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Tyrese Maxey Makes Kentucky Basketball History in Debut

New York – Kentucky freshman guard Tyrese Maxey lived up to they hype that surrounded the former five-star guard from Garland, Texas.

While it’s only one game, Maxey is now on the national radar after his performance in No. 2 Kentucky’s 69-62 win vs. No. 1 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard turned in a debut to remember, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. Additionally, he converted on 9-of-10 free throw attempts and finished tied for second on the team with five rebounds.

 

Maxey was better than advertised vs. the Spartans in the worlds most famous arena. In fact, the performance is the best debut for a Kentucky freshman in program history.

The 26 point night is the most points scored by a Kentucky freshman in their UK debut, passing Terrence Jones, who scored 25 points vs. East Tennessee State in 2010.

Not only was it the best performance in a debut by a Kentucky freshman but Maxey’s big night at The Garden will go down in UK history. Maxey is the first Kentucky freshman to score at least 20 points against an opponent ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and the most points ever scored by a Kentucky player in a win vs. the top team in the AP Poll.

Not bad for a debut in Madison Square Garden vs. the top ranked team in the country. We’ll see what Maxey has for an encore when Kentucky returns to action vs. Eastern Kentucky Friday night at Rupp Arena.

 

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