UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
MISSISSIPPI STATE at KENTUCKY
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY.
JAN. 25, 2022
ATTENDANCE: 18,144

Final Score: No. 12/13 Kentucky 82, Mississippi State 74
 
Team Records, Series Notes, Etc.

• Kentucky is now 16-4 on the season and 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
• Mississippi State is 13-6 overall, 4-3 in the conference.

• The Wildcats lead the series, 100-21, including 51-5 in Lexington. UK has won the last eight matchups in Rupp Arena.
• Today’s game marked the fourth of five consecutive games against teams that had a combined record of 64-13 when the stretch began Jan. 15. UK is 3-1 in that stretch.
• Next for Kentucky: UK travels to No. 5/5 Kansas on Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET game (5 p.m. CT in Lawrence). It will be televised by ESPN.

 
Team Notes

• Kentucky won its fourth straight overtime game, the last two of which have been against Mississippi State, and the Wildcats are 63-49 all-time in extra periods.
• Kentucky has won 14 in a row at home, including 13-0 this season.
• Kentucky won the rebounding batle 44-33 and won second-chance points, 13-3.  
  • UK is 16-1 this season when outrebounding the opponent, 13 of which have been by double-figure margins.
• Kentucky won despite having a season-high 17 turnovers for the third time this season. Ironically, UK has won all three games, vs. Albany, at Texas A&M and tonight. 

 
Player Notes  

• Oscar Tshiebwe totaled 21 points and 22 rebounds, UK’s first 20-20 game since Mike Phillips achieved the feat twice in 1976. Phillips had 35 points and 20 rebounds against Mississippi State on Feb. 2 and 26 points and 28 rebounds against Tennessee on Jan. 10. 

  • It is his 14th double-double of the season, ranking third in the nation in that category.
  • It is his seventh 20-point game and fifth 20-rebound game of the season, but the first time in the same contest. 
  • The nation’s leading rebounder has grabbed double-figure boards in all but two games this season.
  • For the third time in the last four games, he had a career-high-tying three steals. 
• Kellan Grady had 18 points, including UK’s first eight points of overtime. 
  • Over the last 11 games he is averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field (54 of 113), including 44.8 percent (39 of 87) from 3-point range.
  • It is the eighth time this season he has made at least four 3-pointers in a game.
  • This was his second 40-minute game in a row after playing 43 minutes tonight and all 40 minutes at Auburn.
• Sahvir Wheeler notched 15 points and six assists.
  • Since returning from injury, he has averaged 16.3 points over the last four games.
  • It is his 13th game of the season with at least six assists.
• Keion Brooks Jr. amassed 12 points and six rebounds.
  • It is his ninth double-figure scoring game of the season and first since Georgia on Jan. 8.
• Dontaie Allen scored five points, his first points since Nov. 29 vs. Central Michigan.
• TyTy Washington Jr. missed the game because of injury and is day-to-day.

 
Coach John Calipari

• John Calipari is now 355-97 at UK.
• Calipari won his 800th game and has an 800-237 all-time on-court record. 
  • Calipari amassed his 800 wins in the fourth-fewest games coached (1,037). Only Adolph Rupp (972), Roy Williams (1,012) and Dean Smith (1,029) achieved the feat faster.
• UK is 290-56 vs. unranked competition under Calipari.  
• Calipari is now 17-1 vs. Mississippi State, including 16-1 while at Kentucky.
• Calipari has tallied a 373-118 all-time record within conference play as a head coach and owns a 165-52 record since joining the SEC.

 
In the First Half

• With TyTy Washington Jr. out with injury, the starting lineup featured Sahvir Wheeler, Davion Mintz, Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks Jr. and Oscar Tshiebwe for the first time this season.
• Brooks opened the game with a jumper from the foul line and Wheeler followed with a fast-break layup for a 4-0 lead.
• Trailing 6-4, UK had an 8-0 run for a 12-6 lead.
  • Going ahead 9-6 on a Grady 3-pointer, the Wildcats never trailed again. 
• Bryce Hopkins was the first UK substitution at the 13:40 mark.
  • It was the first time this season he has been the first called upon player.
• The Wildcats put together a 7-0 spurt to lengthen the lead to 25-13, capped by a Dontaie Allen follow-dunk with 7:58 on the clock.  
• A Jacob Toppin 3-pointer – his first long ball of the season – with 4:39 remaining gave UK its largest lead of the half, 30-16.
• A dunk by Hopkins with four seconds left sent UK to halftime with a 37-24 lead.
• Tshiebwe paced the first-half effort with nine points and 12 rebounds.
• UK is 15-2 this season when leading at intermission.

 
In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the same starting lineup.
• A 3-pointer by Grady with 16:50 on the clock gave UK its largest lead at 45-29. 
• Trailing 53-38 at the 12:25 mark, Mississippi State got hot with a 24-9 run, tying the score at 62 with 4:12 left. 
• Tied at 64, a reverse layup-and-one by Tshiebwe with 3:24 left put UK back ahead, 67-64.
• A Wheeler layup with 2:49 and two free throws at 1:17 kept the Wildcats ahead 71-68.
• After an MSU basket, Tshiebwe made the second of two foul shots with 33.4 seconds left to keep UK up 72-70. 
• Two foul shots by Iverson Molinar with 22.2 left tied the game at 72. 
• Grady missed a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
• Tshiebwe led the Wildcats in the second half with 12 points and seven rebounds.
• Kentucky never trailed in the second half.

 
Overtime

• After each team failed to score on their first two possessions, Grady and Molinar traded baskets.
• Tied at 74, Grady’s 3-pointer with 2:22 to go shoved the Wildcats back ahead and another long one – late in the shot clock with 1:12 left in the game – made the count 80-74.
• Wheeler made 1 of 2 free throws on two occasions in the final minute for the final tally of 82-74.
• UK limited MSU to two points on 1 of 7 shooting in the extra period.