The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday night in Lexington with a final score of 92-68.
The Cats got off to another slow start in this one, but they woke up in exciting fashion. Following widespread boos, Kentucky was embarrassed for the first 15 minutes or so of the first half, and rightfully so. The Bulldogs led by 12 points, but Mark Pope’s team led 44-39 at halftime.
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The Cats never relinquished the lead after the break and they were completely dominant. This looks like a completely different team. It’s unclear what clicked and/or what they found, but it worked and I hope we see more of this. Starting about five minutes into the first half, it was a fun game that felt like old school Kentucky basketball. Pure domination.
Next up, the Cats travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Moreno is resurrected
Malachi Moreno lost his starting spot last time out, but this time he’s back in full force.
Despite having low expectations entering the season, the freshman has shown flashes and his performance tonight was impressive. Moreno looked like a mismatch from the start. He scored in double figures for the first time in more than a month.
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The Kentucky native also clearly took Nate Oates’ comments about his passing to heart. He dished out six assists, a career-high (double), and revealed potentially important new aspects of his game. This ability will earn him a ton of playing time, as we all know how important big men are in Pope’s scheme.
Jaran Lowe injured again
Health is the theme of this season. It took this team half a season to finally get healthy, but once they got there, Jaden Quintens missed tonight’s game with a swollen knee and Jarran Lowe re-injured his shoulder in the game.
Health issues have been a focus this season not just because of the widespread injuries, but many have blamed injuries for UK’s early-season performance. The past few games have made it clear that this team isn’t playing well, and injuries may amplify that, but it doesn’t change that one way or another.
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Lowe has looked a little rusty since his return, but in the three games leading up to this game he was arguably England’s best and most important player. He is the straw that stirs the drink.
Surprisingly, Kentucky really put things together after Lowe went down.
I don’t think this is a long-term indictment of Lowe, but rather a matchup-based issue. Michigan State is a very physical team, so Lowe could get hurt again. UK looked better without Lowe in this game, I don’t think Pope himself would have thought of that, but he is an integral part of this team moving forward.
Pray that Britain recovers and the Pope learns how to use the fragments at his disposal.
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Balance and passing are key
This team already consists of a bunch of role players. Otega Oweh is a “star,” but not a star in the traditional sense. There isn’t a high-profile freshman, or anyone who can take over a basketball game.
That means this team has to execute well. They have to defend. They have to have good ball movement. When they get open, they have to finish. They have to take advantage of the mismatch. They haven’t done anything like that so far this season.
What is clear, however, is that Kentucky is at its best when multiple individuals share the load and they share the ball while doing so. The Cats have a great assist rate against bad teams, but they’ve been terrible against every decent team they’ve played.
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Sharing the ball is contagious, and when the Cats do that, the product is much prettier and the lineup is more balanced. Kentucky had four players score in double figures, Ovi did his thing, and the ball movement was dazzling.
This is the key to success. Now, it’s time to maintain some consistency.
Go cats!