In a night where most Kentucky fans sitting at home couldn’t actually tell what was going on for most of the game because of a terrible idea by ESPN, the Cats pulled off a must win at home over Mississippi State 85-79.
Skycam made me dizzy the first half so I really can’t remember a lot of it, except for the biggest play of the game.
Brandon Knight was fouled with 1.1 on the clock trying to throw up a desperation shot from about 40 feet away from the basket. Rick Stansbury wasn’t thrilled about the call and received a technical foul, and a lead that was once 5 turned to 1 in a blink of an eye.
Brandon Knight finished with 24 points on 8-15 shooting and 3-7 from the 3 point line.
Terrence Jones had his SEC leading 9th double double, and ended up with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Doron Lamb came out of his funk and hit several big 3s in the second half. Lamb was a blazing 7-8 from the field and 3-3 from the three.
The questions about Darius Miller’s playing time was answered early has he shot the ball very well and finished with 13 points on 5-9 from the field which included 3 of 7 from the three.
The one worry I have about this game is how the Cats didn’t close the game out. I thought they really backed into the win late, missing free throws and turning the ball over as the Bulldogs showed urgency. This has to be a concern come tournament time as every team will try to make a run late and turning the ball over leads to big tournament game runs for your opponent.
It is always good to play at home, and the Cats stay undefeated in the Cal era at Rupp Arena.
The Cats will entertain South Carolina this Saturday in Lexington, gametime is at 4pm.
