Notes From Kentucky's 61-59 Loss To Tennessee

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY 

RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.

FEB. 6, 2018
ATTENDANCE: 23,332

Final Score: #15/14 Tennessee 61, #24/24 Kentucky 59

                                                          

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 17-7 overall and 6-5 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee is 18-5, 8-3 in league play.  
• Kentucky leads the series 153-71, including 92-17 in Lexington. 
• Next for the Wildcats: Kentucky plays Saturday at Texas A&M. Game time is 8:15 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST in College Station) and it will be televised by ESPN.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starting lineup featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, PJ Washington, Kevin Knox and Nick Richards for the 10^th time this season. UK is 6-4 with this lineup.
• Kentucky extended its streak of 1,037 consecutive games with a 3-pointer when Quade Green connected with 16:10 on the clock. 
• It was UK’s only field goal of the first nine minutes of the game, but made foul shots and energetic defense kept the Wildcats in the contest.
• UK’s next basket also was a 3-pointer by Green and puts the Cats ahead 11-9 at the 10:46 mark.
• UK’s first two-point field goal of the game was a dunk by Vanderbilt with 5:09 on the clock.
• After making just two of the first 14 shots, Vanderbilt’s dunk began a streak of four straight made field goals.  
• Tennessee got hot late in the half and went to intermission ahead 27-26.  
• Green led the Wildcats with 10 points, the fourth time this season he has been at double figures in the first half.
• UK is 6-5 this season when behind or tied at halftime. This was UK’s fourth straight game to trail at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Tied at 46, Tennessee went on a 4-0 run to lead 50-46. 
• It was the only time in the entire game that either team led by more than three points.
• Kentucky responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a Knox steal and driving basket-and-one, to put the Cats back ahead 53-50.  
• Tied at 56, Gilgeous-Alexander worked his way into the lane and swished a jumper with 1:28 left.
• Tennessee came back with a 3-pointer by Lamonte Turner and a breakaway dunk by Admiral Schofield to go ahead 61-58.
• Tennessee fouled with 1.3 seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander made the first but Tennessee claimed the rebound on the second to hold on to the 61-59 win.

Team Notes

• UK is now 3-2 this season in games decided by three points or less.
• Tennessee shot 23.8 percent from three-point range today, 5 of 21.  UK entered the game third in the nation in 3-point defense at 28.9 percent. 
• UK is 42-10 in “bounce back” games (following losses) under Coach John Calipari.
• UK is 51-25 under Calipari in games vs. opponents in The Associated Press top 25.
• Kentucky is 150-6 under Calipari when limiting the opponent to 63 or fewer points.
• UK had not lost when holding the opponent to 63 or less since the 2014 NCAA championship game vs. Connecticut. 
• Over the last four seasons, the Wildcats had won 60 in a row when keeping the opponent to 63 or less. 

Player Notes  

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.  
• Alexander has averaged 20 points over the last three games.
• His six rebounds is one shy of his career high.
• It is the ninth time this season he has had at least six assists, including the fourth time in the last six games. 
• It is the third time this season he has played 39 minutes in a game.
• Quade Green had his best game since returning from injury six games ago. He tallied 15 points tonight, his most since getting 15 vs. Georgia on Dec. 31.
• Kevin Knox had 10 points, his 18^th double-figure game of the season.
• Nick Richards had five points and led the Wildcats in rebounding with eight. 

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has a 711-200 all-time on-court record.
• Calipari is now 266-60 at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 147-8 at Rupp Arena.
• Calipari is 14-94 vs. Tennessee in his career.

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt OFFICIAL Box-Score

Kevin Knox Named SEC Freshman of The Week... SHOCKING!!!

Kevin Knox had a monster week with two games of 19 or more points, including a career-high and UK season-high 34 points in a road win at No. 7/7 West Virginia on Saturday, en route to being named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. 

Knox averaged a team-high 26.5 points per game over the two victories while shooting a blazing 69.6 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from behind the arc. He also chipped in with an 85.7-percent rate from the free-throw line. Knox hit four or more 3-pointers in both games, including a career-high five in the win against the Mountaineers.

He’s the first UK player to score 30 or more points this season and the first since De’Aaron Fox had 39 in a win over UCLA in the Sweet 16 in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The 34 points are the most for a UK player on the road since Malik Monk had 34 at Ole Miss to open SEC play a season ago. They’re also the most by a UK freshman in a non-conference true road game.  Knox also contributed 6.5 rebounds a game, the second-best mark on the team. He had six or more snares in both games.

Knox has emerged as Kentucky’s leading playmaker, leading the team in scoring (15.5 points per game), 3-pointers (34) and minutes per game (32.5 per game). The Tampa, Florida, native has led the Wildcats in scoring a team-high seven times and has scored in double figures in a team-best 16 games, including six performances of 20 or more points. A 6-foot-9 forward with an ability to play like a guard, Knox is shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from 3-point range.

The SEC honor is the first of Knox’s career. It’s Kentucky’s third SEC honor of the season. Hamidou Diallo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander previously also won SEC Freshman of the Week.

Knox and the Wildcats return to action on Tuesday. UK will welcome Vanderbilt to Rupp Arena at 9 p.m. ET with the game set to air live on ESPN.

Notes From Kentucky's Impressive Win At WVU!

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

Kentucky at West Virginia

WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, W.Va.

