Kentucky Squeaks Out 71-68 Road Win Over Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. — "You can't make em' all, you just can't miss em' all."
That's the trope that coach John Calipari has hurled out to those willing to listen over the course of Kentucky's rocky 2022-23 season. Many of UK's nine losses this year have seen the Wildcats fall victim to missing open shot after open shot, failing to connect on easy jumpers, lay-ups, you name it.
On Wednesday night, some good mojo finally came back Kentucky's way, as it both made the shots it was suppose to, while also connecting on a bevy of low-percentage looks on its way to a crucial 71-68 win over Mississippi State.
UK (17-9, 8-5 SEC) shot 45.5 percent as a team and took advantage of the multitude of opportunities that Miss State gave it. It was an 18-2 run that helped the Wildcats break open the game that it had to have in order to feel somewhat sane about their chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
It was actually another one of Calipari's old quips he instilled in his team to make sure disaster didn't strike — "refuse to lose."
"Just refuse to lose. You may run out of time, but refuse to lose, you just keep fighting," he said following the win. "It was a hard-fought game for both teams."
Coach Chris Jans' Bulldogs (17-9, 5-8) suffered a six-minute stretch without a field goal down the stretch, allowing Kentucky's lead to blossom as big as 56-43.
Things have never came easy for Kentucky this season, and that didn't change on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs managed to snap out of their offensive funk and rattle off a 12-2 run to vault their way back to a 3-point deficit, highlighted by a 3-pointer from guard Dashawn Davis that shook Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs continued to fill the cup, making six shots in a row, keeping things neck and neck. Star forward Tolu Smith — who led all scorers with 22 — landed another layup to shrink UK's lead to 66-62 with just over a minute left to play.
Shakeel Moore buried a jumper to bring the Bulldogs within two. Kentucky's next possession ended with shooting guard Antonio Reeves heaving a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock. It hit back-iron, but found the palms of freshman forward Chris Livingston with less than 10 seconds to go.
"We knew coming into this game, it wasn't going to be anything other than fight, and we understood that," Jacob Toppin said. "We just refused to lose today."
He'd go on to make both free throws, making Kentucky's lead 68-64. Reeves then fouled on the other end, to which Eric Reed Jr. responded with a pair of makes from the line.
In round two of the foul game, it was Oscar Tshiebwe making only one of two for the Cats, meaning Miss State could drain a 3-pointer to tie things up at 69. Instead, Calipari opted to foul up three.
Two more makes for the Bulldogs. 69-68 UK, Tshiebwe back to the line.
The reigning National Player of the Year connected on both this time, putting the Bulldogs in the same situation. Kentucky wouldn't foul this time, but MSU failed to get a shot up in the final seconds, earning the Cats their grittiest win of the season.
Kentucky relied on the quartet of Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe and Livingston. The four combined for 61 points, propelling the Cats, who were once again shorthanded, as both guards Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick were once again out due to injury. As a result, all five starters played 32 or more minutes.
Calipari also needed a big performance from freshman point guard Cason Wallace, and he got it, just not via putting the ball in the basket. While scoring only four points on a deplorable 1-13 shooting night, the crafty facilitator provided a season-high 11 assists.
Kentucky shot 51.7 percent as a team in the first half, despite playing some funky lineups. With no Wheeler or Fredrick for the second game in a row, Calipari had to make some adjustments.
In the loss at Georgia, Reeves played all 40 minutes. In an effort to get the sharpshooter some rest on Wednesday, it was Toppin that moved up a position, playing the '3' at times. That led to Daimion Collins and Lance Ware playing additional minutes in the paint.
Things were at their wonkiest when this was the lineup that Calipari had on the floor:
- Cason Wallace
- Adou Thiero
- Jacob Toppin
- Lance Ware
- Daimion Collins
Despite the defensive woes that followed, Kentucky took a 36-35 lead into the locker room. Reeves continued his lights-out shooting form, scoring 11 points thanks to a trio of 3-pointers, while Toppin poured in 11 of his own, knocking down multiple tough jumpers that normally haven't found the bottom of the net this season.
While not entirely back to his superhuman ways, Tshiebwe acquired eight points and five rebounds, as he battled with Smith, who didn't miss in the half, leading the Bulldogs with 11.
Uncharacteristically, it was the 3-ball that jolted the Miss State early. The Bulldogs — who entered Wednesday as the No. 344 team in Division 1 in 3-point percentage (28.54 percent ) — canned five treys in the opening 20 minutes, with each coming from a different player. Forward Cameron Matthews banked in his 3-pointer as time expired to bring MSU down just one.
As the game flew down the stretch, Kentucky attempted to avoid its identity that it had crafted for itself over the season — one that only manages to wilt and falter as important games near their end.
It was Livingston that turned an ugly first half into a beautiful 13-point second half, working the post and finding that second gear that has eluded him for much of the year. He made all six of his free throws on Wednesday, contributing to the newfound "refuse to lose" mentality.
"In the second half I just knew I had to play harder and make some plays to make up for how I played in the first half," Livingston said. "Refusing to lose, when it hit four minutes, we said to each other 'it's winning time.' It's that time of the season.
Crushing Miss State on the glass 38-22 and making 15 free throws in 20 attempts helped re-write a new narrative, one that Calipari and the Cats need to push as it vies for a bid in March Madness.
It wasn't pretty — it never is — but the Cats continued to find enough answers to fend off the pesky Bulldogs.
Test one of six = passed.
The next assignment is a big one, as Kentucky returns home to take on the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers, who will enter Rupp Arena seeking revenge while fresh off a win over No. 1 Alabama.
Tipoff this Saturday, Feb. 18 is set for 1 p.m. EST and will air on CBS.
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