KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's overtime win vs. Mississippi State

On3 imageby:Jack Pilgrim01/26/22

A second-half blowout quickly shifted to a nail-biting finish, but Kentucky was able to get the job done in overtime, defeating Mississippi State by a final score of 82-74. With the win, the Wildcats move to 16-4 on the year and 6-2 in SEC play.

How did Kentucky close things out? And what does it mean for the Wildcats as they look ahead to their matchup at Kansas on Saturday?

Kellan Grady wins it for Kentucky

After shooting 2-6 from the field in the first half and 2-6 in the second — 2-8 combined from three — Grady exploded in overtime to seal the win for the Wildcats. He finished a baseline reverse layup for the first score of the extra period, followed by back-to-back makes from three to push Kentucky’s lead to six with just 1:13 to go.

Sahvir Wheeler would add two free throws to close things out, but make no mistake about it, it was Grady’s clutch 3-pointers that won it for the Wildcats.

The graduate transfer finished the day with 18 points on 7-16 shooting and 4-11 from three to go with two rebounds and two assists in a team-high 43 minutes.

A tale of two halves for the defense

Kentucky gave up just 24 points in the first half, with Mississippi State shooting just 29.6 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from three and 58.3 percent from the line. The Bulldogs doubled that effort in the second half, though, finishing with 48 points on 62.1 percent shooting, 50 percent from three and 63.6 percent from the line to force overtime.

During that stretch, MSU turned a 16-point deficit with 16:50 to go into a single-digit game with 13:47 remaining, a one-score game with 5:54 to go and a tie game at the 4:16 mark. UK would extend it back to as many as five points (2:49), but MSU just wouldn’t go away, tying it back up with 22 seconds to go to force overtime.

“That last ten minutes was atrocious,” Grady said after the game.

Kentucky would ramp up the defensive intensity in overtime, holding Mississippi State to just two points while scoring ten to close out the win. Luckily, the poor second-half effort was sandwiched between a strong first half and a dominant extra period.

Injuries galore

Kentucky entered the day down one scholarship guard in TyTy Washington, who missed the game with a left ankle injury. Sahvir Wheeler was also a game-time decision after taking two hard hits in UK’s loss at Auburn.

With UK’s backcourt already banged up, forward Jacob Toppin then went down with an ankle injury at the 9:25 mark in the second half, with trainers helping him off the floor and back to the locker room. Less than a minute later, Oscar Tshiebwe rolled his ankle and limped to the locker room, the third Wildcat in Kentucky’s core seven-man rotation to sit.

Fortunately for UK, Tshiebwe isn’t human — more on that in a minute — and came sprinting out of the locker room just 2:24 later, immediately checking back into the game. And while it wasn’t as cinematic as Tshiebwe’s return, Toppin also returned to the UK bench and later re-entered the game with 1:12 to go in overtime.

After the win, Tshiebwe confirmed that he simply rolled his ankle and had it re-taped in the locker room, adding that he’s feeling “good” with no setbacks expected for the team’s trip to Kansas. He also added that Toppin and Washington are both expected to be available for the matchup in Lawrence, certainly a good sign as the Wildcats prepare for the Jayhawks.

Oscar Tshiebwe with his 14th double-double

Speaking of Kentucky’s machine disguised as a 6-foot-9 center, Tshiebwe finished the day with a team-high 21 points on 7-11 shooting and 7-11 from the line to go with 22 rebounds, three steals and one block in 37 minutes.

Just how crazy are those numbers? It’s the first time a Kentucky player has finished with at least 21 points and 22 rebounds since Mike Phillips hit those marks vs. Tennessee back on January 10, 1976 (26 points, 28 rebounds). He’s also the first UK player since 1950-51 to have at least five games of 20 or more rebounds.

