Kentucky-Texas Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
JANUARY 21, 2026
ATTENDANCE: 19,298

Final Score: (RV) Kentucky 85, Texas 80

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 13-6 overall, 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
  • Kentucky won its fourth in a row, tying the longest streak of the season.
  • It is Kentucky’s longest SEC win streak since winning the last five games of the 2024 regular season.
• Texas is 11-8, 2-4 in the SEC.
• Kentucky leads the series, 3-1, including 2-0 in Lexington.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats play host to Ole Miss on Saturday at noon. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Team Notes

• This is the first time Kentucky has won three consecutive SEC games by five points or less since February 1984.
• Kentucky had season highs with 30 free throws out of 35 attempts.
  • It’s the most free throws made since hitting 34 vs. Arkansas on March 2, 2024.
  • Kentucky made 85.7 percent at the charity stripe, highest percentage (min. 30 attempts) since hitting 86.1 percent vs. Mississippi State on Feb. 4, 2020.
• Kentucky limited Texas to 11.1 percent on 3-pointers (2 of 18), the lowest percentage by a UK opponent (min. 15 attempts) since Alabama shot 10 percent on Feb. 5, 2022 in Tuscaloosa.
  • Kentucky is now 8-0 this season when keeping the opponent under 30 percent from long range.
• With three players scoring at least 18 points tonight, it’s the first time UK had three players score at least 18 against an SEC opponent since Feb. 24, 2024 vs. Alabama.
• Kentucky has had a significant advantage in bench points in the last two games, outscoring the Tennessee bench 36-22 and winning the bench 27-14 tonight.

Player Notes

• Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 19 points, including career highs at the foul line by making 9 of 12.
  • During UK’s four-game win streak, he is averaging 18.5 points per game.
• Otega Oweh had 18 points and has scored in double figures in all 19 games this season. He has a total streak of 22 games dating back to last season.
  • He had one steal, his 14^th straight game with at least one theft.
• Despite battling the flu bug, Collin Chandler totaled career highs with 18 points and seven rebounds.
  • He also had career bests on the free throw line, making 6 of 6.
  • He scored 12 of UK’s 13 points when the Wildcats expanded the lead from 63-60 to 76-65, the largest of the game.
• Malachi Moreno played another all-around game with eight points, four rebounds, a career-high-tying six assists and a career-best five blocked shots – the first Wildcat with those stats in a game since Nerlens Noel vs. Texas A&M on Jan. 12, 2013.
  • His five blocked shots are the most for a Wildcat this season.
• Andrea Jelavic had four points and tied for the team lead in rebounding with seven.
• Kam Williams had nine points, but it was announced after the game that he incurred a broken foot and will be out for an indefinite length of time.
• Jayden Quaintance missed his fourth straight game while dealing with his knee recovery.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started the combination of Denzel Aberdeen, Otega Oweh, Kam Williams, Andrija Jelavic and Malachi Moreno for the third straight game.
• UK’s first substitution was Brandon Garrison at 16:19
• Fitting for a half featuring 11 ties and eight lead changes, the teams went to halftime knotted at 40.
  • Aberdeen and Oweh led Kentucky with 10 points each.
  • UK is now 1-1 this season when tied at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky opened with the starters.
• Kentucky scored the first six points, at that juncture the largest lead of the game for either team.
• With UK leading 55-49, Texas rallied with a 7-0 run to go up 56-55, coaxing a UK timeout at 10:53.
• Kentucky came out of the timeout with a Jelavic banker to reclaim the lead, followed by a blocked 3-pointer by Moreno, leading to a breakaway flagrant foul on Texas with 10:18 on the clock.
  • Oweh made both foul shots, and on the ensuing throw-in, Moreno was fouled and made a pair. Suddenly, in a span of 36 seconds, UK had rebuilt a 61-56 lead.
• With Kentucky ahead 63-60, Chandler tallied 12 of UK’s next 13 points for the Wildcats’ largest lead at 76-65 with 5:48 remaining.
• Kentucky did not make a field goal in the final 5:48, but made 9 of 12 foul shots down the stretch to keep the visitors at bay.