Is a stubbon stain on Malachi Moreno's t-shirt Kentucky's new good luck charm?

Malachi Moreno has been on a roll lately, averaging 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists during Kentucky’s four-game SEC winning streak. The freshman center’s biggest moment came on the road last week at LSU when he hit a buzzer-beater to help the Cats escape Baton Rouge with a win, but he’s been great at home too, putting up 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in the comeback win vs. Mississippi State, and 8 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 5 blocks last night in the win over Texas. Moreno is the first Wildcat with that stat line in a game since Nerlens Noel vs. Texas A&M in Jan. 2013.

If you were watching those two games closely — and of course you were, you’re a Kentucky Basketball fan — you may have noticed something about Moreno. And no, not just the black eye he sported last night, the result of a hit he took in the Tennessee game (although we’ll talk about that in a minute). Eagle-eyed fans in the BBN spotted a stain on the white t-shirt Moreno wears under his jersey, which was there during the Mississippi State game and again last night vs. Texas. The large black mark is on the right sleeve of the shirt, still present 11 days later.

Mississippi State (Jan. 10)

Texas (Jan. 21)

I reached out to Sarah Moreno, Malachi’s mother, who confirmed the stain has been on her son’s t-shirt since at least the Mississippi State game. She wasn’t sure if the equipment staff had tried to remove it and failed, or if her son was simply still rocking the shirt, unwashed, in hopes that the good vibes from his performance vs. the Bulldogs would carry over. Either way, the stubborn stain is officially good luck. Moreno led the Cats in plus/minus efficiency last night at +19.

“It seems to be bringing good mojo, so I guess he’s rolling with it,” his mother said. “Until he gets a new one!”

I think I speak for all of us in BBN when I say, please don’t do that, Malachi. Keep rocking that same shirt. If the stench becomes unbearable, the equipment staff can clean around it. Keep the stain sticks away!

As for the black eye, Moreno confirmed that it showed up after the Tennessee game, even if he doesn’t recall the play on which it happened. He had only three points in the comeback win vs. the Volunteers, but posted six rebounds, four blocks, and two assists.

“It happened in the Tennessee game,” he said on The Field of 68: After Dark. “I don’t know what happened, but all I know is that I ended up with a win. I’d take another black eye for a win if I had to.”

For Moreno, the black eye is proof of something he’s quickly learned over the past month: the SEC is no joke. He said that embracing the physicality is a big part of Kentucky’s four-game winning streak, specifically his own journey. In addition to becoming the first seven-footer in UK history with multiple six-assist games, Moreno is averaging 1.6 blocks in SEC play, which ranks fifth in the conference. He’s had nine over the last two games.

“The SEC is a big, physical league, and I’ve always got to prepare for what’s to come. Some of these games have been a real eye-opener for me, and they’ve kind of just let me know that the fight is coming to you and you have to be ready.”

It’s easy to point to Moreno’s game-winner vs. LSU as the moment things turned around for Kentucky. It was an incredible shot, one that he said resulted in over 2,000 texts on his phone, including messages from Reed Sheppard and Travis Ford; however, Moreno said the turnaround really began vs. Mississippi State, when the Cats rallied from a 12-point deficit vs. the Bulldogs to win by 24 points, snapping a two-game losing streak.

“I think the Mississippi State game was a real eye-opener for us, where we made plays for each other and played to the right speed and to the right game, and we take care of the ball and make plays for each other. I mean, you saw the result of that game. I think it gave us a key mind that we were better than what we had shown, and it was time to prove it.”

That was also the stain game. Kentucky hosts Ole Miss on Saturday. That stain better still be there.

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