LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Missouri came into Saturday's game at Kentucky knowing that it needed to do a better job on the interior than Louisville did last weekend against the Wildcats.
The Tigers were not able to accomplish that.
Junior center Nick Richards produced his second straight double-double, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking four shots in helping lead the No. 17 Wildcats to a 71-59 victory in the SEC opener at Rupp Arena.
"That was the difference. They got more from their bigs than we did from ours," Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said. "Simply that both teams fought, both teams played hard. But (Richards) did a great job... He's a much-improved big guy, to his credit. You hate to lose games, but you love to see a young guy grow like that as a junior in college."
"I'm proud of him," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said of Richards while continuing to hold his big man to a high standard. "But, again, now it's time to (keep doing it). He's never been this guy."
Said Richards: "I felt pretty confident out there. My teammates put me in the right spots to be successful on the court. All praise goes to them, they are the ones that are trying to help me play confident.”
There was more than just one star for Kentucky (10-3). Sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers that helped the Cats get separation in what had been a closely contested game for most of the day and a 9-for-9 effort at the free-throw line.
Extra time in the gym has been paying off, said the Maryland native.
"Since we haven’t had school, I’ve been able to get into the gym a lot more," Quickley said. "Actually, worked out once at (midnight). And I’ll still be getting a lot of sleep because we don’t practice 'til later in the day. So that’s been helping me. And really just working with my coaches, staying in the gym and staying hungry.”
Missouri (8-5) came into the matchup riding a four-game win streak and holding opponents to only 55.7 points per game. But it was UK that flexed its defensive muscles, holding the Tigers to just 36.2% (21 of 58) from the field.
Only one Mizzou player reached double figures, guard Dru Smith with 11 points. Big man Jeremiah Tilmon lost the big man matchup with Richards, recording only seven points and four rebounds. Frontcourt mate Reid Nikko managed just four points and three rebounds.
*****
In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
THE GOOD:
Kentucky head coach John Calipari has long challenged his players to show more consistency, especially when it comes to Nick Richards. The junior center did that on Saturday, recording his sixth double-double of the season. It marked the first time in his career that he's had back-to-back double-doubles. Richards had a 13-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over No. 3 Louisville last weekend. Sophomore point guard Immanuel Quickley also followed his 18-point effort against the Cardinals with 23 points against the Tigers. The 41 points in back-to-back games is the best of his career.
THE BAD:
The Cats are still struggling to get sophomore forward E.J. Montgomery and freshman wing Kahlil Whitney going. They combined for only three points and four rebounds in more than 32 minutes of action against the Tigers. UK also received a scare late in the game when point guard Ashton Hagans left with a foot injury. It has been diagnosed as a minor ankle sprain, but his status for Tuesday's game at Georgia is uncertain.
THE UGLY:
Like almost every game that features a Cuonzo Martin-coached team, the game had no pace or flow. There were 47 personal fouls and 47 free throws shot in 40 minutes of action. Three technical fouls.
GAME BALL:
Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky -- This one could have gone either way to Nick Richards or Immanuel Quickley, but the latter had a team-best plus/minus of 21 on the day. The sophomore guard turned in his second straight impressive performance, setting a new career scoring high with 23 points. He knocked down four 3-pointers and went 9-for-9 at the free-throw line to give the Cats some extra scoring punch in a game where points figured to be tough to come by.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2nd - Time this season with two 20-point scorers for the Wildcats (Immanuel Quickley 23, Nick Richards 21). Richards and Ashton Hagans did it earlier this season against Utah Valley.
9-0 - Kentucky's record when Nick Richards scores in double figures.
13-1 - UK's lead in the all-time series vs. Mizzou.
24 - Consecutive free-throw makes by UK guard Immanuel Quickley dating back to Nov. 24 game against Lamar.
36.2% - Field-goal percentage for Missouri, hitting just 21 of 58 from the floor.
90% - Free-throw percentage for the Cats, who hit 27 of 30 on the day.
181-7 - The Cats' record under John Calipari when holding the opponent to 63 points or less, including an 8-0 mark this season.
20,396 - Attendance at Rupp Arena.
QUOTABLE:
"I thought we did some good stuff today... We're still learning. We're still the process." -- UK head coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
Kentucky travels to Georgia on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN. The Bulldogs (10-3) recorded an impressive 65-62 win at No. 9 Memphis on Saturday.
