Kentucky proved it learned from loss at South Carolina with gritty win at Arkansas

A defensive rock fight, just like everyone expected. Who needs points when you’ve got stoppers clamping you down to the tune of 33.3% shooting and 21.1% from three? Forcing 13 turnovers with eight steals and six blocks? Never a doubt. This team’s just got an identity: death by a thousand cuts, chipping away at your spirit until you break in a pit of misery.

Right.

Yeah, that was a first. Well, technically a second for the offense. 62 points at South Carolina, then 63 at Arkansas for the No. 1 scoring team in college basketball. Kentucky had four points with 9:32 to go in the first half and closed with just 24 at the break. The Cats started the game shooting 1-16 from the field overall, went into intermission going 9-26 on layups. It wasn’t just a tight lid, the whole thing was covered.

The turning point that won the game

Then came a breaking point in the second half eerily similar to the one this team faced in Columbia earlier in the week. Against the Gamecocks, the Cats cut the deficit to two with 15 minutes to go, then gave up an immediate bucket on the other end to start a 17-4 run for USC to go up 15 just six minutes later. That was pushed to as many as 20 and closed at 17 in the blowout loss. This time around, Kentucky tied it with 17:29 to go and gave up a quick 9-3 run to fall back behind six. The Razorbacks blocked a shot on the other end and went into the media timeout with the momentum back and the Bud Walton Arena crowd starting to heat up.

That turning point led to UK’s first lead of the day at 12:54 and the Cats responding with haymaker after haymaker when the Hogs looked to fight back. The two sides traded baskets waiting to see the other flinch, only to have Kentucky go up six with 2:16 to go and as many as 10 with 39 ticks remaining before closing out the 63-57 win.

Coach Cal finds his five

The offense was broken early, but the Cats slowly picked up and put together the pieces in the form of 59 points on 46.8% shooting and 61.5% from three while scoring 1.15 points per possession after that first quarter mark of the game. Not the pace we’re used to — 1.15 PPP on track for 77 points — but the efficiency was where it needed to be. And Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard and Tre Mitchell are to thank for that, combining for 44 of those 59 points in the final 30 minutes of the win and 34 of 39 in the second half.

It was big shot after big shot, that trio combining for 7-11 from three after intermission, all playing at least 15 minutes and as many as 20 (Reeves). Coach Cal rolled with Sheppard at point guard, Reeves and DJ Wagner off ball, Mitchell at the four and Ugonna Onyenso at the five essentially the rest of the way, just three total substitutions the final 11:15 of the game. That was the group, those were the guys who chipped away on both ends and came up with the knockout blow down the stretch. No hand-holding, no politics, no excuses, just the five players who gave you the best shot to win. As it should be.

Kentucky did its job

Look, Arkansas stinks and the talent gap is worlds apart. This could’ve and probably should’ve been a blowout win — the Hogs had been losing SEC games by an average of 20.6 points per game for a reason. Hell, a dude left the team like seven minutes before the opening tip and they were without their leading rebounder due to injury. El Ellis, Louisville’s best player from its 4-28 season, played 32 minutes and nearly had more turnovers (five) than points (seven). The Razorbacks aren’t sniffing the NCAA Tournament at 10-10 and actively drowning.

But none of that matters. Kentucky had one job entering the game: win. Doesn’t matter how pretty it was, didn’t have to come away looking like world-beaters. The Cats simply had to leave Bud Walton Arena with more points than their opponent, and that’s exactly what happened. That’s a success, inarguably a step back in the right direction.

Defensive growth

And we learned some things about this group, too. Some tangible defensive growth was there, holding Arkansas to just 57 points, Kentucky’s second-best effort of the season behind only New Mexico State (46) in the opener. It’s easy to focus on the offensive numbers, but the Cats came up with some stops. And it wasn’t just the Hogs launching bricks. They were contesting shots and disallowing straight-line drives, making life tough for a team that struggled with scoring and efficiency in the first place. That hasn’t always been the case with this group. Shoot, they jumped from No. 98 to 70 in defensive efficiency with this performance alone.

Baby steps in key areas

How about Ugo? He was terrific, too, separating himself among the 7-footers with six-point, four-rebound, three-block effort in 25 minutes. Onyenso also won the plus/minus crown, finishing with a team-high +14 in the six-point win. Coach Cal pulled him to the side when he subbed out for the final time and said, “I’m so proud of you,” grinning ear to ear with a big bear hug.

Look at the pure joy on John Calipari’s face when he calls Ugo back. Tells him “I’m so proud of you.” 🥹 #BBN pic.twitter.com/toBoV4clze

— Buddy 🏀😼 (@BigBlueBud) January 28, 2024

“I’ll say this, what did Ugo do for us today? Ugo was the difference in the game,” Calipari said, adding he may start Onyenso over Aaron Bradshaw moving forward.

Steps forward. Baby steps, maybe, but they’re steps.

Reeves went nuclear once again, continuing to make himself at home in Fayetteville. What is it about Nolan Richardson Court that makes him so angry? 61 points in two games is personal. And Sheppard was a freak in the second half, too, going for 14 on 5-7 shooting and 2-2 from three with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. He turned into his dad there for a minute, giving the Cats their first lead of the game on a scoop-and-slam.

https://t.co/DkvhuWb9fo pic.twitter.com/JQAFj3WPtk

— KSR (@KSRonX) January 28, 2024

Thiero made his return after a seven-game absence, but you lost Rob Dillingham due to illness while Justin Edwards was limited with a knee injury suffered Friday in practice. Factor in some nonsense with cylinder rules (which apparently no longer exist and are now flagrant fouls on the offense) and plays blown dead — officiating was hot garbage, in case you didn’t pick up on that — and it’s not hard to see how things could get a little wonky.

To Kentucky’s credit, though, it never let go of the rope and clawed back. Calipari said the Cats either win or learn, but those teaching moments don’t mean anything if you can’t showcase growth after the fact. They folded in Columbia, but responded in Fayetteville.

Never apologize for SEC road wins.