sears and Auburn big man Johni Broome made the Second Team.