KSR Today: Kentucky Stays Hot in Win over Texas A&M

Kentucky continued its winning ways Saturday at Rupp Arena. After encouraging his team to win every day, Calipari’s squad has now piled up three straight wins following a 76-67 victory over Texas A&M at Rupp Arena.

Previously unbeaten in SEC play, the Aggies spent most the game on their heels, but Kentucky just could not shake them. Every time you thought the Cats were going to go on a big run to pull away in the first half, A&M found a way to hang around. That persistence from an opponent rattled Kentucky early in the season. Saturday afternoon they remained undeterred until the final fatal blow struck in familiar fashion.

A&M had just cut the Kentucky lead to two with a little over six minutes to play. Jacob Toppin stopped the bleeding with a trip to the free throw line. After sinking the first, he missed the second. Cason Wallace corralled the offensive rebound and found CJ Fredrick open for three. A two-point lead turned to six in one possession.

The same play — a made three-pointer off a missed free throw — happened Tuesday night against Georgia with five minutes remaining. It produced the same results, injecting life into Rupp Arena and propelling the Cats past their opponent down the stretch.

Kentucky’s win over Tennessee could have been a one-hit wonder, or served as the turning point in the season. After three straight wins, the upset does not feel like an aberration. This team is different in all the right ways.

Bahamas Reeves is Back

When we saw our first glimpses of the Kentucky basketball team this summer in the Bahamas, Antonio Reeves was the best player on the floor. The 17 point per game scorer that shot 52.4% from the floor did not show up right away in Lexington, but now he’s back in a big way.

He’s now scored in double figures in five straight games after sinking five three-pointers to score a season-high 23 points in the win over A&M. While the threes were eye-opening, what made the difference down the stretch was his ability to score while attacking the rim. He hit a pair of floaters near the paint that kept the Aggies at arm’s-length. There was plenty of room to operate with Cason Wallace and CJ Fredrick creating space on the perimeter.

“It feels great. Knowing I got another shooter out there that I can rely on, and we stretch the floor a lot when we’re out there on each side,” said Reeves. “If Oscar (Tshiebwe) is getting double teamed down there then he’s able to kick it out to one of us and end up making shots down the stretch and C Fred is out there too so and he’ll be able to make shots.” 

Shooters Kept Shooting

Reeves’ threes weren’t following as soon as the game started. What was important is the Cats consistently got open looks. Eventually, they had to fall. The Wildcats finished with 11 made three-pointers on 32 attempts, the most by a Kentucky team since 2011. In addition to Reeves’ five, Fredrick and Chris Livingston each knocked down a couple.

“I guess we should be shooting more threes,” Calipari joked after the game. “We’re a team that if you play us this way, we’ll take the threes. If you’re leaving people, we’ll take them.”

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More from the Kentucky Win over Texas A&M

• Kentucky’s New Pregame Routine
• Antonio Reeves Finding Role after Up-and-Down Start
• Top Plays from Kentucky’s Win
• Postgame Notes and Numbers
• 4 Top Takeaways from the Kentucky Victory
• Rapid Reaction, ft. Dr. Mike

Big Dogs in the House

Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football program enjoyed the big basketball atmosphere at Rupp Arena. Vince Marrow entertained recruits, like Woo Spencer, and former Cats, like Benny Snell.

#SnellYeah pic.twitter.com/4xYHBBhmP0

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) January 21, 2023

They might not have even been the biggest stars in the house. The Firecrackers performed at halftime. You can enjoy the jump-ropers’ entire routine and all of Dr. Michael Huang’s snapshots from inside Rupp Arena.

Kentucky Women’s Basketball on the Road

John Calipari’s Cats aren’t the only ones trying to stack up wins in SEC play. After most recently winning at Florida, Kyra Elzy’s Cats (9-9; 1-5) will try to stay hot at Mississippi State. Maddie Scherr is leading the way for UK, averaging 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists. You can watch all the action in Starkville beginning at 1 pm ET on SEC Network.

Former Wildcats in NFL Playoff Action

It was the end of the road for a couple of former Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. The Eagles put it on Wan’Dale Robinson’s Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ remarkable run ended in the Divisional Round. Corey Peters and Josh Allen had three tackles apiece as the Chiefs (Darian Kinnard & practice squad Phil Hoskins) advanced to the AFC Championship with a 27-20 victory.

Three more former Cats can advance today: Yusuf Corker (Bengals practice squad), Quinton Bohanna and Kelvin Joseph (Dallas Cowboys). Bills-Bengals kicks things off at 3 pm on CBS, followed by Cowboys-49ers at 6:30 pm on Fox.