Reed Sheppard's Sharpshooting Impresses CBB Fans as Kentucky Cruises Past Miami

Andy Lyons/

Have yourself a night, Reed Sheppard.

The freshman guard came off the bench and lit up the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes, finishing with 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three as No. 12 Kentucky cruised to a 95-73 victory in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday night.

He added five rebounds and four assists in a complete performance. Antonio Reeves contributed 18 points for the Wildcats, while Norchad Omier (20 points) paced the Hurricanes before fouling out.

It was a team win for Kentucky, which had 26 assists, compared to just eight for Miami. The Wildcats also had nine steals and forced 15 turnovers, frustrating the Hurricanes with an excellent defensive effort.

But Kentucky's season has quickly become the Sheppard Show, and Tuesday night was no exception. Social media was loving what it saw from the Wildcats' freshman:

Sheppard has run a touch hot or cold thus far this season, but he was a handful against Kansas (13 points, four steals) in a hard-fought 89-84 loss against what is one of the best teams in the country. And he lit up Stonehill in the Wildcat Challenge to the tune of 25 points and seven assists.

What makes Sheppard special is that he impacts the game in multiple ways. He's a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, he's a savvy distributor and a pesky defender who makes impact plays on that end of the floor.

"He is so smart and skillful," Miami head coach Jim Larranaga said the freshman on the this week (h/t Jon Rothstein ). "He's very tough on the opponent because he knows how his opponents play. His steals and rebounds always lead to good things for them."

That proved prophetic ahead of Tuesday's matchup. Miami is a very good team expected to make some noise in the ACC this season, but Sheppard was the best player on the court, and that was the difference.