Compiled by UK Athletics
UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES MISSISSIPPI STATE at KENTUCKY RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY. JAN. 25, 2022 ATTENDANCE: 18,144
Final Score: No. 12/13 Kentucky 82, Mississippi State 74
Team Records, Series Notes, Etc.
· Kentucky is now 16-4 on the season and 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
· Mississippi State is 13-6 overall, 4-3 in the conference.
· The Wildcats lead the series, 100-21, including 51-5 in Lexington. UK has won the last eight matchups in Rupp Arena.
· Today’s game marked the fourth of five consecutive games against teams that had a combined record of 64-13 when the stretch began Jan. 15. UK is 3-1 in that stretch.
· Next for Kentucky: UK travels to No. 5/5 Kansas on Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET game (5 p.m. CT in Lawrence). It will be televised by ESPN.
Team Notes
· Kentucky won its fourth straight overtime game, the last two of which have been against Mississippi State, and the Wildcats are 63-49 all-time in extra periods.
· Kentucky has won 14 in a row at home, including 13-0 this season.
· Kentucky won the rebounding battle 44-33 and won second-chance points, 13-3.
o UK is 16-1 this season when outrebounding the opponent, 13 of which have been by double-figure margins.
· Kentucky won despite having a season-high 17 turnovers for the third time this season. Ironically, UK has won all three games, vs. Albany, at Texas A&M and tonight.
Player Notes
· Oscar Tshiebwe totaled 21 points and 22 rebounds, UK’s first 20-20 game since Mike Phillips had 26 points and 28 rebounds vs. Tennessee on Jan. 10, 1976. Phillips’ statline also came in an overtime game.
o It is his 14th double-double of the season, ranking third in the nation in that category.
o It is his seventh 20-point game and fifth 20-rebound game of the season, but the first time in the same contest.
o The nation’s leading rebounder has grabbed double-figure boards in all but two games this season.
o For the third time in the last four games, he had a career-high-tying three steals.
· Kellan Grady had 18 points, including UK’s first eight points of overtime.
o Over the last 11 games he is averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field (54 of 113), including 44.8 percent (39 of 87) from 3-point range.
o It is the eighth time this season he has made at least four 3-pointers in a game.
o This was his second 40-minute game in a row after playing 43 minutes tonight and all 40 minutes at Auburn.
· Sahvir Wheeler notched 15 points and six assists.
o Since returning from injury, he has averaged 16.3 points over the last four games.
o It is his 13th game of the season with at least six assists.
· Keion Brooks Jr. amassed 12 points and six rebounds.
o It is his ninth double-figure scoring game of the season and first since Georgia on Jan. 8.
· Dontaie Allen scored five points, his first points since Nov. 29 vs. Central Michigan.
· TyTy Washington Jr. missed the game because of injury and is day-to-day.
Coach John Calipari
· John Calipari is now 355-97 at UK.
· Calipari won his 800th game and has an 800-237 all-time on-court record.
o Calipari amassed his 800 wins in the fourth-fewest games coached (1,037). Only Adolph Rupp (972), Roy Williams (1,012) and Dean Smith (1,029) achieved the feat faster.
· UK is 290-56 vs. unranked competition under Calipari.
· Calipari is now 17-1 vs. Mississippi State, including 16-1 while at Kentucky.
· Calipari has tallied a 373-118 all-time record within conference play as a head coach and owns a 165-52 record since joining the SEC.
In the First Half
· With TyTy Washington Jr. out with injury, the starting lineup featured Sahvir Wheeler, Davion Mintz, Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks Jr. and Oscar Tshiebwe for the first time this season.
· Brooks opened the game with a jumper from the foul line and Wheeler followed with a fast-break layup for a 4-0 lead.
· Trailing 6-4, UK had an 8-0 run for a 12-6 lead.
o Going ahead 9-6 on a Grady 3-pointer, the Wildcats never trailed again.
· Bryce Hopkins was the first UK substitution at the 13:40 mark.
o It was the first time this season he has been the first called upon player.
· The Wildcats put together a 7-0 spurt to lengthen the lead to 25-13, capped by a Dontaie Allen follow-dunk with 7:58 on the clock.
· A Jacob Toppin 3-pointer – his first long ball of the season – with 4:39 remaining gave UK its largest lead of the half, 30-16.
· A dunk by Hopkins with four seconds left sent UK to halftime with a 37-24 lead.
· Tshiebwe paced the first-half effort with nine points and 12 rebounds.
· UK is 15-2 this season when leading at intermission.
In the Second Half
· Kentucky began the second half with the same starting lineup.
· A 3-pointer by Grady with 16:50 on the clock gave UK its largest lead at 45-29.
· Trailing 53-38 at the 12:25 mark, Mississippi State got hot with a 24-9 run, tying the score at 62 with 4:12 left.
· Tied at 64, a reverse layup-and-one by Tshiebwe with 3:24 left put UK back ahead, 67-64.
· A Wheeler layup with 2:49 and two free throws at 1:17 kept the Wildcats ahead 71-68.
· After an MSU basket, Tshiebwe made the second of two foul shots with 33.4 seconds left to keep UK up 72-70.
· Two foul shots by Iverson Molinar with 22.2 left tied the game at 72.
· Grady missed a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
· Tshiebwe led the Wildcats in the second half with 12 points and seven rebounds.
· Kentucky never trailed in the second half.
Overtime
· After each team failed to score on their first two possessions, Grady and Molinar traded baskets.
· Tied at 74, Grady’s 3-pointer with 2:22 to go shoved the Wildcats back ahead and another long one – late in the shot clock with 1:12 left in the game – made the count 80-74.
· Wheeler made 1 of 2 free throws on two occasions in the final minute for the final tally of 82-74.
· UK limited MSU to two points on 1 of 7 shooting in the extra period.
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