Mo Dioubate did everything he could in the second half against Texas A&M

Mo Dioubate might have been Kentucky’s most impactful player during Tuesday night’s loss to Texas A&M.

His performance will quickly be forgotten considering how the game unfolded for the Wildcats, but he deserves his flowers for the effort he showed, especially in the second half when Kentucky trailed by as many as 21 points. Dioubate finished his night with 19 points (his most against an SEC team this season) and seven rebounds on 8-9 shooting in 22 minutes of action. The 6-foot-7 forward was just one point off his season-high, which he set twice earlier in the schedule against Eastern Illinois and Bellarmine.

Dioubate did most of his damage after the intermission, posting 15 points and four rebounds on a perfect 6-6 shooting in 14 second-half minutes. He — alongside Otega Oweh and his 18 points in the second half — was a huge reason why Kentucky didn’t lose this game by 25-plus. His scoring came in timely chunks.

The junior Alabama transfer scored back-to-back shots at the rim early in the second half to make it a 14-point contest. He scored two straight buckets once again later in the game, one coming as an and-one finish, that kept the deficit at 15. A few minutes later, Dioubate once again hit back-to-back field goals for the ‘Cats, both and-one finishes, but it was too little, too late at that point for Kentucky.

Keep in mind that Dioubate is currently observing Ramadan. He wasn’t able to eat or drink anything after his early-morning breakfast once the sun came up. With this being a late-night tipoff, it wasn’t until the sun went down during the middle of the first half that he was able to break his fast. The ESPN cameras even showed him fueling up by snacking on a fruit cup from the bench.

He hasn’t let that impact his game, though. Dioubate posted 12 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes last week in a road win over South Carolina. He came right back with eight points, four rebounds, and three steals in this past weekend’s blowout win over Vanderbilt. Against the Aggies, he served as Kentucky’s plus/minus leader at +3, one of only three Wildcats with a positive mark in that category.

Dioubate isn’t the flashiest player on Mark Pope‘s roster, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who works as hard as he does on the floor. Over his last five games, Dioubate has graded out in the 85th percentile or better in terms of his offensive rebounding percentage and free-throw attempt rate, per CBB Analytics. His motor continues to be a valuable asset for the ‘Cats. It’s just a shame his latest effort was wasted on a tough loss.

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