3 observations: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky basketball dominate Game 2 of Bahamas tour

Kentucky basketball rode an obvious size advantage to another easy victory Thursday night during its exhibition tour of the Bahamas.

Outscoring Mexico’s Tec De Monterrey 60-12 in the paint, the Wildcats emerged victorious 102-40 in Game 2 at the Baha Mar Resort in Nassau. Tec had one player taller than 6 feet, 5 inches on its roster compared to UK's seven.

Reigning Naismith Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in 23 minutes. Tec De Monterrey, meanwhile, totaled just 19 rebounds as a team and had zero second-chance points to Kentucky's 35.

Seven Wildcats scored in double figures, and four players had double-doubles. Senior point guard Sahvir Wheeler and freshman forward Chris Livingston tied with a game-high 14 points apiece.

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"I think the opponent, obviously, is us. It's us vs. us," said Kentucky assistant Chin Coleman, who was the acting head coach for Thursday's exhibition. "... Whether it's a 50-point win, a 20-point win, a 10-point win (or) a 20-point loss, there's always something that you can get from that to get better."

Here are three takeaways from the victory:

Kentucky asserts itself in the post early

After UK forced 11 first-half turnovers against the Dominican Republic National Select Team en route to a 52-point victory Wednesday night, Tec De Monterrey began the exhibition looking to limit the Wildcats’ transition opportunities.

It worked to an extent. Kentucky had just eight first-half takeaways but found another aspect of the game to dominate.

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Tshiebwe and Game 1 standout Daimion Collins led the charge in the post, combining to score 16 of Kentucky’s 36 first-half paint points while totaling 11 rebounds. When the final horn sounded, UK had 65 rebounds to Tec's 22.

The Wildcats’ block party also continued after they tallied 10 as a team against the Dominicans. Jacob Toppin had four on Thursday; Collins added two, and Livingston and fellow freshman Adou Thiero both chipped in one apiece.

Thiero’s block was especially encouraging considering it came off a defensive breakdown during the first half. When Tshiebwe moved out to the perimeter to defend Tec's Sebastian Mejia, it opened a driving lane that teammate Ivan Garcia planned to exploit. Garcia broke past Toppin for a moment and had what appeared to be an easy layup before Toppin and Thiero collapsed toward the basket.

Garcia got Toppin on a pump fake, but the 6-6 Thiero swatted his shot away.

Coleman said Thiero’s performance through two games of the trip has confirmed that the freshman is "a lot better than I thought he was, especially athletically and physically."

"He's a young kid — like deer in headlights, you know. He don't know what he's doing," Coleman said after Thursday's game. "He's just trying so hard; he's just playing with a ton of energy, a ton of passion. He's gonna make mistakes, but when you make mistakes, as long as your effort and energy is right, then you can make plays. He's making plays, and I'm happy for him."

Jacob Toppin’s versatility on display

Toppin had a productive Game 1 to begin the exhibition tour but improved upon that performance Thursday night.

The 6-9 junior forward was the only Kentucky player to make more than one 3-pointer and finished the game with a double-double: 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. He also threw down an alley-oop dunk off a pass from freshman Cason Wallace during a fast break that developed so quickly the Wildcats had the towel crew scampering off the court as they attacked the basket.

Jacob Toppin:Why Oscar Tshiebwe thinks the junior forward has been UK basketball's best player this summer

Toppin received high praise from one teammate in particular heading into the Bahamas trip. Tshiebwe said the Rhode Island transfer was "unstoppable in the gym" during the team's summer workouts.

"You guys are going to be impressed to see him play basketball this year," Tshiebwe said of Toppin in mid-July. "He’s right now like our best player."

Toppin improved his shooting percentage by 10 points from his first to his second season at Kentucky, during which he averaged 6.2 points per game coming off the bench. If the Wildcats’ high-flying dunker from Brooklyn is able to further establish himself as a mid-range threat and a consistent scorer from beyond the arc, UK will have yet another matchup nightmare to throw at opposing teams.

"He has to extend his game; he has to get better at that part of the game," Coleman said of Toppin's shooting ability before the trip. "But he just can’t love it. He can like it. He just can’t love it. There’s a fine line that we’re trying to get him, in a happy medium of where he likes the 3 but just doesn’t fall in love with it.

"There’s a saying I have that the guys know I sometimes use it in scouts: 'Love the rim, like the 3.' That’s a huge disciple. That needs to be his next tattoo: 'Love the rim, like the 3.'"

Sahvir Wheeler returns to form after Game 1 injury

If there were any lingering concerns over Wheeler checking out of Wednesday’s game momentarily with an injury and totaling just six points on 2-for-6 shooting in 21 minutes, the 5-9 senior point guard put them to rest in Game 2.

Wheeler, the Southeastern Conference’s assist leader last season, was the Wildcats’ primary playmaker Thursday. The Houston native posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in 26 minutes and looked more than comfortable running the floor.

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One sequence in particular stood out late in the second half. Wheeler was out in front on a fast break and appeared to be going full steam ahead for a layup. Instead, he wrapped a pass around his defender in stride to a wide open Livingston, who proceeded to bury a corner 3.

Kentucky's exhibition tour continues at 6 p.m. Thursday, when the Wildcats take on Canada’s Carleton University. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball wins by 62 points in Game 2 of Bahamas tour