Arkansas defeats Kentucky, 88-73
The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-7, 6-5) earned a big-time 88-73 win over the Kentucky Wildcats (16-8, 7-4) in a battle between two bubble teams Tuesday night inside Rupp Arena.
Arkansas' offensive performance was extremely efficient, as it shot 62.7% from the field (72.0% in the second half), 44.4% from three and made 20-of-24 free throws. The Razorbacks outscored the Wildcats by 15 despite the fact that they took 11 less shots and brought down five less rebounds in the contest.
Freshman guard Anthony Black dominated on the big stage, recording 19 points, five assists and four rebounds. Big man Makhel Mitchell added 15 points, four rebounds and five blocks.
The Razorbacks limited Kentucky's star player Oscar Tshiebwe to just seven points and seven rebounds after he entered the game averaging 15.9 and 13.6. Kentucky shot 46.8% from the field and 30.8% from three in the game.
Here's a recap of Arkansas' fifth straight win in SEC play after it started 1-5.
Both teams were neck and neck through the first four minutes of play, and the game was tied 5-5 at the under-16 media timeout of the first half. Black completed an and-one out of the break to give the Hogs a 1-point advantage.
Jordan Walsh hit a three ball from the mid-court logo and a few minutes later he battled in the paint for an offensive rebound that turned into a Kentucky foul and two made free throws for Walsh to give the Hogs a 14-11 lead. After a pair of jumpers from each squad, the Hogs stood firm with a 3-point lead at the under-12 media timeout.
By the 7:42 mark, Kentucky had put up five more shots than Arkansas, but the Hogs led 24-23. A pair of 3-pointers and an admirable effort against an elite rebounding team allowed the Hogs to be on top.
Arkansas made six straight field goals and went on a 6-0 run that featured an emphatic slam from Black that forced Kentucky head coach John Calipari to call for a timeout with his team down 32-26 with 5:29 left in the first half.
The Wildcats responded with a quick 5-point run to cut it to a 1-point game, but Tshiebwe drew his second four just before the final media timeout of the first half to make things interesting.
Kentucky's run extended to 12-5, but after Makhel Mitchell made a layup for the Hogs, Calipari argued that Mitchell walked and it earned him a technical foul, which resulted in two made free throws from Black. Daimion Collins hit a shot at the buzzer for the Wildcats, making it a 41-40 Arkansas lead at the break.
Both teams shot over 53% from the field in the first half, but the Wildcats won the battle on the boards by six. Arkansas' had three made 3-pointers and a 1-point lead at halftime despite taking six less shots than Kentucky.
Arkansas opened the second half on a 6-0 run that featured back-to-back slam dunks from Black and Calipari called for a timeout. Just minutes later, the Hogs worked the half court trap to perfection and Davonte Davis laid it in to extend Arkansas' lead to nine.
Livingston heated up from deep for the Wildcats to keep the game within reach after the Hogs went up by nine multiple times. The Razorbacks led 54-48 at the first media timeout of the second half, which came with 13:38 to play.
The Razorbacks continued their strong transition offense with a cross-court pass from Davis to Makhel Mitchell, who laid in a shot that put the Razorbacks up by eight before the under-12 media timeout.
Tshiebwe's third foul came against a driving Council, who hit the layup. A missed free throw from Council went out of bounds off Kentucky, and Black got to 17 points with a layup on the free possession to put the Razorbacks up 68-58 with 8:00 to play.
Out of the under-8 media timeout, the Hogs hit a pair of buckets to extend a run to 8-0 and their lead to 14. They kept it up over the next four minutes to go up by 16 with 4:02 to play, and the Kentucky fans started to hit the exits.
Kentucky trimmed Arkansas' lead to 12 on a few occasions over the the last three minutes, and a three from Cason Wallace made it an 84-73 Arkansas lead with 1:18 to play, but that was the closest it got. Late game free throws allowed the Hogs to extend their win margin to 88-73.
Up next, the Razorbacks will host the Mississippi State Bulldogs inside Bud Walton Arena for a 5 p.m. CT tipoff on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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