Arkansas defeats Kentucky, 88-73

The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-7, 6-5) earned a smashing 88-73 win over the Kentucky Wildcats (16-8, 7-4) in a bout between two bubble teams Tuesday night at the Rupp Arena.

Arkansas’ offensive performance was extremely efficient, shooting 62.7% from the field (72.0% in the second half), making 44.4% from three and 20 of 24 free throws. The Razorbacks outplayed the Wildcats by 15 despite shooting 11 fewer and rebounding five fewer in the contest.

Freshman guard Anthony Black dominated the big stage with 19 points, five assists and four rebounds. Big Man Makhel Mitchell added 15 points, four rebounds and five blocks.

The Razorbacks limited Kentucky star player Oscar Tshiebwe to just seven points and seven rebounds after he came into 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 of the SEC game after starting 1-5.

Both teams were neck and neck for the first four minutes of the game and the game was tied 5-5 at the U16 media timeout of the first half. Black completed a one from the break to give the Hogs a 1 point advantage.

Jordan Walsh hit a ball with a three from the mid-court logo and a few minutes later he was struggling in the paint for an offensive rebound that turned into a Kentucky foul and two free throws for Walsh to defeat the Hogs 14-11 to lead. After two jumpers from each roster, the Hogs held firm with a 3-point lead at the U12 media timeout.

By the 7:42 mark, Kentucky had fired five more shots than Arkansas, but the Hogs led by 24:23. A pair of 3-pointers and an admirable display against an elite rebound team allowed the Hogs to take the lead.

Arkansas hit six straight field goals and put on a 6-0 run with an emphatic slam from Black that forced Kentucky head coach John Calipari to call for a timeout, with his team going 32-26 in the first half and had a time-out with 5:29 to go.

The Wildcats responded with a quick 5-point run to reduce it to a 1-point game, but Tshiebwe drew his second four just before the final first-half media timeout to keep 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, resulting in two free throws from Black. Daimion Collins shot the buzzer for the Wildcats and led 41-40 for Arkansas 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 points. Arkansas had three 3-pointers and a 1-point lead at halftime despite shooting six fewer than Kentucky.

Arkansas opened the second half with a 6-0 run that saw Black hit back-to-back slam dunks and Calipari called for a timeout. Minutes later, the Hogs worked the half-court trap to perfection, and Vomte Davis incorporated it to extend Arkansas’ lead to nine.

Livingston heated up from the deep for the Wildcats to keep the game within reach after the Hogs went up nine a number of times. The Razorbacks led the first media timeout of the second half by 54:48, which came into play at 13:38.

The Razorbacks continued their strong transition offense with a cross-court pass from Davis to Makhel Mitchell, who laid down a shot that gave the Razorbacks an eight-lead lead before the U12 media timeout.

Tshiebwe’s third foul hit a traveling council, which hit the layup. A missed Council free throw went wide in front of Kentucky, and Black came up with a layup for 17 points to give the Razorbacks a 68-58 lead with 8:00 to go.

From the media’s under-8 timed, the Hogs hit two buckets to extend a run to 8-0 and their lead to 14. They held it up over the next four minutes to go up 4:02 at 16, and the Kentucky fans started hitting the exits.

Kentucky cut Arkansas’ lead to 12 a few times in the last three minutes, and a three from Cason Wallace put Arkansas 1:18 to an 84-73 lead, but that was the closest they got. Late game free throws allowed the Hogs to extend their winning margin to 88-73.

Next, the Razorbacks will host the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena for a 5 p.m. CT tip Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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