College basketball final: Kentucky 92, Georgia 77
The Georgia Bulldogs bring a 5-9 record to Rupp Arena to face the Kentucky Wildcats in an SEC basketball game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The SEC Network has the telecast.
Final: Kentucky 92, Georgia 77
TyTy Washington set the school record with 17 assists. Oscar Tshiebwe had 29 points and 17 rebounds. Davion Mintz scored 19 points as the Wildcats improved to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the SEC with a 15-point win over the Bulldogs.
Playing without Sahvir Wheeler (neck injury), the Cats shot 62.9 percent in the second half and 57.1 for the game. Georgia shot 49 percent for the game. The Bulldogs were led by Kario Oquendo’s 22 points. UK outscored the Dawgs 52-40 over the final 20 minutes.
Points in paint: Kentucky 46, Georgia 26.
TyTy Washington one shy of John Wall’s record
John Calipari’s Cats have an 86-66 lead over Tom Crean’s Bulldogs with 3:49 left. UK has outscored Georgia 46-29 this half. Davion Mintz is up to 19 points. He’s 7-of-10 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three-point range. Oscar Tshiebwe has 25 points and 17 rebounds. And TyTy Washington is all the way up to 15 assists. He’s one shy of John Wall’s school record.
Kentucky 77, Georgia 61 with 7:20 left
Cats have made 15 of 22 shots this half for 68.1 percent. Oscar Tshiebwe has 23 points and 16 rebounds. UK’s biggest lead to this point was 17 points. Georgia is 9-of-19 from the floor this half. For the game, Georgia has 11 turnovers to just six for the Cats.
Box score with 7:20 left at Rupp
Kentucky up 60-52 on Georgia with 13:18 left
A driving basket by the Bulldogs’ Aaron Cook wasn’t to John Calipari’s liking and he calls timeout. UK’s Oscar Tshiebwe is up to 19 points and 12 rebounds. Davion Mintz has scored 11 points off the bench. He’s a perfect three-for-three from three.
Kentucky extends lead to 54-45
Oscar Tshiebwe has 16 points and 11 rebounds. TyTy Washington has 15 points and eight assists. The Cats are starting to put a little distance between themselves and the pesky Dawgs. The Cats have made six of their seven shots.
UK alum and Miss USA Elle Smith was introduced as the Y during the 15:48 TV timeout in the second half.
Halftime: Kentucky 40, Georgia 37
The Wildcats scored the last four points of the half to take a three-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Oscar Tshiebwe hit a jumper from the circle, then Keion Brooks hit a jumper from the right elbow with two seconds left in the half to put Kentucky up 40-37.
Tshiebwe had a double-double in the first half with 12 points and 10 rebounds. TyTy Washington scored nine points and Kellan Grady added seven. UK shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the first half.
Noah Baumann led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the first half. Aaron Cook scored nine. Georgia made 13 of 25 shots for 52 percent from the field. The visitors were 4-of-9 from three-point range.
Playing without Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky got six assists from TyTy Washington in the first half.
Kentucky and Georgia still tied, this time at 20-20
Just before the 7:50 TV timeout, Georgia’s Kario Oquendo scored on a fast break basket as UK’s Davion Mintz was called for a blocking foul. The Rupp Arena crowd did not agree. TyTy Washinton has seven points for the Cats. After scoring seven points early for Georgia, Aaron Cook has not scored again. UK is 9-of-21 from the floor. Georgia is 8-of-16. The Bulldogs are 4-of-6 from three-point range, while Kentucky has missed four of its five three-point attempts.
Kentucky and Georgia tied at 15-15
Oscar Tshiebwe with six points and three rebounds as the Cats have tied the Bulldogs with 11:56 left in the first half. Kentucky is 7-of-14 from the floor. Georgia is 6-of-13. Subbing for point guard Sahvir Wheeler, out with a neck injury, TyTy Washington already has three assists for the Cats.
Box score at 11:56 in first half
Georgia takes early 7-4 lead
Or we should say that Aaron Cook has taken a 7-4 lead with 15:18 left in the first half. The Georgia guard, a transfer from Gonzaga, has scored all seven points for the Bulldogs. Kentucky is just 2-of-7 from the floor. UK’s baskets belong to TyTy Washington and Davion Mintz, who subbed in quickly off the bench.
Jacob Toppin in starting lineup
After his 14-point, 8-rebound performance at LSU, Jacob Toppin is in the starting lineup for Kentucky. He joins Keion Brooks, Oscar Tshiebwe, TyTy Washington and Kellan Grady. Toppin started two games last season. This is his first start this season. Toppin did start three games at Rhode Island before transferring to UK.
Looks like Sahvir Wheeler will not play
The Kentucky point guard has not been participating in UK’s warm-ups. The former Georgia Bulldog suffered a neck injury when he slammed into a backcourt LSU screen in the first four minutes of the Wildcats’ 65-60 loss at LSU on Tuesday night. Wheeler ranks third in the nation in assists at 7.3 per game.
Sahvir Wheeler out for UK’s game with Georgia
Pregame Kentucky vs. Georgia
Georgia lost a heartbreaker, 81-79 to Texas A&M, on Tuesday. Tom Crean’s team has lost to Virginia by 11, Northwestern by 16, Wofford by 3, George Mason by 13, East Tennessee State by 2, Gardner-Webb by 17 and Texas A&M by 2. Crean is just 14-41 in the SEC since coming to Athens.
Kentucky is fresh off a 65-60 loss at LSU on Tuesday. The Wildcats played all but four minutes without point guard Sahvir Wheeler. The former Georgia guard suffered a neck injury when he slammed into a backcourt screen. UK coach John Calipari said Friday that Wheeler is still day-to-day.
Georgia defeated Kentucky 63-62 in Athens last season. The Bulldogs haven’t won in Lexington since 2009.
Officials for Kentucky-Georgia are Anthony Jordan, Rob Rorke and Owen Shortt.
Where to watch, how to follow Kentucky vs. Georgia
This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 4:00 PM.
