FINAL: Kentucky fends off pesky Missouri Tigers in SEC-opener, 83-56

The Missouri Tigers (6-6) hung around as much as they could, but the overall talent from No. 20 Kentucky (9-2) was too much to overcome. The Wildcats opened SEC play on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena with a smooth 83-56 win.

Oscar Tshiebwe posted his fourth 20-rebound outing of the season, finishing with 13 points and 20 boards in 30 minutes. As a team, Kentucky shot 43.1 percent from the floor, 5-17 from distance, and 22-26 from the free-throw line. UK dominated the glass in the second half and outran Mizzou in transition all night long.

Cats by 27 😼 pic.twitter.com/wiTYgBXn1D

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 30, 2021

Kentucky took quick control early on, busting out an 11-2 lead before three minutes of game clock could elapse. The ‘Cats wasted no time establishing a double-digit lead, but Missouri would break out one of its many runs that kept the Tigers alive.

A 12-0 run from Mizzou over a two-minute stretch turned a 17-6 UK lead into an 18-17 hole. From there, both sides would hit an offensive wall. Kentucky held a minor 21-20 lead with roughly seven minutes left in the first half before stepping on the gas again.

Davion Mintz drilled a three-pointer that sparked a Wildcat run, creating a 30-20 UK advantage just a few minutes later. It would get even worse for the Tigers to close out the half. Kentucky ballooned its lead to as many as 20 before the intermission, eventually settling on a 44-27 lead at the break.

Kentucky dominated 80 percent of the first half action, but that missing 20 percent allowed Mizzou to hang around just enough. Even with a 17-point halftime lead, UK wasn’t completely safe.

Not even three minutes passed in the second half before Missouri was able to trim its deficit to single digits again. The ‘Cats would hit back, extending the lead back to 15 points a few possession later, but the foot was never firmly on the neck.

Mizzou continued to hang in the game, getting within nine points of UK around the 12-minute mark. But that was as close as the Tigers would get the rest of the way. Kentucky pushed its lead back to double-digits and cruised to an easy 27-point victory.

Kentucky was powered by 17 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks from Keion Brooks Jr. Oscar Tshiebwe finished his 13-point, 20-rebound performance on 2-10 shooting but with a 9-10 clip from the free-throw line. TyTy Washington added 14 points and six rebounds while Sahvir Wheeler went for 11 points and nine assists.