KT Turner explains how Kentucky has been able to maintain positivity

On3 imageby:Barkley Truax02/01/23

BarkleyTruax

Before Kentucky defeated Ole Miss on the road Tuesday night, Wildcats assistant coach KT Turner challenged his players to keep the faith and belief that they can bounce back after last week’s crushing loss to Kansas at home.

“Our locker room is really tight. We even talk before the game, win or lose, that we’re going to go out and play, not worry about the results and [move on to the next game],” Turner said. “These guys are tight, they still have a really positive attitude right now.”

The loss to Kansas snapped a four-game win streak for UK, and the Jayhawks spoiled one of the most special atmospheres Rupp Arena has seen since before the pandemic. They came out Tuesday night to a half-packed Pavilion in Oxford and what began as a slug fest quickly turned into a one-sided second half in Kentucky’s favor.

Antonio Reeves was sensational, scoring a season-high 27 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the perimiter. He shot 8-for-12 overall during his 31 minutes on the court. He was helped along the way by Oscar Tshiebwe (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Jacob Toppin (18 points), who together combined 32 points. With star point guard Cason Wallace out with an injury, no other Wildcat scored more than 6 points on the night.

On top of Wallace’s injury, Kentucky was down to its third point guard in Adou Thiero for a while in the first half after Sahvir Wheeler went down with a sprained ankle, though he would return later and finish the game.

Kentucky was faced with adversity yet again with injuries on a road trip during an ice storm coming off a close loss to the reigning national champions — and they came out victorious. Now, the Wildcats will turn their attention to the Florida Gators Saturday at home. Tip-off between the two SEC foes is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN.