LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Mississippi State became the latest team to leave a matchup with Kentucky scratching its collective head on the defensive end of the floor.
The Bulldogs entered Rupp Arena on Wednesday night as the No. 2 defensive squad in the SEC, allowing only 68 points per game and a .395 shooting percentage. They left town with a 90-77 loss, having allowed the No. 8 Wildcats to shoot 56% from the floor.
“They just have so many facilitators and playmakers," Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans said. "They have two guys who come off the bench who can start on a lot of college basketball teams across the country at any level.
"What a luxury it is to have four guys at the guard position that are interchangeable but are all a little different, but really good basketball players in their own right. Then to see that they like each other and share the ball can really spread you out. They can shoot the ball so well from the three, then have guys who can get downhill, then they have lob threats behind the defense and put a lot of pressure on defensively.”
Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC) could do little wrong on the offensive end of the floor. The Cats made 74.2% of their 2-point attempts (23 of 31), made seven of 23 from beyond the 3-point arc, and knocked down 23 of 27 free throws. They finished with 20 assists and only 10 turnovers.
"That team, Mississippi State, is a Top 10 defensive team in the country," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. "Top 10."
Senior guard Antonio Reeves led the onslaught with 27 points, including an 8-for-12 night from the floor and a 9-for-9 effort at the free-throw line. Three other Cats scored in double figures for UK, including Rob Dillingham (16), Tre Mitchell (15), and Aaron Bradshaw (11).
"How 'bout Antonio?" Calipari said. "He was ridiculous."
Reeves said that, after a second year in the UK program, he feels more like the complete scorer he was before joining the Cats. "My junior year at Illinois State, I really was an off-the-dribble player, and I really could create for myself and get into the lane and things like that. I'm really drawing off that, playing freely. That's what I came from."
Bradshaw and reserve big man Ugonna Onyenso combined to give UK 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots at the center position.
Kentucky led 47-29 at the half and was never truly threatened the rest of the way.
Mississippi State (12-5, 1-3 SEC) was led by grad senior power forward Tolu Smith with 26 points and eight rebounds. He was 11-of-15 from the floor, but the rest of the Bulldogs combined to shoot only 37%
It was a nice improvement for a UK defense that allowed 97 points to Texas A&M on Saturday in a loss, allowing a dozen 3-pointers and putting the Aggies on the line 30 times. Mississippi State made only nine of 27 from the arc and went 6-of-10 at the line.
"We made a little bit of adjustment in pick-and-roll defense, executive decision," Calipari said. "They liked it. I liked it. And now we are going to really zero in on getting really good at it."
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky went on an early 13-0 run to seize control of the game in the first half. The Cats stretched the lead to 20 at one point before halftime as Antonio Reeves pumped in 16 of his game-high 27 points. UK is now 12-1 on the season when leading at halftime.
GAME BALL:
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky -- Once again, the senior guard somewhat "quietly" has a huge offensive performance for the Cats, leading the way with 27 points without breaking a sweat or forcing anything. The most impressive aspect of this effort was the high efficiency. Reeves was 8-for-12 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 9-for-9 at the free-throw line. It marked his eighth 20-point scoring performance of the season. He has scored in double figures in all but one game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
3-0 - Kentucky's record coming off a loss this season.
20:10 - Assist-to-turnover ratio for UK. Reed Sheppard led the Cats with six assists.
41 of 68 - Possessions led to points for the Cats.
74.2% - The Cats' shooting from 2-point range (23 of 31).
102-21 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series with MSU, including a 19-1 mark for current UK head coach John Calipari. The Cats lead 52-5 in Lexington.
400th - Career victory at UK for John Calipari. He is the third fastest to 400 wins at a program in 516 games. Only Bill Self (Kansas) and Mark Few (Gonzaga) reached 400 wins faster.
QUOTABLE:
"Just the little things like teams play better against us, so we’ve got to be prepared for how they play. Texas A&M had a good game, so we just have to move on, and we learned that moving on and playing the right way, and sticking to the game plan will help." -- UK freshman guard Rob Dillingham on what UK learned from its loss Saturday at Texas A&M.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Rupp Arena against Georgia. The Bulldogs (13-4, 3-1 SEC) are coming off a 74-69 win on Tuesday at South Carolina. Tipoff for the Cats and Dawgs is slated for 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
