LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Jacob Toppin that Kentucky thought it was going to see coming off its summer exhibition tour of the Bahamas showed up Saturday in the Wildcats' annual rivalry game against Louisville.
Toppin, a senior forward who did not score on Wednesday in UK's loss at Missouri and had made only five of 20 shots over the last four games, scored a career-high 24 points in helping lead the Wildcats to an 86-63 win over the Cardinals at Rupp Arena.
The Brooklyn native went 10-of-15 from the field and also pulled down seven rebounds to complement his impressive scoring performance.
“It feels good," Toppin said. "... I had been in a rough patch I needed to get out of. I had a lot of support from my teammates and my coaching staff and it just feels good to get back to my old self mentally and physically so we just move forward and try to get better as a team from here.”
"Well, we've done a lot of work, and it's not been on the court," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said of helping Toppin break out of his December slump. "You had guys feeling the weight of the world... it's not life-and-death.
"But they got to get in a good frame of mind and then get hit in the mouth, and are you fragile or do you keep playing? Today, he kept playing. And now he's going to do it against better teams. You watch."
Kentucky junior center Oscar Tshiebwe also tallied 24 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, while freshman guard Cason Wallace chipped in with 17 points for Kentucky (9-4, 0-1 SEC).
The Cats had one of their better shooting games of the season, knocking down 33 of 55 attempts (60%). When they missed, they often grabbed the rebound, owning a 33-20 advantage on the glass.
Louisville (2-12, 0-3 ACC) got 23 points from senior guard El Ellis, but he didn't get much help. The Cards shot only 2-for-13 from the 3-point arc, committed 15 turnovers, and were outrebounded 33-20.
"They scored 20 points off offensive rebounds and scored 19 points off our turnovers," Louisville head coach Kenny Payne said of his first matchup with his former boss. "You can’t win when a team is as big, strong, and defensive minded as they are. You have to match their intensity and it’s the reason why Kentucky is Kentucky. It’s the top of the hill because they impose their will on you, and that’s what they did today.”
Kentucky improved to 12-3 against its in-state rival under Calipari, including eight of the last 10 and seven straight at Rupp Arena.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky held a comfortable 45-30 lead at halftime, but Louisville came out of the locker room on a 7-0 run to cause some trepidation at Rupp Arena. The Cats responded the right way, however, and reclaimed control of the game with an 11-2 run that included five points from Toppin, four from Tshiebwe, and two from Wallace.
GAME BALL:
Jacob Toppin, Kentucky -- It was a feel-good performance for a player who went scoreless on Wednesday night in an 89-75 loss at Missouri. Toppin came out with an aggressive mindset in this game, determined to make a big impact. He had 15 points at the half after scoring just 13 in the previous four games combined.
BY THE NUMBERS:
3rd - Time this season that UK has featured a pair of 20-point scorers. Antonio Reeves (22) and CJ Fredrick (20) accomplished the feat in the season opener against Howard, while Toppin and Reeves each scored 20 against North Florida.
7th - Double-double of the season for UK's Oscar Tshiebwe, which leads the SEC. It was his 35th double-double in 45 career games with the Cats.
38-17 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series against Louisville.
46 - Points in the paint for UK.
60% - Highest field goal percentage of the season for the Cats.
QUOTABLE:
“Jacob, I have been telling him to do what you do. You are good at what you do. Don’t let all the noise effect your mind. Get off social media, don’t pay attention to it. Social media is just something that – I don’t know – it is just not a good time right now on social media. Take it off of your phone, like I already did and keep your mind locked in. The guy that came out today, that is the Jacob that everybody loves.” -- UK center Oscar Tshiebwe on Jacob Toppin
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to SEC play on Tuesday, Jan. 3, against LSU (12-1, 1-0 SEC). The Tigers are coming off a 60-57 upset of No. 9 Arkansas. Tipoff time for UK and LSU at Rupp Arena is slated for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
