Two stock risers from the Wildcats win over Mississippi State
The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 90-77 in Rupp Arena.
Mississippi State is one of the best defensive teams in all of college basketball, and the Wildcats were still able to hit their season average on a team that was only allowing opponents to score 64.8 points per game heading into this ball game. On the defensive side of the ball, things were better, but there is still a long way to go for this defense to be elite. The Bulldogs aren't a great offensive team, and they had a lot of open looks they couldn't get to fall. There is no question that the defense was much better against Mississippi State than it was against Texas A&M, but the Wildcats still have room to improve.
The two players who really stood out for the Kentucky Wildcats were Antonio Reeves and Rod Dillingham. Reeves had a big game, scoring 27 points on 8-12 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists. If Reeves keeps playing like this, there will be a serious case for him to be the SEC Player of the Year. Dillingham scored 16 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. I don't believe you can find a better offensive player in all of college basketball. These two Wildcats are stars and have been a big reason why Kentucky is the best offensive team in college basketball.
Coach Calipari had this to say about his favorite play of the game from Reeves, "My favorite play for him, he started his dance and usually what does he shoot? A step-back, bank misser, it doesn't go in, he is two for -- I think he is 1 for 11 with that shot. I'm like, do your dance, you will get happy, and then go by a guy. And he went by him and got fouled."
When your offensive stars play like this, you win basketball games, and that is what Kentucky did, beating Mississippi State 90-77 in Rupp Arena.
