Eye-Opening Stats from the Kentucky Win over Texas

Kentucky had to grind out a win from the charity stripe to take down Texas 85-80 at Rupp Arena, giving the Wildcats their fourth-straight SEC win, a new high in the Mark Pope era. While the box score might not necessarily pop off the page, it produced a few eye-opening numbers.

Malachi Moreno

Amari Williams showed BBN the blueprint for how Mark Pope wants to initiate offense with his center. Williams was listed at 6-11. Moreno stands at 7 feet tall. On Wednesday night, Moreno had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 6 assists, becoming the first 7-footer in Kentucky basketball history with multiple 6-assist games. Moreno is averaging 1.6 blocks per game, ranking fifth in the SEC.

Cardiac Cats

Kentucky did not need to overcome a double-digit deficit to secure this SEC win, but it was still a sweat down the stretch. It’s the third consecutive SEC win for the Wildcats by five points or fewer, something that has not happened since 1984.

3-Point Defense

After starting SEC play on fire, the Cats cooled off from behind the three-point line, sinking just 5-18 (27.8%) from long-range. If you can’t make ’em, stop the other team from making ’em. Texas went 2-18, the lowest three-point shooting percentage by a UK opponent since 2022. Kentucky opponents are shooting 30.1% from the three-point line, ranking No. 36 nationally and the second-best mark in the SEC.

Winless at Rupp

Unfortunately, we’ve already seen one SEC team win its first-ever game at Rupp Arena this season. Texas did not join Missouri. The Longhorns fell to 1-3 all-time against the Cats.

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Backcourt Swipers

Kentucky stole eight Texas passes. Collin Chandler is usually good for 1-2 a game that turns into an easy bucket. Otega Oweh had two against Texas, his season-long average. He ranks fourth in the SEC, thanks in large part to the five steals he snagged against Mississippi State.

Ball Security is Job Security

Kentucky only committed eight turnovers against Texas. The Wildcats are in the top-40 nationally with 10.2 per game. If you narrow that down to non-steal turnover percentage, Kentucky ranks sixth nationally.

Dunk You Very Much

Keeping stats for dunks feels like a very Louisville thing, but it was cool to see Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh fly through the air on Wednesday night. The Cats threw it down five times, and this was my personal favorite.