Kentucky men’s basketball improved to 2-0 on Friday night, fending off a tough James Madison squad behind strong, team-leading performances from Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins.

Diallo and Wilkins combined for 32 points in Kentucky’s 89-80 victory, with both players finishing with a team-high 16 points apiece. Together, the two shot a combined 11-19 from the field, 3-5 from beyond the 3-point arc and 7-7 from the charity stripe. Overall, UK shot 32-63 (50.8%) from the field and 10-28 (35.7%) from downtown.

Individually, Diallo’s name showed up on other parts of the stat sheet as well; to go along with his 16 points, the first-year Wildcat totaled three rebounds, two assists and one steal through 22 minutes on the court. Off the court, Diallo brought a lot to the table as well; he was the first one off the bench to fire up his teammates following a timeout, which is a role that he knows he has to play and one that was certainly needed when the team was tested more than they probably assumed they would be.

“Man, we’re going to need everybody on the bench, from one to the last roster spot; we’re going to need everybody,” Diallo said. “So, my job is trying to boost confidence into my teammates.”

Moving to Wilkins, his 16 points were accompanied by one rebound, one assist and one steal next to his name on the boxscore. The first-year Wildcat brought a couple of triples in crucial moments while even shaking and dropping a defender, bringing Rupp Arena to its feet, shifting the momentum that was sucked out of the arena a few times.

Diallo, Wilkins and the rest of the Kentucky squad look to continue rolling on Tuesday, Nov. 10 against No. 17 Kansas in Chicago when they battle in the State Farm Champions Classic. Tipoff for that game is set for 9:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN.

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