Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)
There is a lot to like about Kentucky’s hard fought win at Arkansas, a place where John Calipari had only won once as head coach at Kentucky. It was a collective effort for the Wildcats, who battled back after falling behind 11-0 in the opening minutes of the game. Let’s take a look at five things that stood out.
Resiliency
Call it resiliency, grit, toughness or whatever you’d like but Kentucky showed it all Tuesday night at Arkansas. They had every excuse to get blown out and head back to Lexington to try to regroup in time for Missouri on Saturday but the young Wildcats had other plans.
The Razorbacks were determined to defeat Kentucky, especially since no current player on the roster had done so in their career. That extra motive makes this win even more impressive.
Balanced Scoring, Again
For most of the season, the Wildcats relied on Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to handle the scoring load but for the last couple of games, other guys are starting to pick up the pace. Knox (23) and SGA (18) still got theirs but five guys in double figures is the balance this team needs moving forward.
Another Dominating Rebounding Effort
For the second consecutive game, Kentucky dominated the glass. After out rebounding Alabama 44-27 on Saturday, they destroyed the Razorbacks 46-29, including 18 offensive rebounds.
In all, Kentucky had five players grab five or more rebounds, led by PJ Washington with ten and Jarred Vanderbilt with nine.
Free Throw Shooting
This team has made it hard on themselves at times this season but they capitalized when they had opportunities at the free throw line tonight. The Wildcats shot 17-of-20 at the line, good enough for 85 percent.
That’s a number that needs to continue, especially as the calendar turns to March and close games await in the NCAA tournament.
Assists
This team has been labeled selfish at times this season and sharing the ball has been issue in recent weeks. However, that wasn’t the case tonight, as Kentucky recorded 16 assists on 31 made shots, a very impressive statistic.
