John Calipari credits Tyler Ulis for second-half spark through Chris Livingston

Chris Livingston provided the spark for Kentucky in the second half at Mississippi State, breaking through for 13 points after intermission to help lead the Wildcats to a 71-68 win in Starkville.

It was a spark, John Calipari says, ignited by a different source on the bench: Tyler Ulis, Kentucky’s newest student assistant. The former First-Team All-American and Bob Cousy Award winner noticed something from the sideline, a mismatch opportunity for the Wildcats to exploit. He saw Livingston being guarded by Bulldog guard Dashawn Davis, standing 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds.

The Kentucky freshman, 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds in his own right, had the clear size and strength advantage. Ulis’ recommendation: post Livingston up and let him eat.

And eat he did. It started with a drive-and-slam attempt, fouled at the rim leading to two free throws. Then on the next possession, he posted up on the smaller guard, leading to a trap and dish-out opportunity for an open catch-and-shoot look for Antonio Reeves on the left wing. Money, Kentucky retakes the lead.

If you look closely at the replay, Calipari turns and points to Ulis on the bench, giving him credit for the call.

From there, another post-up and layup finish to put Kentucky up four. Then a three-point make from Livingston to extend the lead. Later, a mid-range pull-up, followed by four other free-throw makes.

The five-star freshman was put in position to succeed, and Ulis’ eye from the bench is a significant reason for it.

“Chris, I’ve got to give Tyler (Ulis) credit,” Calipari said after the win. “Because he said, ‘They’ve got a small man on Chris. Post him up.’ Then you saw what we did, we went four or five straight times posting him up. It’s stuff that we have, so it’s not like we have to do anything new. We just said we were going to get him the ball.”

Livingston would finish with 13 points on 3-6 shooting and 6-6 at the line to go with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 32 minutes. It was his best all-around performance as a Wildcat, yet another continued step forward for a player who saw his fair share of ups and downs to open the season.

“Chris was an all-star today. Was really proud of him,” Calipari said of the five-star freshman.

“Chris was big-time for us in the second half,” senior forward Jacob Toppin added.

For Livingston, it wasn’t about the individual numbers or growth, but rather the team success that came in a must-win game for the Wildcats.

“It was more of a mindset. It was a mindset thing,” the Akron native said after the standout performance. “Coach [Calipari] was on me, and I also didn’t want to lose. I was playing as hard as I could trying to make winning plays, whether that’s getting deflections or rebounds. I was trying to win.”

A personal breakthrough?

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” he added. “It was just the mindset of not wanting to lose. So, I was just making winning plays, whether that was scoring or rebounding. That was the mindset that I had, and I had to play with that energy.”

That’s exactly what the Wildcats needed in Starkville on Wednesday. And Tyler Ulis is a big reason for it.