Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s tough loss to Arkansas
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 81-80 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena:
1. Though unlucky at the end, Kentucky fought its way back
In this nightmare of a Kentucky basketball season, you would think that one of two scenarios would play out for John Calipari’s luckless club. Either (a) the law of averages would finally afford the Wildcats an overdue break or (b) that after losing close game after close game after close game, this young team would finally just fold its tent. Unfortunately, and fortunately, neither has occurred.
The unfortunate part played out over the final seconds when UK’s Davion Mintz nailed a three-point shot with 12 ticks left to put the home team up 80-79, only to have Kentucky whistled for a questionable foul on a rebound at the other end. Arkansas’ Jalen Tate toed the foul line with 4.3 second left, then dropped in both free throws for a one-point Razorbacks lead. Kentucky tried to hurry the ball down the floor, only to have Olivier Sarr’s pass intercepted at midcourt. Ballgame.
The fortunate part was the way Kentucky put itself in that position in the first place. Remember, this is a team that is 5-13 on the season, a record both horrific and unfathomable in these parts. It’s a team that has lost by three to Kansas, by one to Notre Dame, by three at Louisville, by seven at Auburn, by one at Georgia, by five at Missouri. It’s a team that led Tennessee by 10 points in the second half just three days ago only to lose by 11.
And yet it hasn’t hit the checkout line. When Arkansas scored seven straight points to assume a commanding 72-60 lead with 6:10 left, few could have blamed the Cats if they had waved bye-bye. Instead, Brandon Boston nailed a three-pointer from the left wing with 5:56 left. Sarr knocked down a three with 5:07 remaining, then jammed home a lob at the 4:10 mark to slice Arkansas’ lead to 72-68.
When Sarr drilled a three from the top of the key with 2:12 remaining, Arkansas’ lead was just 76-73. When Boston rang the ball again from three with 27 second left it was 78-77 Hogs. And when Mintz cooly hit his triple with 12 seconds left, it looked like finally — yes, finally — the Cats might ring up a late-game W. Alas, this is still 2020-21.
“It’s hard for me to be mad,” Calipari said afterward. “The reality is we fought.”
That has to count for something, doesn’t it?
2. Kentucky actually made shots in this game
Not just shots, but three-point shots. Lots of three-point shots. The team that entered Rupp Arena ranked somewhere south of 300 for three-point percentage. It exited having knocked down 14 of 26 attempts from beyond the arc, the most made three-pointers by a John Calipari team since March 1, 2012, in a 79-49 win over Georgia. The Cats went 15-for-27 from three-point land that night. And if you don’t remember, they also went on to win a national title.
Tuesday, Brandon Boston was four of five from three-point territory. Sarr was three of five. Mintz was three of seven. Jacob Toppin sank both of his three-point attempts. Devin Askew was two of five. Second half, Kentucky was 10-for-17 from three.
“We finally took open shots,” Calipari said.
And hit them. What changed?
“Getting in the gym every day and night,” Boston said, “perfecting our craft.”
Oddly, the Cats had a much tougher time making traditional twos. They shot just 41 percent for the game, mainly because they were 11 of 35 for 31.4 percent from inside the arc. After scoring 23 points on Saturday against Tennessee, Keion Brooks was just three of 11 before fouling out Tuesday. Mintz missed both his two-point shots. Sarr was one of four. Toppin was one of three. Go figure. Nothing in this crazy season makes much sense.
Can Kentucky keep it up when Auburn comes to Rupp Arena on Saturday? We’ll see. But seeing shots actually pass through the net has to give this team at least a little confidence moving forward.
3. No moral victories at Kentucky, but an encouraging loss?
Arkansas is not a bad team. In fact, Arkansas is a pretty good team, actually, an NCAA Tournament worthy team that has now won five of its last six, that is 7-4 in the SEC. And Tuesday’s victory snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Razorbacks against Kentucky, a streak that dated back to 2014.
Bottom line: Kentucky basketball is 5-13, a ridiculous record any way you look at it. A loss is a loss is a loss. Still, you could look at this glass as half-full instead of completely empty. Kentucky rallied from 12 down. It made shots, even three-point shots, when it had to make shots. It did not commit a turnover over the final seven minutes until the rushed one at the end.
“Let’s just hope this was a little bit of a breakthrough,” Calipari said. “Guys are fighting, battling, doing good stuff.”
“We can’t worry about the losses,” Boston said. “We just have to keep working hard.”
Truth be told, there’s not a whole lot to play for the rest of 2020-21 — besides the last gasp SEC Tournament come March in Nashville — except for pride and growth and a possible positive finish to a year full of negatives. We’ll see what happens next.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 11:09 PM.