It’s now the 14th double-double of the season for Tshiebwe:

  • 17 points and 20 rebounds vs. Duke
  • 14 points and 20 rebounds vs. Robert Morris
  • 24 points and 16 rebounds vs. Mount St. Mary’s
  • 0 points and 10 rebounds vs. Ohio
  • 12 points and 14 rebounds vs. Albany
  • 12 points and 16 rebounds vs. North Florida
  • 20 points and 16 rebounds vs. Central Michigan
  • 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. Southern U
  • 25 points and 7 rebounds at Notre Dame
  • 16 points and 12 rebounds vs. North Carolina
  • 14 points and 28 rebounds vs. Western Kentucky
  • 13 points and 20 rebounds vs. Missouri
  • 8 points and 13 rebounds at LSU
  • 29 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia
  • 30 points and 13 rebounds at Vanderbilt
  • 9 points and 12 rebounds vs. Tennessee
  • 8 points and 14 rebounds at Texas A&M
  • 16 points and 14 rebounds at Auburn
  • 21 points and 22 rebounds vs. Mississippi State

National Player of the Year.

Dontaie Allen with strong minutes

In 14 games this season, Dontaie Allen has played at least 15 minutes just three times, with tonight being the third. His other two? 19 minutes vs. both North Florida and Central Michigan.

Playing 18 minutes this evening, Allen finished with five points on 2-6 shooting and 1-5 from three to go with three rebounds, one block and one turnover. He opened his time on the floor with a ferocious putback slam on a Grady miss, followed by a terrific tie-up in transition to stop an easy score for the Bulldogs. Maybe most importantly, he also saw his first 3-pointer fall through the net, his first make from deep since November 29.

Allen was active and fought on both ends, earning high praise from Calipari after the game. He had a few early slip-ups on defense, but recovered well with strong play the remainder of his time on the floor. His shot still isn’t falling at the same rate he’s shown in the past — he had several misses that just rimmed out — but he earned his playing time tonight. And by the sound of things from Coach Cal after the game, more could be on the way.

Something about Mississippi State.

No Shaedon Sharpe

Calipari’s intriguing quotes on Shaedon Sharpe amounted to nothing this week, with the freshman guard sticking on the bench from start to finish. He participated in pregame warm-ups with the team, stretching himself out, putting up jump shots and throwing down dunks in the layup line.

From there, though, Sharpe watched from the bench for the Wildcats. He took off his warmup jacket and pants a time or two, but his number was never called.

Calipari confirmed Monday evening that Sharpe just started officially practicing with the team this week, but added that he’s “stepped on the gas” and has earned support from his teammates.

“The last couple of days he’s stepped on the gas a little bit and done some things,” Calipari said. “I think our team would like me to put him in. … He does something, they all kind of look at me like, ‘Come on now. That’s who he is, put him in.’ But you got to make sure you’re looking after him.”

Sharpe’s Kentucky teammates did not get their wish against Mississippi State.

Iverson Molinar goes for 30

The thorn in Kentucky’s side after halftime? Iverson Molinar, who put up 20 points in the second half and scored Mississippi State’s only two points in overtime.

Molinar, who entered the day as the third-leading scorer in the SEC at 17.7 points per game, finished with a game-high 30 points on 13-21 shooting to go with three rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks and three turnovers in 36 minutes. Oddly enough, the standout guard did so without making a single 3-pointer (0-3) and making just four free throws.

Molinar is the 32nd player to score at least 30 points against Kentucky at Rupp Arena, with teams now 6-26 all-time when an opposing player hits that mark.

D.J. Jeffries booed on every touch

Big Blue Nation did not welcome former Kentucky commit D.J. Jeffries back with open arms, booing the 6-foot-7 wing out of Olive Branch, MS every time he touched the ball on Tuesday.

Jeffries, now a junior, committed to UK back in March 2018 to become the first piece of Kentucky’s 2019 recruiting class. He then backed out of his pledge four months later to become the first player to decommit from the program in Calipari’s time in Lexington.

From there, Jeffries signed with Memphis, playing in 47 games across two seasons under Penny Hardaway. He then entered the portal and ultimately transferred to Mississippi State in April 2019, where he has averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27.7 minutes per contest for the Bulldogs.

In his first head-to-head battle with Kentucky since his recruitment, Jeffries finished with just five points on 1-6 shooting and 1-4 from three to go with four rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 33 minutes.

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2024-03-28