Stock up on the antacids. We’ll need them for Kentucky basketball in this year’s SEC.
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Game day: Texas A&M 97, No. 6 Kentucky 92 (OT)
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
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Brace yourself. Saturday at College Station wasn’t a one-off. It’s not the fact that Kentucky basketball lost 97-92 in overtime to the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. It’s the fact that it was another down-to-the-wire nail-biter that required winning plays. Get used to it.
Against North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 16 in Atlanta, Kentucky made those plays. And won. Against Florida in the SEC opener on Jan. 6, Kentucky made those plays. And won. Against a desperate Texas A&M on Saturday, Kentucky didn’t make enough of those plays. And lost.
There wasn’t shame in this defeat. Despite a 10-6 record, the Aggies are a good team, the SEC media preseason pick to finish second. Four A&M losses were to foes either ranked then or now — FAU, Memphis, Houston and Auburn. Buzz Williams is a good coach. An 0-2 league start had placed the Aggies’ backs to the wall. They played like it.
Here’s the thing: That’s the way it’s going to be. The SEC is a tough league. Yes, a tough basketball league. Three games into the conference schedule, only Alabama and Auburn are unbeaten. Six teams are 2-1. Just three teams are 0-3. One of the three was the preseason media pick to finish third. Poor Arkansas. The start has been beyond rough for the Razorbacks.
Back to our Cats. The fact that foul trouble kept 7-foot-1 freshman starter Aaron Bradshaw on the bench for all but 6:20 on Saturday didn’t help. The fact that the Aggies suddenly found their 3-point stroke or that UK continually found it difficult to stay in front of A&M’s guards didn’t help. The fact that Kentucky couldn’t buy a basket in overtime — 0-for-8 from the field in the final five minutes — spelled defeat.
There were silver linings. Ugonna Onyenso tops my list. With Bradshaw on the bench, Onyenso played a career-high 31 minutes. The sophomore center made 3 of 5 shots, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots. Tre Mitchell grabbed 13 rebounds. Antonio Reeves scored 22 points.
Yes, Kentucky held a seven-point lead at 65-58 with 12:12 left and lost. But when Texas A&M scored six straight points for a 74-71 advantage with 5:38 remaining, the Cats fought back. Again. And again. Rob Dillingham’s connection on three consecutive triples — the third triple tied the game at 87 with 1:07 left — was a sight to see. Alas, after the Aggies were called for an offensive goal tend, UK’s D.J. Wagner fumbled a catch into a turnover and with it a chance for a road win in regulation. Things happen. Even then, ice in his veins, Reed Sheppard made two free throws with 0.6 on the clock to earn an extra period.
The Cats will spend this week at home. Mississippi State comes to Rupp Arena for a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday game on ESPN2. Georgia visits the Central Bank Center on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tipoff on the SEC Network. After being ranked as high as 21st in the AP Top 25, State is 1-2 in SEC. The Bulldogs lost 82-74 to visiting Alabama on Saturday. Georgia’s Bulldogs are 2-1. They led No. 5 Tennessee 78-70 with 5:03 left Saturday in Athens, only to lose 85-79.
In case you missed it, five of AP Top 25’s six teams lost last week. Including No. 6 Kentucky. (No. 2-ranked Houston lost twice.) One of the five, Tennessee, lost 77-72 to Mississippi State last Wednesday. That’s the same Mississippi State we’ll see this Wednesday.
Bottom line: There was nothing in Saturday’s loss that made me feel any differently about this young Kentucky team. Rebounding is an issue. So is defense. Time exists for John Calipari to work on both. The tools for improvement exist. Saturday won’t be the only conference loss UK takes this year, but I’ll be shocked if any team runs away with the league title.
So take the necessary precautions. Stock up on the antacids. Keep a nail file handy. Be kind to your knuckles. And try, if you can, to enjoy the show.
This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 11:07 AM.
