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KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's Unforgettable win over John Pelphrey and Tennessee Tech

Jack PIlgrimby: Jack Pilgrim3 hours ago

It wasn’t always pretty, but when it was, it was absolutely beautiful for the Kentucky Wildcats in a rough start and spectacular finish that led to a 50-point victory just before Thanksgiving. John Pelphrey’s Tennessee Tech squad fought hard to keep things tight early, only to let go of the rope in the final 26 minutes to give Mark Pope’s group the feel-good 104-54 win before the tough stuff returns next week.

What do you need to know about Kentucky’s blowout performance? KSR has all of the top takeaways from a nostalgic night at Rupp Arena.

A disastrous first 14 minutes…

Kentucky started the game 10-25 from the field (40 percent) and found itself tied with one of the worst teams in the country all the way down to the 5:51 mark. Tennessee Tech actually led by four with nine minutes to go and as late as the 7:18 mark. Energy was bad and that’s exactly how an extremely strong Rupp Arena crowd (especially for pre-Thanksgiving standards) unfortunately responded, dead silent with the score way too close for comfort against objectively terrible competition.

Nightmarish with back-to-back ranked matchups coming up next week, starting with North Carolina making its way to Lexington in just six days. That version of the Cats would get run out of their own building against Caleb Wilson and the Tar Heels.

… before blowing things open the rest of the way

Down 23-25 with 7:18 to go, that two-point deficit turned into a 20-3 run for the Cats before half while scoring eight of their last 10 field goals in the final five minutes. Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, missed 10 of its last 11 and is now shooting 34.3 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three to put the good guys up 43-28 at the break.

They would finish the game on an 81-29 run overall — absolutely steamrolling the competition and treating the Golden Eagles like the No. 325 team in the country KenPom says they are.

It was an insane, red-hot second half that saw Kentucky shoot a ridiculous 70.0 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from three. That graded out to 1.848 points per possession in the final 20 minutes, about as good as it gets in terms of efficiency with a 75.8 percent scoring rate.

Walker Horn is your PARLOUR Pizza Player of the Game

He’s been in Lexington since 2022-23, sticking around through Coach Cal’s departure and Mark Pope’s addition, playing in 17 career games as a Wildcat with five shot attempts up to this point. In game 18, he made shot six with under a second left on the shot clock and 1:22 on the game clock.

Catching the inbounds pass from Kam Williams at the top of the key, he fired up the off-balanced three and held his follow through as the red light wrapped around the shot clock, watching it fall through the bottom of the net. Crowd erupts, he back pedals down the court and the team attacks him in the wildest Rupp Arena celebration we’ve seen in recent memory. We even got a drink spilled on the floor because fans were so excited for No. 11.

Those countless hours working behind the scenes finally paid off for the senior from Austin, TX.

And another look at the dagger:

How about that reaction? It doesn’t get much better than that — and that’s why Walker Horn is your PARLOUR Pizza Player of the Game.

Make PARLOUR your game day destination! From award-winning pizzas like The Dr. or fan favorite Hot Honey Pepperoni to PARLOUR’s famous house-smoked wings and extensive craft beer selection, PARLOUR has a menu that will please the whole family! Their location on Harrodsburg Road is just a short drive from Rupp Arena.

Don’t miss out on their great Happy Hour. Come in Monday thru Friday from 2-6pm to enjoy discounted pints, cocktails, and starters. Plus, Wednesday is Wing Wednesday with 10 of Parlour’s Famous SMOKED WINGS for $10 all day. 

While PARLOUR has just been in Lexington around one year, they’re no stranger to the national Pizza scene having won multiple industry awards including 1st place in best of the Midwest concepts by Pizza Expo and Best of Lexington 2025. 

Parlour is looking forward to celebrating two new locations during the first half of 2026. Coming soon to Lexington out at Hamburg and Richmond, KY!

