Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 78-73 (2OT) win over Mississippi State
Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 78-73 double-overtime win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville:
1. Dontaie Allen turns in an epic performance. As Kentucky’s offense has struggled through the early part of this season, many UK backers were all but pleading for John Calipari to give the ex-Pendleton County star — a prolific scorer in high school — a shot.
On Saturday night, Allen was given a shot at extended playing time.
Boy did he do something with it.
Allen made eight of 14 shots, seven of 11 three-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points. He also had five rebounds and a blocked shot in 32 minutes.
Not bad for a guy who had played 20 minutes total and scored all of seven points in UK’s first seven games.
Kentucky’s 2019 Mr. Basketball hit big shots, too. His trey with 1:08 left in the first overtime put UK ahead 68-65. He scored five of UK’s 10 points in the decisive second OT.
It’s only one game, of course, but Allen’s “carrying tool” — his ability to make shots — is something Kentucky desperately needs.
2. Olivier Sarr fought like a Wildcat. After going two straight games without a made field goal, the transfer from Wake Forest took 16 shots in Starkville.
He made only six, and continues to have a maddening number of shots rim around and around and come out, but still finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
It was a Sarr three-pointer with 4:44 left in the second OT that put Kentucky ahead to stay.
From the UK perspective, you hope the big man draws some confidence from a double-double with a clutch three-pointer made.
3. Calipari hits the showers — Wildcats rally. With Kentucky down 52-46 with 9:04 left in the game, Kentucky’s Calipari drew two technical fouls, apparently arguing that Iverson Molinar had carried the basketball while driving for a basket.
After Jalen Johnson hit three of the four technical foul shots, the Bulldogs led 55-46.
UK outscored MSU 32-18 through the remainder of the game.
The ejection is becoming an effective tool in Cal’s motivational toolbox.
4. Calipari owns Mississippi State. The UK head man is now 15-0 vs. the Bulldogs as Kentucky coach.
After going 1-1 vs. Kentucky as UCLA coach, Ben Howland is now 0-7 vs. UK at MSU.
If Howland couldn’t break through on Mississippi State’s home court versus a Kentucky team off to a historically bad start, you start to wonder if he’s ever going to.
5. The Wildcats averted making more dubious history. No Kentucky team had started a season 1-7 since 1926-27 when Coach Basil Hayden’s Cats began the year 1-8.
UK had not lost seven games in a row at any point in a season since Coach George C. Buchheit’s 1922-23 Cats lost nine straight en route to a 3-10 record.
At least for now, the 2020-21 Wildcats have stopped their march toward the top of several lists of negative Kentucky basketball history.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 8:39 PM.
