UK's Onyenso could be a go against North Carolina

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) -- Ugonna Onyenso is close to returning to the active roster and could make his season debut against No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta.

The return of the 7-foot Onyenso will give the 14th-ranked Wildcats (7-2) another post player in a rotation that already includes 7-foot-1 freshman center Aaron Bradshaw.

"He's been pretty good in practice," Kentucky assistant coach Bruiser Flint said Thursday. "Ugo played last year. I think it helps him a little bit more than Aaron just coming in the first year. So Ugo has a pretty good idea about what we're doing and what we're asking him to do. He's been good this week. We're looking forward to getting him out there."

Flint has been impressed with Onyenso's presence on the defensive end, which adds a new dimension to the team's defensive presence.

"I think he brings a different presence in terms of physicality and defense," he said. "That's the thing he does is defensive rebounding. We're looking forward to it just as much as you guys are. He's done well in practice. He's a kid that picks up things pretty quickly and he's got some experience."

The addition of Bradshaw and the future return of Onyenso has altered the team's approach on offense, especially behind the arc. The Wildcats averaged taking 27 3-pointers a game in the first seven games, but have attempted just 18 attempts since Bradshaw returned to the court.

"It is not easy (adjusting) because you're used to playing with certain guys," Flint said. "They do certain things, and all of a sudden, boom, you thrust a couple of guys in there.

"That's what practice is about. We've been very fortunate to have some breaks in between the games we played the last couple of weeks, so it makes it a little easier, but it's still gonna take some time. It's not going to be easy -- just putting them out there and thinking that the guys will be able to do it.

"How guys set screens, where guys are going to be in certain areas. Those are things, team chemistry, that you've been working on and you haven't had them, and now all of a sudden you put them in (and) it's gonna take a little bit of time. All of a sudden, we got these big guys we hadn't had before and it's gonna be a little different."

Bradshaw scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Kentucky's 81-66 win over Penn last Saturday.