KSR's ten favorite things from Kentucky's NYE blowout win over Brown
It was a fun one inside Rupp Arena, Kentucky rolling to an 88-54 victory over Brown to close out the non-conference schedule ahead of an all-time SEC slate set to begin this weekend.
What went well to get the Cats back on track after a setback in the CBS Sports Classic 10 days ago? KSR has the best moments from the team’s New Year’s Eve performance in the Tuesday matinee.
Kentucky’s runs away in the second half
After a too-close-for-comfort first half, the Wildcats finally got things figured out after the break. A 39-27 halftime lead became an 88-54 final score for a plus-10 in the last 20 minutes with Kentucky shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three in the second half. That led to 50/36/78 splits overall, getting back on track after hitting that 50 percent mark just twice in the seven games dating back to Thanksgiving.
It was a half that saw the Cats nearly double their halftime rebounding total while forcing seven steals and nine turnovers, coughing it up just once themselves. The Bears also shot just 39.1 percent from the field after the break.
Andrew Carr carries the Cats in the first half
The reason why Kentucky’s sleepy 12-point halftime lead was as wide as it was? Recently engaged Andrew Carr, who led the Cats with 14 points on 4-7 shooting and 5-6 at the line to go with four rebounds and a steal. He wouldn’t take another shot, but would finish with five rebounds, two assists and three steals in 21 minutes, giving him his tenth double-digit scoring performance in 13 tries to begin his time in Lexington.
Knocking out the bulk of his production early so the rest of the guys could hit cruise control in the second, it was a performance more than worthy of postgame podium honors — and he was joined by his new fiancee, Genevieve!
Threes for Travis Perry and Trent Noah
Nothing gets BBN more excited than Kentucky’s homegrown talent stepping up on the big stage, so imagine the reaction when both in-state Wildcats knocked down 3-point bombs in their combined 21 minutes of game action.
Shaving his mustache ahead of the matchup, Travis Perry banged his lone attempt with 6:42 to go in the first half.
Then less than a minute after checking into the game in the second half, Trent Noah did the same with 3:33 to go, followed by another with 1:32 left on the clock.
Perry would finish with four points to go with two rebounds and a steal with zero turnovers in 13 minutes while Noah added six points in four minutes.
… and Brandon Garrison!
If we’re gonna get threes from the Kentucky boys, why not add a backup center to the mix? Pope joked on his call-in radio show on Monday that Brandon Garrison is one of the most confidence shooters on the team, and the sophomore big man showed it against Brown, launching a catch-and-shoot three from the top of the key midway through the second half to put the Cats up 30.
He’s now taken nine 3-pointers and made two of them — although he hit one with his foot on the line against Duke — with multiple attempts in three games. Stretch big?
Back to 10 made 3-pointers (but still looking for 30 attempts)
Speaking of shooting, Kentucky got back to its high-volume, high-efficiency ways by hitting 10 3-pointers for the third time in its last eight games and taking at least 28 attempts for the second time since Western Kentucky on Nov. 27. Eight different players hit shots from three with Noah and Koby Brea knocking down two apiece, followed by Carr, Garrison, Perry, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson and Ansley Almonor with one.
The Cats hit the double-digit mark from deep in each of their first five outings before a four-game hiatus. Since then, they’ve gotten back to clearing it in three of four.
Pope is still looking for his 30 attempts per game, but they’re at least trending back in the right direction.
23 forced turnovers lead to 33 points the other way
Ball screen defense was the No. 1 takeaway leaving Kentucky’s 20-point loss in New York City, the team working tirelessly to fix those issues returning from Christmas break in the 10-day wait between games. There was clear improvement in that specific area against Brown, but looking even wider at the defense in general, the Cats allowed just 40.8 percent shooting overall and 23.8 percent from three while forcing 23 total turnovers leading to 33 points the other way.
Individually, Kino Lilly Jr. and Landon Lewis were the two names to keep an eye on for the Bears, the former on pace to become the program’s all-time leading scorer this year. He finished with 16 points on 7-12 shooting with four turnovers while the latter added 15 points on 6-12 shooting with three turnovers.
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Brown’s 54 points was second-worst on the season behind the team’s 53-point effort in Lawrence against Kansas on Sunday.
A blowout win despite losing the rebounding battle
The Bears had no players in the rotation standing taller than 6-8 with all players averaging at least 19.7 minutes per game 6-7 or shorter, ranked No. 347 of 364 teams on KenPom’s size rankings. Kentucky had a size advantage at all five positions among starters. No excuse to be outrebounded 21-10 at halftime, part of the team’s sluggish start. Things balanced out more ahead of the final buzzer, though, with Brown winning 35-29 despite the Cats’ plus-five second-half finish.
Point being, a 34-point win despite losing the rebounding battle is impressive and a testament to everything else the team did really well — especially in the second half. You want to see Amari Williams finish with more rebounds than Travis Perry, but hey, we’re not gonna nitpick on New Year’s Eve.
Big Blue Nation showed up for the holiday matinee
17 days since Kentucky’s last home game, BBN was clearly a bit stir-crazy. Sure, it’s a holiday taking on Ivy League competition on a Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, but why not pack Rupp Arena from top to bottom?
It’s been a remarkable season for the fanbase already, despite only one name-brand home matchup in the non-conference against Louisville. No matter the day, time or opponent, the building has been full, and BBN deserves serious credit for that.
You don’t see this kind of stuff anywhere else in college basketball.
Jasper Johnson introduces Acaden Lewis (with a hug from Mark Pope)
Maybe the coolest moment of the night came when future Wildcats Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis found themselves at midcourt, the former introducing the latter for the very first time.
Lewis was in town with 18 friends and family, his first game inside Rupp Arena since signing with the program. Johnson was his personal hype man, sharing all of the top-30 recruit’s accolades alongside a roar from BBN upon seeing the unofficial debut of Kentucky’s 2025-26 backcourt together on the floor.
Their future coach came out to hug them right after Johnson emceed Lewis’ intro — a cool moment Pope didn’t even realize was happening until it unfolded.
“I got so excited. It was the first time I’d seen them on the court together. Definitely the first time I’ve seen them on the court in Rupp with the joint filled,” Pope said. “And I was like oh this is going to be so fun. Not even containable. Those two guys are gonna be incredible and work some real magic in this building.”
Momentum into SEC play
Kentucky suffered a serious setback against Ohio State, forced to let a 20-point loss sit on their minds over the holiday break — the Buckeyes unleashing their inner Grinch. There were questions about the team on both ends, the offense and shooting hitting a wall while the defense regressed.
They needed a feel-good moment ahead of SEC play and got it in the form of a 34-point blowout win to close out 2024. The league has never been tougher and the Cats needed some momentum going into it. That came on Tuesday as we turn our attention (and clocks) to 2025.
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