KSR Today: Kentucky Reaches New Heights in Alabama Win

What. A. Win.

One sentence sums up the thorough ass-beating at Rupp Arena on Saturday: A Zvonimir Ivisic dunk put Kentucky over the century mark and gave the Cats a 36-point lead over the top team in the SEC standings… with 8:47 left in the game.

Less than 72 hours removed from a buzzer-beating loss at LSU, Kentucky bounced back with an unparalleled performance. While scanning through my personal “Kentucky Ass-Kicking Rolodex,” only one other game is comparable. Tubby Smith’s 2003 team molly-whopped No. 1 Florida, but that was only a 70-55 win.

Simply put, the Kentucky offense went nuclear.

In the 117-195 victory over No. 13 Alabama, it was the most points a Kentucky basketball team has ever scored against a ranked opponent. The Cats shot 63.1% from the field and 54.2% (13 of 24) from behind the three-point line. At one point in the first half, Kentucky went on a 20-2 run. What?!?!

You want to know how crazy this game was? Rob Dillingham did this and nobody is talking about it.

Rob Dillingham is not human. pic.twitter.com/1FF2J4KxiN

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) February 24, 2024

Justin Edwards Pitched a Perfect Game

That’s not a Rick Pitino hyperbole either. He was perfect. Justin Edwards showed us why he was once considered the top NBA Draft prospect in his class by making all 10 of his field goals, a new record in the Calipari era. He’s just the third player in Kentucky basketball history to take at least ten shots without a miss.

“I had to knock on wood because I was like, dang, I haven’t missed a shot yet,” Edwards said after the game, revealing he is superstitious. “But I knocked on wood so the basketball gods were on my side.” 

Big Z played Big for Kentucky

Zvonimir Iviisic has only played nine games for the Wildcats. Since he was freed for a dramatic entrance against Georgia, he had not played 20 minutes in a game. The Croatian Sensation struggled to find a rhythm against physical SEC foes. He did that and so much more Saturday night. In 20 minutes against Alabama, Big Z had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, and he knocked down a three-pointer.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be out there in front of – I don’t know – 20,000 people or something like that,” Ivisic told reporters postgame. “It’s amazing. It can’t be described, to be honest.”

Are You Serious?

This, this is just nuts. Enjoy the Sunday morning goosebumps from a spectacular sequence.

"What about this?" 🗣️ @goosegivens

🤩 @Jedwards3_ @reed_sheppard 😼 pic.twitter.com/LJcgFZLVcX

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 24, 2024

Postgame Reaction following the Kentucky Win

While you were celebrating, players, fans, and coaches were talking about the jaw-dropping victory over Alabama. A rundown of it all:

• John Calipari’s Postgame Press Conference
• Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards Discuss the Win
• Nate Oats talks about the loss to Kentucky
• Highlights from the Kentucky Victory
• The KSR Postgame Show with Matt Jones and Billy Rutledge

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Celebrity Sightings at Rupp Arena

Justin Edwards was incredible, but he did not steal the spotlight at Rupp Arena. The Firecrackers soaked it all in during their explosive halftime performance that you can watch in its entirety on the KSR YouTube Channel. New Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan received an ovation from the fans, Cincinnati Bengals star running back Joe Mixon was in the house, and Josh Paschal was the Y. Tre Mitchell was an outstanding hype man on the sideline. The tone was set when BBN arrived early and delivered a rousing performance of the national anthem.

“The building was unbelievable today,” John Calipari said Saturday night. “The fans were like – it was crazy. That’s what makes this what it is.”

The Star-Spangled Banner performed by … #BBN

Thank you, as always, @EMcCorvey and @UKFineArts @universityofky School of Music | #WeAreUK pic.twitter.com/s1qbO1LBSG

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) February 24, 2024

Senior Day for Kentucky WBB

Kyra Elzy’s Cats picked up their first road win of the year earlier this week at Mississippi State. They’ll need the good Mojo, and then some, to continue their winning ways. Senior Day at Rupp Arena is against top-ranked South Carolina. That’s not an ideal Senior Day opponent. Tip-off is at 3 pm EST on the SEC Network.

Kentucky Baseball and Softball in Action

After falling to Washington State to open the weekend, Nick Mingione’s squad bounced back with an 11-4 win over Texas State in the Round Rock Classic. They’ll cap off the weekend against the Kansas Jayhawks at 1 pm EST.

The Kentucky softball team has been perfect through two days in Spartanburg. They’ll try for a fifth win on the weekend today at 12:30 pm EST against USC Upstate.