Seven things you need to know from Kentucky’s gutty 88-79 win over Arkansas
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Game day: No. 23 Kentucky 88, Arkansas 79
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.
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Seven things you need to know from Kentucky’s 88-79 win over Arkansas in the regular-season finale at Bud Walton Arena:
1. Who needs a point guard? Kentucky played without both of its primary ball handlers. Freshman Cason Wallace missed the final 18:09 of UK’s 68-66 Senior Night loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday at Rupp Arena after suffering an apparent lower-leg injury and was unable to go Saturday.
Veteran point guard Sahvir Wheeler has not played since Feb. 4. Originally, Wheeler was sidelined by an ankle injury. UK Coach John Calipari said that Wheeler had a “medical procedure” Wednesday for an undisclosed reason.
Meanwhile, the most-accomplished ball handler among Kentucky’s shooting guards, CJ Fredrick, was limited to 15 minutes as he tries to play through painful cracked ribs.
Yet UK earned a sweet victory over a team that had beaten it earlier this season in Rupp Arena.
The Wildcats largely deployed Jacob Toppin as a “point forward.” Toppin produced an active stat line of 21 points, four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
Amazingly, playing without a point guard, UK scored 88 points and turned the ball over 15 times in its second meeting with the Razorbacks.
With a point guard, Kentucky had 73 points and turned the ball over 15 times in its 88-73 home loss vs. Arkansas on Feb. 7.
2. The ultimate bounce-back for Antonio Reeves. In UK’s unexpected loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, the UK shooting guard was more of a “missing guard.” Reeves made only four of 17 shots and one of eight three-pointers and even missed three foul shots (5-of-8).
As errant as his aim was Wednesday night, that’s how dialed in Reeves’ shot was Saturday afternoon.
The transfer from Illinois State scored a career-high 37 points. Reeves hit 12 of 17 shots, two of four three-pointers and all 11 of his free throws.
A 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior, Reeves scored 22 of his 37 points in the second half. He scored or assisted on Kentucky’s first 18 points of half two.
The 37-point outburst exceeded both Reeves’ previous high in a Kentucky uniform, 27 points in a win at Mississippi on Jan. 31, and his all-time college high, 34 points for Illinois State in a 78-75 overtime win over Valparaiso on Feb. 9, 2022.
3. A total team victory. If Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin were the stars of the Kentucky victory — and they were — UK’s win was the epitome of “a total team victory.”
Before fouling out, Oscar Tshiebwe had 12 points and 13 rebounds in only 26 minutes.
Though he struggled with his shot — 0 of 5 field goals, 0 of 3 treys and 1 of 4 free throws — Chris Livingston contributed nine rebounds.
CJ Fredrick gutted out 15 minutes and hit two free throws and doled out four assists.
Off the bench, freshman swingman Adou Thiero played a career-high 24 minutes and had seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Though Daimion Collins fouled out in five minutes, he had four points and two rebounds.
Lance Ware had four points, five rebounds and a block in 17 minutes and capably manned the middle for UK once Tshiebwe had fouled out.
4. A big “coaching statement” for Calipari. In a year when John Calipari has taken a lot of criticism, the UK head man found a way to steal a road victory against one of the SEC’s “hot coaches,” Arkansas head man Eric Musselman, on a day when the Wildcats played without a lead guard.
5. Oscar watch. Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe’s 12 points and 13 rebounds gives him 1,065 points and 894 rebounds for his two-year UK career.
Tshiebwe moved past No. 54 Erik Daniels (1,053 career points), No. 52 Jamaal Magloire and Terrence Jones (both with 1,064 career points) on the all-time UK scoring list. Next ahead for Tshiebwe to pass are No. 51 Dirk Minniefield (1,069), No. 50 Rex Chapman (1,073), No. 49 Billy Ray Lickert (1,076) and No. 48 Jeff Sheppard (1,091).
On the all-time Kentucky rebounding chart, Tshiebwe is chasing seventh-place Chuck Hayes (910 career boards).
Tshiebwe now has 46 double-doubles out of 63 games played for Kentucky.
6. SEC Tournament seeding. With its win, Kentucky clinched the No. 3 seed for the 2022-23 SEC Tournament in Nashville. The Wildcats will make their SEC tourney debut Friday night in the final game of the quarterfinals. UK will face either the No. 6 seed, Vanderbilt, the No. 11 seed, Georgia, or the No. 14 seed, LSU.
During the regular season, UK split two games with both Vandy and Georgia.
The Wildcats won at Vanderbilt 69-53 on Jan. 24 but were upset by the Commodores, 68-66, last Wednesday on Senior Night at Rupp Arena.
UK beat Georgia in Lexington 85-71 on Jan. 17 but was upset by the Bulldogs 75-68 on Feb. 11 in Athens.
Kentucky defeated LSU 74-71 in the only meeting between the teams in 2022-23 on Jan. 3 at Rupp Arena.
7. Cats snap Hogs’ win streak. UK’s victory ended a three-game winning streak by the Razorbacks over the Wildcats.
Kentucky’s win also kept Arkansas from tying the mark for the third-longest win streak over UK by any team currently in the SEC.
Below are the longest win streaks over Kentucky ever recorded by each current SEC member:
▪ Florida seven in a row (2005 through 2008).
▪ Tennessee five in a row (two different times).
▪ Vanderbilt four in a row (two different times).
▪ Arkansas three in a row (two different times).
▪ Georgia three in a row (1923-25).
▪ LSU three in a row (three different times).
▪ Mississippi State three in a row (2007-09).
▪ South Carolina three in a row (2009-2010).
▪ Alabama two in a row (eight different times).
▪ Auburn two in a row (five different times).
▪ Mississippi two in a row (1927-28).
▪ Texas A&M two in a row (1978-79, 2012-13).
▪ Missouri one in a row (three different times).
This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 5:07 PM.
