UK POSTGAME NOTES: Kansas Edges Kentucky 65-62
Compiled by UK Athletics
BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE | INDIANAPOIS
DECEMBER 1, 2020 ATTENDANCE: 0 (No fans were permitted due to COVID-19 protocols)
Final Score: No. 7/5 Kansas 65, No. 20/9 Kentucky 62
Team Records and Series Notes
· Kentucky falls to 1-2 and Kansas is 2-1 on the season.
· UK is 23-10 against Kansas all-time and 8-3 in neutral-site games.
· Next: Kentucky plays Georgia Tech in the Holiday Hoopsgiving on Sunday at 5 p.m. at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Champions Classic
· The Wildcats fall to 5-5 in the Champions Classic, tied with Kansas. Duke leads the event with a 6-4 record and Michigan State is 4-6 after the beating the Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina, earlier in the night.
· UK is now 2-2 vs. Kansas in the Champions Classic.
· The Wildcats are 1-2 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the Champions Classic.
Player Notes
· Isaiah Jackson finished the game with seven points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
o The eight blocks are the most since Willie Cauley-Stein had nine against Boise State on Dec. 10, 2013.
o Leads the team with 10.0 rebounds per game on the season.
o Had seven points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the opening half.
· Brandon Boston Jr. scored 12 points and added six rebounds.
o He’s scored in double digits in all three games.
· Davion Mintz scored a season-high 12 points.
o He tied a season high with a pair of 3-pointers.
· Jacob Toppin scored six points and added three rebounds.
o His six points came consecutively to help spark a run for the Wildcats in the second half.
o It’s a season-high total for Toppin.
Coach John Calipari
· Calipari is now 331-79 at UK.
· Calipari has a 776-219 all-time on-court record.
· UK is 63-34 all-time under Calipari against Associated Press Top 25 ranked teams.
· Kentucky falls to 55-14 under Calipari following a loss.
· This marks the first back-to-back losses under Calipari since Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2019 in Las Vegas.
Team Notes
· Kentucky led by as many as 13 in the first half. This is the first time UK has lost a double-digit lead since surrendering a 17-point lead to Tennessee on March 3, 2020.
o UK is now 282-9 (.969) all-time under Calipari when leading by at least 10 at any point in the game.
· UK held Kansas to just 29.9% (20 of 67) from the floor. It’s the second time this season UK has held an opponent to less than 30% (Morehead State).
o Kentucky drops to 203-20 (.910) under Calipari when holding a team to less than 40% from the floor.
· Kentucky made three 3-pointers on 21 attempts (.143).
o UK is shooting just 19.1% (9 of 47) through the first three games of the season.
In the First Half
· The starting lineup consisted of freshmen Devin Askew, Brandon Boston Jr., Terrence Clarke, Isaiah Jackson and senior Olivier Sarr, for the second time this season.
· Davion Mintz was UK’s first substitute at the 16:15 mark.
· Both teams got off to tough starts offensively, with Kansas not scoring until the 17:37 mark and the Wildcats scratching the scoreboard at 16:43.
o Clarke scored UK’s first points with a second-chance layup. It was the first time this season he’s tallied the Wildcats’ first points.
· UK went on a 5-0 spurt to take a 7-5 edge at the first media timeout at 15:57. The Cats were sparked by a traditional three-point play from Jackson and a steal and layup by Mintz.
o The run extended to 15-0 for a 17-5 lead and the Cats held the Jayhawks without a point for 6:50 of clock.
o Kansas had six turnovers during the stretch.
o It was the largest run of the season thus far for the Cats, bettering a 7-0 spurt against Morehead State in the opener.
· After not hitting a 3-pointer against Richmond, Kentucky began the game 0 for 6 from 3-point range. Dontaie Allen made Kentucky’s first 3 with 6:12 to play.
o Dating back to the Morehead State game, UK had missed 19 consecutive 3-point attempts until Allen’s make.
· UK did not make a field goal over the final 4:20 of the half allowing Kansas to pull to within six at halftime.
In the Second Half
· Kentucky began the second half with its starters.
· UK suffered a 7:28 scoring draught and Kansas turned a nine-point deficit into a one-point lead with 12:46 to play.
o It was the Jayhawks’ first lead since 5-4 at the 16:15 mark of the opening stanza.
o Boston’s layup at 12:02 marked just the second field goal of the second half for UK.
· Kansas eventually extended its run to 15-2 over 8:30 of clock and earned a four-point edge at 44-40.
o Jacob Toppin hauled in an offensive rebound and converted a put-back to snap the spurt.
o He scored six straight for the Wildcats to give Kentucky a 46-45 lead.
· Kansas earned its largest lead of the game at 60-55 with 2:26 remaining.
· Mintz knocked down a desperation 3 with 12 seconds to play to pull UK to within one, but Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji drained two free throws with 10.2 to play to give the Jayhawks’ a three-point lead.
o Mintz had one last look at it to tie the game and missed with seconds to play.
