The crowd at the Rupp Arena were at their best, but the Big Blue Nation couldn’t cheer their team to victory.
On Saturday night, the Kentucky Wildcats (14-7; 5-3 SEC) failed against the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (17-4; 5-3 Big 12) to fall behind with a final score of 77-68. Both teams shot 49 percent from the field overall, but UK couldn’t overcome a poor attacking performance in the first half. Just four offensive rebounds and zero second-chance points also plagued the ‘Cats.
Four different Kentucky players finished in double digits, led by 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists Oscar Tshiebwe. Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin got 14 points each Antonio Reeves Contributed 10 of his own. Kansas was fueled by an incredible night by All-American nominee Jalen Wilson, who finished with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Behind the roar of over 20,000, Kentucky caught a fuel-injected start and emerged to an early 9-4 lead just four minutes into the contest. The ‘Cats ran across the court at will, propelled by a pair of fastbreak buckets Chris Livingston.
But Kansas regrouped and settled in quickly. Both sides started scoring at a high rate, with the pace gradually picking up. Midway through the first half, the Jayhawks held a slight 21-20 advantage and slowly built it from there as the ‘Cats faltered on offense. Two fouls on Toppin and Tshiebwe didn’t help Kentucky’s cause either as Kansas led 41-34 into the dressing room.
Although UK shot over 55 percent overall from field in the first half, UK was 0-6 from behind the arc and just 4-11 from the free throw line with no offensive rebounds. Defensive pick-and-roll breakdowns particularly hurt Kentucky as Kansas converted with dunks and layups going 11-12. Toppin and Livingston led the ‘Cats 20 minutes into the night with eight points each.
Out of the break, Kentucky held the score close but couldn’t quite clear the hump. Kansas retained a small lead early in the second half. UK made it to a one-point game thanks to a Wallace triple at 11:55, but the Jayhawks had another response and immediately extended their lead back to six.
As time continued to pass, Kansas continued to put down big shot after big shot. Back-to-back triples by the Jayhawks made it 70-64 in favor of KU on the media timeout of less than four minutes. Tshiebwe hit two free throws from the short break, but more timely buckets from Kansas – Wilson in particular – made it 75-68 with less than two minutes left.
There would be no comeback as Kentucky lost 77-68 in a high-energy fight, ending the team’s four-game winning streak and ending three lost losses for Kansas.
