KSR Today: Chandler Powers Kentucky Past Texas as Cats Suffer Another Devastating Injury
Big Blue Nation breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in a long time, the Wildcats did not have to overcome a double-digit deficit at halftime to win in the SEC. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a sweat for Kentucky fans.
A back-and-forth affair for the first 20 minutes, Kentucky needed a little extra something-something in the second half to pull away from Texas. They got it from Collin Chandler.
The sophomore guard went on a 7-0 run by himself. Kentucky led by three points when his scoring surge started. Chandler scored 15 of the Wildcats’ next 16 points, leaving the home team with an 11-point advantage.
The final five minutes were a grind. After Chandler’s dunk, Kentucky did not make another field goal, but did enough to keep Texas at bay and escape with an 85-80 victory. It’s the fourth-straight SEC win for the Wildcats, the longest win streak in conference play of the Pope era.
What’s even crazier? Chandler did it all while feeling under the weather. An illness sidelined him from the shootaround, but he still mustered a career-high 18 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3FG). He also had a team-high seven rebounds and two steals.
Another Kentucky Injury
Similar to what happened in Denver over the weekend, the air was let out of the balloon shortly after the win. Mark Pope shared in his postgame press conference that Kam Williams suffered a broken foot in the win.
“Kam’s foot’s broken, so he’ll be out,” said Pope. “He’s just a beautiful kid. I thought he actually made some special plays tonight. So we’re going to get him back healthy as soon as we possibly can, but he’ll be out for a while, and that’s certainly a blow to us.”
The injury didn’t look that bad in real time. Hell, he even tried to play through it. And yet here we are, again. Williams was just starting to turn a corner as a starter, and now Kentucky has lost another. Jaland Lowe is out for the year. Who knows if and when Jayden Quaintance will play again? A year ago, Lamont Butler dealt with injuries all year, Kerr Kriisa was done by December, and Jaxson Robinson‘s season ended early. Kentucky can’t catch a break.
[READ: Wildcats React to Williams’ Injury: “He’s a soldier. He’s gonna get right.”]
Ref Show at Rupp
If referees got paid per foul, they filled their pockets on Wednesday night. Officials blew their whistles often, particularly after intermission. Malachi Moreno caught his third foul early in the second half, while Otega Oweh picked up his fourth with seven minutes to play. With Williams sidelined, it forced Pope to go deep into his bench. Trent Noah played for just the second time in SEC play and picked up a pair of fouls within a minute.
In total, 42 personal fouls were called and the teams combined to shoot 55 free throws. Fortunately, Kentucky made most of theirs. The Cats went 30-35 from the line (85.7%), including eight makes from Denzel Aberdeen over the final 2:15. Aberdeen led the Cats with 19 points, while Oweh added 18 more.
This is Notable
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello crunched some numbers from the Wildcats’ four-game win streak. Chandler and Aberdeen are stepping up when the Wildcats need them the most.
Top 10
- 1Trending
Florida 92, UK 83
Cats' comeback falls short
- 2New
SEC Tourney Projection
A logjam behind Florida.
- 3Hot
Takeaways
from UK's loss at Fllorida
- 4
5 Reasons for the loss
Missed layups and turnovers are up there
- 5Breaking
Top 25 W
for Kentucky WBB over Ole Miss.
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- Denzel Aberdeen: 18.5 PPG, 52.9 3PT% (8.1 PPG, 33.3 3PT% in previous seven games)
- Collin Chandler: 11.5 PPG, 47.4 3PT% (3.0 PPG, 23.1 3PT% in previous six games)
More from the Kentucky Win Over Texas
Tongue Out, Sick, and Clutch: Was that Michael Jordan or Collin Chandler?
Malachi Moreno Stuffed the Stat Sheet with a Black Eye
5 Takeaways from a 4th Straight Win
Kentucky Beat Texas at its own game
Mark Pope’s Postgame Press Conference
Recapping a Fourth-Straight Win for the Wildcats
Highlights from the Win
Chandler, Dioubate, and Oweh Recap the Victory
The Longest SEC Win Streak of the Pope Era
Pope Weighs in as Judge Clears Way for Bediako
Charles Bediako received a temporary restraining order to suit up for the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, more than 2.5 years after the 7-footer last played college basketball. NCAA President Charlie Baker said players who sign NBA contracts can’t play college basketball. Bediako has signed three.
“I’m going to take a minute to talk about this just so you get our word here on what’s happening in the NCAA right now with eligibility… The one stopgap that is kind of spreading right now that maybe has some legs is kind of a last stand,” Pope said.
“The NCAA does get to decide who gets to go to the NCAA Tournament. They get to decide that. They have that power. At some point, when they’ve been very, very clear about what the rules that they’re going to try and enforce. They might lose in court, but they still get to decide what games count towards the NCAA Tournament.”
Top 25 Matchup on the Road
The Kentucky women’s basketball team stubbed its toe in its last road game. They’ve got an even more difficult task ahead tonight in Knoxville. The 17th-ranked Lady Vols will host the 11th-ranked Wildcats in a border rivalry matchup.
Tennessee is one of the hottest teams in the SEC. Unbeaten in league play, the Lady Vols just went on the road and beat a Top 25 Alabama team by 11. Kenny Brooks’ Cats have been at their best against the best. That will be put to the test tonight at 6:30 PM ET on the SEC Network.
Improbable Big East Buzzer-Beater
Austin Swartz had a chance to tie the game from the charity stripe with just seconds on the clock. The 60% free throw shooter missed it, but corralled the rebound and banked it in to give Creighton a one-point win over Xavier. College basketball chaos is unlike anything else.
Kentucky Football Coaches on the Road
The roads are clear, for now. As a snowstorm prepares to blanket the country, the Kentucky coaching staff is visiting high schools and extending offers to talented recruits. Will Stein stayed close to home by returning to his hometown and visiting his alma mater, Trinity. The plan was to bring plenty of prospects to Lexington on Saturday, but unfortunately, the Junior Day will be scaled back drastically due to the impending snowstorm. Grab your milk and bread, folks.
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