KSR Today: A win is a win for Kentucky in Starkville

Look, beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to quality wins for Kentucky basketball at this point. Sure, you’d prefer the Wildcats turn that 13-point second-half lead into a blowout win, a statement victory against a Mississippi State team that had won five straight. Did things get uncomfortable there in the final seconds? Sure. Is there a reason Oscar Tshiebwe became UK’s go-to free-throw shooter in crunch time or its catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist at the end of the shot clock, Antonio Reeves being the passer? Interesting decisions, for sure. How about fouling up four with five seconds to go? Head-scratcher.

At the end of the day, though, Kentucky did just enough to hold on in Starkville, defeating the Bulldogs by a final score of 71-68. It’s an outcome that pushed the Wildcats’ record to 17-9 on the year and 8-5 in the SEC, adding a second Quad 1 victory to the resume and keeping NCAA Tournament dreams alive.

Starters push Kentucky across the finish line

Down Sahvir Wheeler (ankle) and CJ Fredrick (rib), the Wildcats were left playing Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe big minutes as starters. All contributed in significant, yet different ways.

Tshiebwe led the team with 18 points (7-13 FG, 4-6 FT), 11 rebounds (seven offensive), two assists, one steal and four turnovers in 32 minutes. Just 1-3 at the line to start the second half, the star center closed things out with three straight makes in the final four seconds to seal the victory. From there, Toppin added 16 points (7-9 FG, 1-1 3PT), three rebounds, two assists and two steals, followed by Reeves with 14 (11 in the first half) and Livingston with 13 (all in the second half).

And though Wallace shot just 1-13 overall and 0-8 from three, he did add 11 assists with just one turnover to go with four rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes, finishing with a team-high +8 in the +/-. Where he fell short as a scorer and shooter, he made up for it as a playmaker.

As a team, the Wildcats shot 45.5% from the field (25-55), 30.0% from three (6-20) and 75.0% at the line (15-20). On the other end, they allowed the Bulldogs to shoot 50.0% overall (24-48), 30% from deep (6-20) and 73.7% at the stripe (14-19). Pretty close shooting numbers. The difference? Kentucky dominated on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 38-22, including 18-7 on offensive boards — an area Mississippi State has dominated, coming in ranked No. 5 in the country (11.8 OREB per game).

Was it pretty? Certainly not, but it didn’t have to be. Kentucky had one job and one job only: leave Starkville with a win. And that’s what the Wildcats did.

Highlights

How did UK take care of business inside of Humphrey Coliseum? Let the game highlights paint a picture for you, with Tom Leach being the vocal artist.

It’s hard not to be impressed with Kentucky’s willingness to make the extra pass and the team’s ability to hit open shots, especially considering how much the Wildcats struggled in those areas earlier in the year. That kick-out to Toppin at the right corner, then the extra pass to Reeves on the wing for the open look at the shot-clock buzzer? Beautiful.

John Calipari breaks down the win

What were Coach Cal’s thoughts after the game? Overall, he was pleased with his team’s “refuse to lose” mindset, one he’s been stressing privately over the past week. It’s a nod to his time at UMass, a phrase he trademarked back in the day.

With a string of Quad 1 games to close out the regular season and this team in desperate need of adding quality wins, it’s the right mindset to have.

Take a look at Calipari’s seven-plus-minute presser below:

Toppin, Livingston discuss what went right in Starkville

How about two of the stars of the show, Toppin and Livingston? The forward duo sat down with the media after the win to discuss the team’s “refuse to lose” mantra and how they were able to do just that in a must-win game down in Starkville.

KSR’s Rapid Reaction

What did the KSR crew think of the win? Drew Franklin, Zack Geoghegan and I sat down to rapidly react shortly after the final buzzer. What was the crowd like inside Humphrey Coliseum? How did the victory improve Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament chances? What’s ahead for the Wildcats?

Check out the breakdown below:

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Postseason resume is building

Entering the matchup with just one Quad 1 win, the Wildcats left with two, and almost three. The Bulldogs were a Quad 1 opportunity in Starkville, sitting at No. 40 in the NET entering the matchup and No. 44 to close it out — top-75 road wins are considered Quad 1. Elsewhere, Texas A&M (No. 35 in the NET) took down Arkansas (No. 20), making Kentucky’s win over the Aggies at home on Jan. 21 another potential Quad 1 (top-30 home wins are Quad 1).

A&M woke up ranked No. 31 in the NET, keeping that one a Quad 2 for the time being. Fans should be rooting for the Aggies to close out the regular season.

And the Wildcats added another Quad 1 opportunity in Auburn thanks to the Tigers’ win over Missouri, giving the team four more Quad 1 games in the final five. Take care of business in those matchups, and the resume actually becomes quite solid.

Date	Opponent	NET Ranking	Quad
02/18/2023	Tennessee	3	Quad 1
02/22/2023	@ Florida	51	Quad 1
02/25/2023	Auburn	26	Quad 1
03/04/2023	@ Arkansas	21	Quad 1
03/01/2023	Vanderbilt	89	Quad 3

As for the SEC standings, the Wildcats are now tied with Auburn for fourth in the conference.

The two teams play on Feb. 25, but if the tournament started today, Kentucky would own the tiebreaker thanks to its win over Texas A&M. That would ensure a double-bye in Nashville, a huge boost for UK, especially after taking back-to-back losses in league play just last week.

TEAM	CONFERENCE	GAMES BACK	OVERALL
Alabama	12-1	–	22-4
Texas A&M	11-2	1	19-7
Tennessee	9-4	3	20-6
Auburn	8-5	4	18-8
Kentucky	8-5	4	17-9
Missouri	7-6	5	19-7
Vanderbilt	7-6	5	14-12
Florida	7-6	5	14-12
Arkansas	6-7	6	17-9
Georgia	6-7	6	16-10
Mississippi State	5-8	7	17-9
Ole Miss	2-11	10	10-16
South Carolina	2-11	10	9-17
LSU	1-12	11	12-14

“Refuse to lose.”

Kentucky WBB vs. Georgia rematch

Kyra Elzy and her Kentucky women’s basketball squad lost a heartbreaker in Athens back on Jan. 5, falling to Georgia by a final score of 64-60. It was a matchup in which the Wildcats led by as many as 10 in the third quarter, unable to hold off a late push from the Bulldogs.

Now, a rematch opportunity is on the table for UK, hosting UGA inside Memorial Coliseum tonight at 7 p.m. ET. The game will mark the program’s second-to-last home matchup of the season, broadcast live on SEC Network+ with Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the call.

Kentucky sits at 10-14 overall on the year and 2-10 in SEC play, with the Wildcats led by graduate guard Robyn Benton, who is averaging 17.1 points per contest and 18.2 in the conference. Junior Maddie Scherr (13.6) and sophomore Jada Walker (13.3) are also averaging double digits in the SEC.

The Bulldogs are 17-9 overall and 6-6 in the SEC, entering the matchup with back-to-back wins at Vanderbilt and vs. Florida.

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