Clutch overtime performance steals win over Mississippi State for Kentucky

On3 imageby:Adam Luckett01/25/22

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A win is a win at the end of the day. In Kentucky’s 82-74 overtime home victory over Mississippi State, it felt like the Wildcats were letting one slip away.

However, the home favorites refused to lose.

Despite blowing a 16-point second-half lead and losing all five four-minute segments in the final 20 minutes, Kentucky found a way to get the job done in overtime to improve to 16-4 (6-2).

KSR is now digging into the box score to pull out the stats that made the biggest difference in the thrilling victory at Rupp Arena.

Kellan Grady becomes clutch

Overall, Tuesday was not a superb offensive night for the Davidson grad transfer. Kellan Grady finished the game with 18 points, but the guard needed 16 shots to get there with zero free throw attempts and two assists in 43 minutes.

Yet, with all the chips on the line, Grady made the plays when they mattered most.

The veteran came up with eight of Kentucky’s 10 overtime points with a drive to the bucket and a pair of threes on consecutive possessions to put the Wildcats ahead for good.

Without TyTy Washington, Kentucky needed a scoring punch from Grady and the super senior provided it in overtime after struggling with his shot for most of the game.

Defense flips switch for Kentucky in overtime

Mississippi State headed into the game against Kentucky as the SEC’s best offense in conference games. KenPom had the Bulldogs at No. 1 in offensive efficiency as Ben Howland’s team is a legit top-20 unit in the country.

That played out in the second half.

Mississippi State nearly dropped a fiftyburger after halftime as the Bulldogs scored 1.41 points per possession. Lead guard Iverson Molinar got whatever he wanted in the half with 20 points on eight shots, and State got a big lift from five three-point makes.

However, Kentucky found a way to get the clamps out in overtime.

In the final five minutes, Mississippi State scored just two points in six possessions and shot 1 of 7 from the field. For the game, Kentucky held the Bulldogs to 74 points on 74 possessions, and that is an overall win against that efficient offensive attack.

Now Kentucky must find a way to put consecutive halves together against quality offenses.

Oscar Tshiebwe is your Player of the Year

Mississippi State is very good on offense and excellent on the glass. The Bulldogs play two traditional bigs with size and length at the three. Throughout the season, this team has gobbled up rebounds.

Oscar Tshiebwe does not care.

In 37 minutes, the junior recorded 22 rebounds to allow Kentucky to enjoy a plus-11 advantage on the glass. Oh, the West Virginia transfer also chipped in 21 points on 11 shots with three steals.

Tshiebwe is a force of nature for Kentucky, and his non-stop motor has the Wildcats emerging as a true national championship contender.

Stats that stood out

  • Quietly, Sahvir Wheeler is becoming a big-time scorer for Kentucky. The junior point guard chipped in 15 points on 10 shots in the win and is averaging 16.2 points in the four games since returning from injury. Wheeler is shooting 63.6 percent from two-point range during that time as Kentucky is creating drives to the basket for their lead guard.
  • There were frustrating moments, but Keion Brooks Jr. produced for Kentucky. The junior forward chipped in 12 points and six rebounds despite dealing with foul trouble. The Wildcats are better with him on the floor but need the former top-25 recruit to contribute on the glass and in the scoring column.
  • The Wildcats scored 1.06 points per possession, but that number should’ve been much higher against a mediocre defense. Kentucky had 17 turnovers in 77 possessions for a turnover rate of 22.1 percent. That is five percent higher than their season average. The lack of ball security prevented the Wildcats from building a huge lead in the first half.
  • Outside of Grady, Kentucky was just 2 of 12 from three. Luckily, the Wildcats had two-point efficiency. UK shot 58.1 percent from two with 34 points coming at the rim. The Wildcats need those easy buckets to survive the upset bid.

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2024-03-28