Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s rubber-ball win over Mississippi State
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Game day: No. 8 Kentucky 90, Mississippi State 77
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Wednesday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Mississippi State in Rupp Arena.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 90-77 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.
1. Kentucky is a good rubber-ball team
John Calipari’s Cats are a good on the rebound. Not necessarily the rebounds that come off the backboard after a missed shot. There’s more glass-cleaning work to be done. We’re talking about the game after the game in which Kentucky has suffered a loss this season. You know, bouncing back.
It has only happened three times, but each time the Cats have acted quickly to keep the losing streak at one — 101-67 over Stonehill after losing to Kansas; 81-66 over Penn after being upset by UNC Wilmington and now 90-77 over Mississippi State after losing to Texas A&M on Saturday.
What did this green Kentucky team learn from the loss at College Station? “We learned that teams play better against us,” UK guard Rob Dillingham said on Wednesday.
So the Cats didn’t give Mississippi State the chance. They jumped out to a 15-5 lead with Antonio Reeves scoring 10 of those 15. By the midway point of the first half, Kentucky’s advantage was 11. It grew to 19 late in the half and settled in at 18 by the break — UK 47, Mississippi State 29.
It was one of the better first 20 minutes Kentucky has played all season and one of Mississippi State’s worst.
“We were obviously very disappointed with the results of the first half,” State coach Chris Jans said after his team fell to 1-3 in league play. “I was surprised by our lack of urgency. We got behind and couldn’t wait until halftime.”
Meanwhile, Calipari was pleased by his team’s sense of purpose. Kentucky shot 51.5% the first half, including 12-for-19 from two-point range against a team ranked among the nation’s top 10 in defensive metrics. Also, Kentucky had 11 assists on 17 made field goals over the first 20 minutes.
One more thing: This against a Mississippi State team that beat Tennessee last week.
2. Antonio Reeves is on a roll
When Antonio Reeves was going through the NBA draft evaluation process last spring, there was some question if the senior guard would stay or go. He decided to stay, but even then he waited to the last minute before making up his mind. And last night, Reeves admitted that even then he did hold some doubts as to whether he made the right decision.
“I definitely had a little doubt in my mind, coming back to college, but at the end of the day that’s what me and the coaches came down to an agreement with,” Reeves said Wednesday night. “It definitely was a little doubt. But I feel like I made the right decision coming back and trying to win a national championship.”
As we hit the middle of January, no doubt Reeves made the right choice. He was once again Kentucky’s leading scorer on Wednesday, pouring in 27 points. Reeves finished 8-for-12 from the floor, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range. He was a perfect 9-for-9 at the foul line.
It’s the fifth time in the last six games that Reeves has led his team in points. He’s now scored 20 or more in eight of UK’s 16 games. For the season, he’s averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 51.7% from the floor, including 42.6% from 3-point range.
Compare that to last season when Reeves averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 41.6% from the floor, including 39.8% from 3-point range.
Said Calipari, “Antonio today was really good.”
3. Here comes more barking Bulldogs
It didn’t take long in his postgame press conference for Calipari to turn his attention to Saturday’s opponent at Rupp.
“Georgia has not lost a road game,” Calipari said. “They’re so excited about coming here and playing. Mike’s got them playing now.”
Indeed, in his second year in Athens, former Florida coach Mike White has Georgia at 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the SEC after Tuesday night’s 74-69 win over South Carolina in Columbia. The lone loss came Saturday to then-No. 5 Tennessee in a game in which Georgia saw the Vols go on a 15-1 run down the stretch for an 85-79 victory.
UGA opened SEC play with a 75-68 win over Missouri in Columbia before beating Arkansas 76-66 in Athens. The Bulldogs haven’t won at Rupp Arena since March 4, 2009. That was one of the losses that helped seal Billy Gillispie’s fate and led to Calipari arriving from Memphis as the UK coach. But, hey, you never know. Not in this league.
“Every game in this league is a rock fight,” Calipari said.
Expect another one Saturday.
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 10:48 PM.