Whether you’re sipping a hand-crafted cocktail or sharing one of our signature pizzas, PARLOUR is a place where great food and good times come together naturally. 

Trent Noah scores a career-high 16 points on 4-5 3PT

As the Wildcats struggled to get much of anything going for much of the first half, the Mountain Mamba happened to be the stable force they needed to avoid a real disaster scenario. He got things rolling with a team-high 10 points in eight minutes to open the game, converting all three of his shot attempts — two from deep — to go with five rebounds and an assist.

Noah then followed that up with another pair of 3-pointers in the second half on 2-3 shooting to give him a career-high 16 points on 5-6 overall and 4-5 from deep while adding six boards and an assist with no turnovers in 21 minutes.

His career-high up to this point — and the only other double-digit scoring night in 29 total games, for that matter — was 11 points in Knoxville last February. That game was bigger against top-five competition in a true road game, obviously, but this one had to feel good for the Harlan native.

Five players in double figures, two with 10-plus rebounds

Noah deserved his own category for the big-time individual shooting effort on his career night, but just about everyone shined in their own ways. I mean, you don’t pull off a 50-point win without a lot going right for you across the board. Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh added 16 points apiece to join Noah, the former going 4-6 from three with four assists and three steals while the latter went 4-6 overall with three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Collin Chandler was right behind with 14 points on 6-11 overall to go with five assists and five rebounds, followed by Malachi Moreno to round things out with 13 points on 4-5 shooting and 5-6 at the line along with a team-high 11 rebounds for his second career double-double — plus three assists, two blocks and a steal in 25 minutes, settling into that starting role quite comfortably.

Andrija Jelavic deserves a mention, too, for scoring five points on 2-3 shooting while adding 10 rebounds and three assists with zero turnovers in just 15 minutes, fewest among scholarship players. He’s developing quite the reputation for producing a ton in limited time on the floor. Maybe we see his run extended?

Welcome back, Unforgettables

Tonight was about John Pelphrey and nostalgia, not Tennessee Tech seriously threatening Kentucky at Rupp Arena. We knew that going in, and after an early scare from the Golden Eagles, everything unfolded exactly as planned the rest of the way. With the Wildcats up a million, they brought out not one, not two, but three Unforgettables in Deron Feldhaus, Richie Farmer and Sean Woods to serve as the game’s Y(s) at half court.

They were there to support not only their alma mater, but their former captain and teammate as part of one of the most beloved UK teams in program history.

Afterward, all three former Wildcats joined Mark Pope at the podium to talk about the emotional night that brought the past and present together all under the same historic roof. Then those four were joined by Pelphrey during Pope’s postgame radio show out on the floor where the stories continued.

The biggest highlight? Pelphrey singling out Big Blue Nation as the best fanbase in the country — and the reason the Unforgettables were, well, unforgettable.

“The thing that makes this place special is you. When we first got here, it was great. The Roman Empire fell, and the enemies were at the gate wanting to come in, and they thought they were going to get us, talking about how they were going to beat us twice and sweep Kentucky. ‘This is the time to do it.’ It didn’t happen. Yes, we had C.M. Newton. Yes, we had Rick Pitino.

“Thank goodness Jamal Mashburn showed up, but you people showed up for three straight years early, loud and continuous. It was amazing. For us, that’s why it’s kinda in here (our hearts) and goes a little bit deeper. There’s not another place — this is our school, that is our jersey, those are our colors and you are our fans. We love you.”

Was it enough before North Carolina?

After the ugly start, things finished exactly as planned against the Golden Eagles. The Wildcats dominated in the well-rounded effort — because that’s what they’re supposed to do against OVC competition.

Did it make you feel better about the Tar Heels coming to town? I know how I felt early, but I also know how I felt late, so it’s tough. That’s a whole different monster and this fanbase is obsessed with taking one of those down after failing in both tries to start the season.

This one was a nice little Thanksgiving appetizer, but it’s time to see what this team is actually made of in December.

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2025-11-26