Kentucky wins first game in Bahamas behind big night from Nick Richards, Reid Travis

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Kentucky is one of the favorites — if not the favorite — to cut down the nets in Minneapolis next April.

As it happens, Stanford grad transfer Reid Travis is from Minneapolis and hopes to lead his new team to the 2019 Final Four.

Travis went for 14 rebounds and 4 points and sophomore big man Nick Richards had 19 points as the Wildcats beat the Bahamas, 85-61, in the first of a four-game Bahamian tour. Kentucky associate head coach Kenny Payne coached the team while John Calipari watched and observed amid a throng of blue-clad Kentucky fans.

Freshman Tyler Herro added 16 points, fellow freshman Keldon Johnson 11 and sophomore P.J. Washington Jr. 10.

“We’re trying to bring them together,” Calipari said on ESPN before the game. “We got another new team because we lost five guys to the NBA, so we’re now looking at having a couple veterans for the first time in a while. And bringing them together to play for each other, not for the fans, not for the TV, is the first challenge of this.”

Kentucky features a balanced team including a strong sophomore class — Richards, Washington and  Quade Green — along with yet another top recruiting class featuring Johnson, Herro, E.J. Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley and Ashton Hagans. 

Nick Richards with the swat into the Bahamas team bench. pic.twitter.com/ZU3GeecL9r

— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) August 9, 2018

At times, Kentucky went small with three guards plus Washington and Travis down low. They looked effective in transition and in the halfcourt, but they did not shoot well from deep, going 2-for-20.

Tyler Herro has 12 points at halftime #BigBlueBahamas #All40 pic.twitter.com/wj2XPNGKjO

— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 9, 2018

Kentucky’s win came on the same day they got a commitment from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic senior wing Kahlil Whitney, who committed following his official visit last weekend. Kentucky now has three commits in the Class of 2019.

Kentucky will play San Lorenzo de Almagra on Thursday before facing Mega Bemax and Team Toronto on Saturday and Sunday. This marks their first preseason foreign trip since going 5-1 in the islands before winning their first 38 games and reaching the Final Four.

Photo: Kentucky MBB

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook