Scoring Recap: No. 6 Kentucky 63, Arkansas 57
Unable to watch Arkansas-Kentucky? HawgBeat has you covered with pregame notes, live scoring updates, highlights and more from the Hogs' X-X loss to Kentucky.
STARTING LINEUPS:
Arkansas:
G - #0 Khalif Battle
G - #3 El Ellis
G - #12 Tramon Mark
F - #8 Chandler Lawson
F - #11 Jalen Graham
Kentucky:
G - #3 Adou Thiero
G - #12 Antonio Reeves
G - #21 D.J. Wagner
F - #2 Aaron Bradshaw
F - #4 Tre Mitchell
First Half:
Kentucky has won the tip and we are underway!
Both teams start off with misses, but the first points of the game are scored by Arkansas' El Ellis from beyond the arch.
A steal by Chandler Lawson results in a missed three from Khalif Battle, and Jalen Graham fouls Adou Thiero on the rebound. The Wildcats finally score on a three point shot by Tre Mitchell.
Battle goes UP to block Kentucky's Reed Sheppard at the rim, and Mark takes it all the way back for a transition layup. After another solid defensive possession, Graham backs down his man and hits a hook shot in the paint.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 7, Kentucky 3, 14:57 in 1H
Graham works his way into the paint and scores a contested jumper out of the break. Following a missed floater by the Wildcats, Kentucky's Justin Edwards is called for a foul. Ellis is stripped on his way to the rim, and Graham fouls Antonio Reeves on the other end.
Reeves hits one from the line. Despite a late shot-clock live-ball turnover, a travel by Edwards in transition negates a possible layup.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 9, Kentucky 4, 11:23 in 1H
After securing an offensive rebound, the Hogs nail a corner three courtesy of Chandler Lawson. Arkansas continues its scoring run with a Layden Blocker spin-around layup. Kentucky finally stops the bleeding with a fast-break driving layup.
Mark hits a highly-contested layup and the Hogs get back in transition to force a stop. Bud Walton Arena is loud!
D.J. Wagner takes Blocker to the left and scores over the freshman guard off the backboard. Makhi Mitchell secures another offensive rebound and takes this one home by himself for a bucket.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 18, Kentucky 8, 7:01 in 1H
Reeves is wide-open on the baseline out of bounds play and he makes an easy bucket after the timeout. Back-to-back easy layups by the Wildcats makes this a two-possession game again.
Mitchell draws a foul on an attempted hook-shot that falls short. He drains both free throws. Lawson prevents an alley-oop attempt and secures the rebound, but Mark misses a three from the corner.
Mark's midrange jumper hits the front of the rim, and Lawson fouls Tre Mitchell on the other end. He hits one from the charity stripe. Makhi Mitchell draws a foul but misses the front end.
Tre Mitchell finds Ugonna Onyenso for a wide-open dunk to make it a five-point game.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 20, Kentucky 15, 3:54 in 1H
Mark nails a free throw after the break. Reeves answers with a deep three pointer to quiet the Arkansas crowd. Make that back-to-back buckets for Reeves, who gets Mark jumping and hits an easy push shot from the paint.
Mark isn't held down for long, as he hits a turnaround jumper on the other end. Kentucky turns it over but the Hogs can't take advantage after a Jeremiah Davenport missed corner three. It's a one-point game after Makhi Mitchell rebounds the ball into the Hogs' own goal.
Davenport draws a player-control foul by Tre Mitchell and it's under review.
REVIEW: Arkansas 23, Kentucky 22, 1:10 in 1H
After review, the foul is upgraded to a flagrant I. Davenport only hits one free throw, but the Hogs retain possession. Battle saves a ball going out of bounds, but the Hogs can't find the bottom of the net.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 24, Kentucky 22, 0:39 in 1H
The Hogs force a missed three after the break, and Battle gets fouled on a transition dunk attempt. He makes both charity stripe shots. Layden Blocker is called for a blocking foul with just seconds left in the half, and Wagner makes both free throws.
HALF: Arkansas 26, Kentucky 24
Second Half:
Arkansas will start with the ball to beginL the second half.
