No. 6 Kentucky bounced back from a midweek loss at Georgia with a sterling offensive performance in a 95-90 win at No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday night. Six different players reached double figures for the Wildcats, who hit 55.7% of their shots, including 16-of-32 attempts from 3-point range.
All nine players who saw action for the Wildcats scored, and seven of them hit 3-pointers in a performance that showcased the congruence of a roster that first-year coach Mark Pope assembled through the transfer portal. Though Jaxson Robinson led the way with 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from deep, contributions came from up and down the roster.
The shooting of Ansley Almonor was a particularly clutch surprise for UK. The Fairleigh Dickinson transfer entered with a total of three points in SEC play but hit a trio of 3-pointers over a two-minute stretch in the second half to highlight an 11-2 Kentucky run that turned a 78-77 deficit into an 89-82 lead.
Mississippi State mounted a final charge to pull within 91-90 at the two-minute mark. But the Wildcats closed it out with clutch baskets from Robinson and Lamont Butler as they improved to 13-3 and 2-1 in SEC play.
Kentucky does not appear to have an All-American caliber player, and it may not have a first-round NBA Draft pick for the first time since 2009. But it has a deep well of offensive options who complement each other well. Five different players have led the Wildcats in scoring on multiple occasions through 16 games.
UK is a team that makes opponents pick their poison. The Bulldogs held sharpshooter Koby Brea to just 1 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc and kept him scoreless in the second half. But Robinson, Almonor and a host of other Wildcats come at you in waves, and that was the story against Mississippi State.
Offensive irony
Almonor, who is eighth on Kentucky in minutes, made as many 3-pointers (three) in a period of two minutes as the entire Arkansas team did in its 71-63 loss to No. 8 Florida on Saturday. As the Razorbacks fell to 0-3 in SEC play with another dud offensive showing, the Wildcats turned in an elite offensive performance on the road against a quality opponent.
The day's results made clear that, with less than two months remaining in the regular season, Kentucky is winning the breakup with Calipari. The Razorbacks will visit Rupp Arena on Feb. 1 in Calipari's return to face the program that he led for 15 seasons. Barring an unforeseen change that involves Arkansas revamping its offense, expect UK to be a significant favorite for that game.
Hubbard's foul trouble helps UK
After ending up on the wrong end of a foul-fest in an 82-69 loss at Georgia on Tuesday, UK benefitted from the whistle as Mississippi State star Josh Hubbard sat for a considerable portion of the second half with four fouls. The Bulldogs initially withstood his absence well, using a 3-point barrage of their own to bridge the gap without Hubbard. But the 11-2 UK run highlighted by Almonor's 3-pointers came with Hubbard on the bench. By the time he returned, Kentucky had a four-point lead and the momentum. Hubbard did get a couple of looks from beyond the arc in the final two minutes that would have tied the game or given Mississippi State the lead. But he missed them both.