BOX SCORE: Kentucky's scoring balance edges out Missouri

by:Adam Luckett•about 22 hours•

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Mar 8, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) gets the rebound in the first half against Kentucky at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Rohman-Imagn Images

Mizzou Arena had been one of the toughest places to play for a road team in college basketball this season. Only Texas A&M had beaten Missouri in that building. The Aggies got it done by building a big early lead, but still needed some heroics in crunch time.

Kentucky followed a similar blueprint. However, Mark Pope‘s team did not need heroics in crunch time.

With both teams getting off to sluggish shooting starts, Kentucky seized control of the game with a 11-0 run in the first half to take a 15-11 lead with 8:43 left in the first half. The Cats would hold the lead for the rest of the game pushing the lead out to 16 points (62-46) with 11:41 left in the second half.

Kentucky got there thanks to balanced scoring with four starters finishing the game in double-figures. Missouri had only one starter finish the game in double-figures.

UK scored 91 points in 70 possessions (1.30 points per possession) on 16-of-36 (44.4%) shooting from two, 11-of-20 (55%) shooting from three, and 26-of-33 (78.8%) shooting from the free throw line. Ball security was a concern entering the matchup but only 10 turnovers (14.3% turnover rate) was a massive win for the road team against Mizzou’s pressure defense. Otega Oweh led the way with 22 points on 17 field goal attempts but Andrew Carr might have been the story of the game.

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.@apc_andrew has played sooooo good 😸

📺 – ESPN pic.twitter.com/OEH7mjqlnE
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 8, 2025

The Wake Forest transfer scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded three assists in 34 minutes. Carr was a key figure in numerous hustle plays in the win. Koby Brea scored 17 points on nine field goal attempts with a trio of makes from three-point range. Amari Williams scored 14 points on only two made field goals with a big game at the free throw line (10-of-12). Kentucky’s shotmaking was a big story in the first half with Collin Chandler, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah all hitting threes off the bench but paint points and free throw shooting got the road team across the finish line in the second half.

Missouri scored 83 points in 70 possessions (1.19 points per possession) on 18-of-38 (47.4%) shooting from two, 11-of-28 (39.3%) shooting from three, and 14-of-21 (66.7%) shooting at the free throw line. The Tigers also only had 10 turnovers. However, one of the top free throw rate teams in college basketball did not gobble up a ton of free points at the charity stripe. Missouri scored only 0.91 points per possession in the first half thanks to a slow shooting start. Dennis Gates saw his team find the rhythm in the second half.

Duke transfer Mark Mitchell led the Tigers with 22 points on 14 field goal attempts. Northern Kentucky transfer — and Lexington (Ky.) Henry Clay product — Marques Warrick chipped in 17 points on eight shot attempts off the bench but finding consistent scoring outside those two was an issue. Go-to wings Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill combined to score 16 total points on 14 field goal attempts. Kentucky took Mizzou’s top three-point shooters out of the game.

The shootout we were all expecting occurred in the second half, but Kentucky won this game thanks to a strong first half and a very balanced scoring effort among the starting lineup.