Both teams start with misses again, but El Ellis gets the scoring started with a pullup midrange jumper. A Graham block results in a missed three by Battle, which is turned into an and-one basket on the other end by Antonio Reeves. He makes the free throw.
Lawson is called for a late foul on a shot by Thiero, who makes one free throw. Khalif Battle finally gets one to fall from deep, but it's quickly answered by the Wildcats' Reed Sheppard.
Ellis finds Graham for an alley-oop dunk in transition and the Hogs almost get another transition score but get fouled first. Makhi Mitchell spins around, pump fakes and gets fouled on a shot attempt under the rim. He makes both from the free throw line.
Battle razzle dazzles his way to the rim for a right-handed layup and the Bud is rocking. A block by Makhi Mitchell erupts the crowd, and we have a timeout.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 37, Kentucky 31, 15:10 in 2H
Battle gets blocked on an uninspired drive to the hoop, but the Hogs force a Kentucky miss despite three offensive rebounds.
Reeves finds himself wide open at the top of the key for a three point basket and Ellis can't connect one from deep on the other end. Reed Sheppard finds an easy lane to the hoop and connects on the off-hand layup.
The Wildcats take the lead off a turnover by Ellis and transition dunk by Sheppard.
TIMEOUT: Kentucky 38, Arkansas 37, 12:54 in 2H
Tramon Mark hits a highly-contested jumper over a defender to take back the lead for the Hogs. A travel by Graham leads to a timeout.
TIMEOUT: Arkansas 39, Kentucky 38, 11:15 in 2H
A near-turnover ends with a wide-open dunk by the Wildcats out of the timeout. Jalen Graham answers with a hook shot in the paint. We're going back and forth now, as Sheppard converts an easy layup on the right side.
Makhi Mitchell travels with the ball along the baseline but the Hogs force a miss. Another turnover by Ellis results in a weak foul by Graham outside of the paint. Mark gets picked by Antonio Reeves and he takes it all way back for a dunk.
Lawson takes initiative and drives one home for a bucket, and we have a timeout.
TIMEOUT: Kentucky 44, Arkansas 43, 8:00 in 2H
The Razorbacks force a miss out of the timeout but can't find the bottom of the net on the other end. Tre Mitchell nails a wide-open three to give the Wildcats a four-point lead.
Tre Mitchell gets swatted by Lawson and the Hogs force a turnover out of bounds. Lawson takes it to the rim, but finds Battle on the perimeter for a three point basket.
TIMEOUT: Kentucky 47, Arkansas 46, 6:14 in 2H
Mitchell foils an alley-oop attempt with a mean block, but the Hogs can't take advantage. Mitchell block another shot by the Wildcats, but Reeves eventually finds himself open for a three point basket.
Mitchell draws a foul under the rim, and he knocks in both free throws. On the other end, Tre Mitchell drains a corner three. Tramon Mark scores under the rim, but he's on the floor in pain after the basket.
TIMEOUT: Kentucky 53, Arkansas 50, 4:14 in 2H
Sheppard airballs a layup attempt out of the break, and Ellis draws a foul on a drive. Makhi Mitchell secures another rebound and Ellis makes a hard drive to the hoop for a layup.
Reeves is wide-open again for another three point basket and we have a timeout.
TIMEOUT: Kentucky 56, Arkansas 52, 2:39 in 2H
It's gut-check time now, and Ellis turns the ball over for a transition dunk. A wild drive to the cup by Battle results in the ball flying out of bounds.
The Wildcats extend their lead with a Reed Sheppard three pointer. Makhi Mitchell secures a rebound after a missed midrange by Ellis and he gets fouled in the process. Mitchell hits one of two from the line.
Mark fouls Tre Mitchell behind the three point line and Sheppard turns the ball over, but we have a review.
REVIEW: Kentucky 61, Arkansas 53, 0:54 in 2H
Lawson airballs a corner three out of the timeout and this one is all but over. A few buckets get traded both ways, and a hard-fought effort by the Hogs comes up short.
FINAL: No. 6 Kentucky 63, Arkansas 57