KSR Today: Kentucky Closes the Regular Season at Rupp with a Blowout

by:Nick Roush•about 19 hours•

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Kentucky guard Collin Chandler plays defense - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Wins have not come easy for almost anyone in SEC play this season. Kentucky made an exception to that norm on Tuesday night.

The Cats closed out regular season play at Rupp Arena by completely dominating LSU. It took less than five minutes to build up a double-digit lead. That pushed to 27 by halftime and Kentucky led by as many as 38 before closing out the Tigers with a 95-64 victory.

Kentucky turned 16 LSU turnovers into 18 points. They shared the ball, assisting on 22 of 36 made field goals. Kentucky shot better than 50% from the floor and knocked down 12-32 three-pointers.

Otega Oweh starred, scoring a game-high 24 points, but one senior in particular made the most of his final game at Rupp Arena. Ansley Almonor sank three three-pointers to score a season-high 15 points in the victory.

Mark Pope wrapped up his first season as the Wildcats’ head coach with a 15-3 record at Rupp Arena. Kentucky is one game above .500 ahead of the final game of the regular season at No. 15 Missouri, who takes on Oklahoma tonight at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Kentucky Senior Night Festivities at Rupp Arena

Six seniors were honored before their final game at Rupp. Even though Big Blue Nation did not witness their entire careers, many took a long and winding path through college basketball to get to this point. Not only did they get the usual pregame salute from the fans, the Cats stuck around after the game and stepped up to the mic to show their gratitude to the best fanbase in college basketball.

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An Emotional Moment for the Cats

Typically, the teary-eyed moments come from the seniors as My Old Kentucky Home plays at Rupp Arena. The Cats had another emotional moment in the locker room before the game that we didn’t get to see.

Lamont Butler addressed the team, not to simply highlight the vets’ accomplishments but also to salute a hard worker who goes unnoticed. Zach Tow survived walk-on tryouts to be a practice player for the Cats. He never received a jersey, but his teammates felt he deserved it. Butler gave Tow that coveted jersey before the game.

“The guys lost their mind. Zach was in stunned wonderment,” Pope said in his postgame press conference. “If you spend one day in this jersey, BBN embraces you for life, and that’s really cool. It’s like nowhere else. This basketball community of BBN is like nothing else.”

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Down Goes No. 1 Auburn

Many people are asking if Kentucky roughed up Auburn a little too much at Rupp. Playing without point guard Denver Jones, Auburn got blitzed at College Station. The emotional hangover was real as they trailed by double digits for most of the second half. Johni Brome only had eight points and seven boards, while A&M had four players in double figures in an 83-72 victory, the program’s first-ever win over No. 1.

That wasn’t the nuttiest game of the night. March delivered the goods in Ames. It’s difficult to articulate the manic back-and-forth nature of the ending to BYU-Iowa State. Every time you thought a team was on the verge of pulling away, the other would respond with a big shot. The first overtime was thrilling. The teams ran out of gas in the second, giving BYU just enough room to escape with an 88-85 win.

Another Blowout Win for Kentucky Baseball

The Kentucky baseball team won its ninth-straight game with its fourth run-rule and third shutout. Eight different Wildcats knocked in a run during the 16-0 win, highlighted by a double and a triple from Dylan Koontz. Shaun Montoya hit a grand slam, and Cole Hage slammed a solo shot in the following at bat to put the Colonels to bed.

The Bat Cats will get another swing against EKU at Kentucky Proud Park this afternoon. The first pitch is at 4 p.m. EST and can be streamed on SECN+.

Celebrate Wingsday at KSBar

Tonight’s a great night to enjoy $1 wings or .60 boneless at KSBar and Grille. If you’re observing Ash Wednesday, we got you covered too with a Fried KATfish sandwich or Grilled Salmon to accompany a full slate of college basketball games.

#13 Maryland at #17 Michigan, BTN, 6:30
DePaul at Providence, FS1, 6:30
#5 Florida at #7 Alabama, ESPN2, 7:00
#11 Clemson at Boston College, ESPNU, 7:00
Pitt at NC State, ESPNews, 7:00
#12 Wisconsin at Minnesota, BTN, 8:30
#20 Marquette at UConn, FS1, 8:30
#4 Tennessee at Ole Miss, ESPN2, 9:00
Cal at #14 Louisville, ACCN, 9:00
Washington at USC, BTN, 10:30