Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Lipscomb
The Kentucky men’s basketball team has not played since topping then-No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic. The Cats hit the hardwood again on Tuesday night, hosting Lipscomb inside Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus).
The win over the Blue Devils propelled the Cats up 10 spots this this week’s Associated Press college basketball rankings. UK is now ninth in the rankings.
Kentucky (3-0) has had a good feeling in the locker room this week, according to sophomore center Brandon Garrison.
“I feel like it’s always good vibes around the whole team,” Garrison said. “But even better vibes since we pulled off the win versus Duke. I feel like it would give any team confidence. Third game in, beating a decent opponent like Duke. I feel like that will help our confidence for the rest of the season.”
The Oklahoma State transfer had eight points and four rebounds against Duke. He went on a two-minute spurt in the second half in which he scored four points, grabbed an offensive rebound and had a steal. Garrison believes that stretch, as well as his energy, are important to the team.
“It meant a lot because I knew my team needed something from me,” Garrison said. “I started off the game slow and the coaches were telling me to pick it up, and I picked it up right there. I’m an energy dude and I feel like (when) my energy is up and I’m running the court, blocking shots that my team feeds off that.”
Garrison does note that the Cats must look forward instead of looking back.
“Just don’t get too big headed and come in like we just won the national championship. We’ve got to take every game like it’s a big game. We’ve put that game past us now and we’re looking at Lipscomb and that’s our next big game.”
Lipscomb is 2-3 this season, with close losses to Belmont and Western Kentucky, in addition to a 16-point loss at Arkansas. The Cats are not overlooking the Bisons in any way.
“A whole bunch of three-point shooters. Physical team. Can’t go in there and think we’re going to walk over them because they’re going to put up a fight.”
The Cats are experiencing a great vibe after beating a talented Duke team in Atlanta last week. However, Kentucky knows that if that feeling is to continue, handling the next opponent on the schedule is what the focus needs to be. That starts on Tuesday night against Lipscomb.
Champions Classic Statement
Kentucky got its first marquee win of the Mark Pope era, upending No. 6 Duke, 77-72, in the Champions Classic in Atlanta.
Trailing 46-37 at the half, Kentucky outscored the Blue Devils, 40-26 in the final 20 minutes to earn its first victory against an AP Top 25 ranked opponent under Pope.
Andrew Carr was the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 17 points, while Otega Oweh had 15 and Amari Williams had 10. Those three players have scored in double figures in all three games this season.
The Wildcats led for just 7:10 in the contest. After leading 24-23 with 8:47 to go in the first half. UK would not lead again until holding a 69-67 edge with 2:40 left in the game. A steal and two free throws from Oweh with 10 seconds to go put UK ahead for good as a Blue Devils’ turnover, paired with a made free throw by Lamont Butler and an offensive rebound by Oweh, closed the deal for the Cats.
Some additional notes from the win:
• Kentucky earned its first win in the Champions Classic since 2019, snapping a four-game skid in the event and improving to 6-8 in the showcase all time
• The victory was the first for Kentucky when trailing by at least nine points at the half since March 7, 2020 vs. Florida when the Cats rallied from 10 down at the break to win by one. UK was 0-12 dating back to that game when down by nine or more points at the intermission
• Kentucky is now 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2016-17
• For Mark Pope, No. 6 Duke marked the second-highest ranked opponent he has beaten during his coaching career. Pope’s BYU squad defeated No. 2 Gonzaga on Feb. 22, 2020
Andrew Carr Named SEC Player of the Week
After leading Kentucky with 17 points in a come-from-behind upset over No. 6 Duke, UK forward Andrew Carr was declared the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 18.
Carr set season highs in both points (17) and rebounds (6), while also adding three assists and a blocked shot as Kentucky erased a nine-point halftime deficit to upend the Blue Devils, 77-72.
The West Chester, Pa. native made a big impact down the stretch for the Wildcats, beginning with an “and one” with 3:57 to go which tied the game at 67 and pulled UK even for the first time since there was 8:23 on the clock in the first half. Carr then assisted on an Otega Oweh layup that gave the Cats a 69-67 lead, their first advantage since holding a 24-23 edge. After Duke reclaimed the lead 70-69, Carr converted another traditional 3-point play the old-fashioned way, hitting a layup plus a foul shot to put Kentucky in front 72-70.
Carr’s 17 points came on an efficient 5-of-8 performance from the field and included two made 3s on just three attempts. The transfer has scored in double-figures in all three games this season and is averaging 13.0 points per game while shooting 68.4 percent.
This week’s award is the first SEC weekly honor for Kentucky on the young season. Carr had previously been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week while at Wake Forest in January of 2023.