JAN. 27, 2018ATTENDANCE: 15,835

Final Score: rv/rv Kentucky 83, No. 7/7 West Virginia 76

                                                         

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 16-5 overall. West Virginia is 16-5.
• Kentucky leads the series 16-5, and has won three in a row.
  • UK leads the series 2-1 in Morgantown.
• Kentucky finished the non-conference schedule 11-2.
• Kentucky is 2-3 all-time in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
  • UK is 1-2 in the event on the road.
• Kentucky is 1-2 vs. top-25 teams this season.
• Kentucky returns to Southeastern Conference play Tuesday inside Rupp Arena vs. Vanderbilt at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starting lineup featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, PJ Washington, Kevin Knox and Nick Richards for the eighth time this season and sixth straight. UK is 6-2 with this lineup.
• Kentucky extended its streak of 1,034 consecutive games with a 3-pointer when Knox connected with 19:32 on the clock.
• Knox scored Kentucky’s first seven points of the game. 
• After Kentucky got within a point of West Virginia’s lead at 20-19 with 8:06 to play, WVU used a 15-1 run over 3:11 to take a 35-20 lead.
• Kentucky committed 11 turnovers in the first half.
  • That was the fifth time this year UK committed 11 turnovers in the first half.  UK’s most turnovers in any half was 13 in the second half vs. ETSU on Nov. 17
• West Virginia made seven first-half 3-pointers.
  • The Mountaineers entered the game averaging 8.9 made 3s per game.
• Jevon Carter's 18 points are the most an opponent has scored vs. Kentucky in the first half since Sindarius Thornwell posted 20 vs. the Wildcats on Jan. 21, 2017.
• Kentucky trailed by as many as 17 at the 3:50 mark of the opening stanza.
  • UK’s previous largest deficit of the season was 12 against both Utah Valley and UCLA.

In the Second Half

• Trailing 54-37 with 17:00 to play, UK used a 10-0 run over 1:45 to cut the WVU lead to seven points.
  • After West Virginia answered with a deuce, UK went on another run this time by a 7-0 margin.
  • Stretched over 4:32, UK closed the WVU lead to 52-54 at the 12:01 mark with a 17-2 run.
• All told, UK used a 22-4 stretch over 6:28 to take its largest lead at 62-58.
  1. West Virginia answered with an 8-0 run of its own over 1:07 to take a 66-62 lead.
• Kentucky outscored West Virginia 50-28 in the second half.

Team Notes

• Kentucky came all the way back to win from a 17-point deficit for the first time since a 73-67 win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 28, 2017. That game also saw the Cats down 17 points in the first half.
• Kentucky’s comeback from a 15-point halftime deficit was the third-largest halftime comeback in school history.
  • UK rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit at LSU on Feb. 15, 1994 for a 99-95 victory in what’s known as the Mardi Gras Miracle.
  • The Wildcats also rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit at No. 13 Louisville on Dec. 18, 2004.
  • The four biggest halftime comebacks in school history have all been on the road.
• West Virginia shot 39.7 percent from the field, the fifth straight game that UK has held the opponent under 40 percent.
• UK outrebounded West Virginia 49-34.  The Wildcats are 15-1 this season when winning the battle of the boards.

Player Notes  

• Kevin Knox scored a career and game-high 34 points.
  • That was the most by a Wildcat this year, and most by a UK player since De’Aaron Fox scored 39 vs. UCLA in the NCAA Tournament last March.
  • He’s the first Wildcat to score more than 30 this year.
  • It’s the most points for a UK player on the road since Malik Monk had 34 points at Ole Miss to begin the SEC season last year.
  • He scored more than 20 points for a team-best sixth time this season and a second straight outing.
  • Knox's 15 first-half points tied his most in a half this season. He also had 15 in the first half vs. UIC on Nov. 26.
  • Knox made a career-high five 3-pointers.
    1. The previous most 3s in a game by any Wildcat this season was four (by Knox twice, including in the last game vs. Mississippi State, and Hamidou Diallo vs. Virginia Tech)
• Hamidou Diallo was UK’s second leading scorer with 13 points.
• Quade Green scored eight points, including two made 3s, had four assists and a steal.
• Wenyen Gabriel tied his career-high for the sixth time, blocking three shots.
  1. He added nine rebounds, six points and three assists.
• Jarred Vanderbilt snagged a game and career-high 11 rebounds in 11 minutes of action. 
  • Vanderbilt has 29 rebounds in 49 minutes this season.
  • He snagged all 11 rebounds in the first nine minutes he played.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has a 710-198 all-time on-court record.
• Calipari is now 265-58 at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 13-7 vs. West Virginia in his career.

OFFICIAL BOX-SCORE From Kentucky's Impressive 83-76 Come Back Win Over WVU

Notes From Kentucky's 78-65 Over Mississippi State

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT KENTUCKY 

RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.

JAN. 23, 2018
ATTENDANCE: 20,609

Final Score: Kentucky 78, Mississippi State 65

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 15-5 overall and 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State is 14-6 overall, 2-5 in league play.  
• Kentucky leads the series 95-20 and has won 11 in a row against the Bulldogs.
• UK leads 48-5 in games played in Lexington.
• Kentucky has its final non-conference game of the regular season Saturday at No. 7-ranked West Virginia.  Game time is 7 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.  
• ESPN College GameDay will be in Morgantown, the second consecutive week that the Wildcats will be featured on the popular show.  It will be UK’s 16^th appearance on GameDay, second only to North Carolina (17). It’s also the third year in a row that UK has appeared twice in the same season.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starting lineup featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, PJ Washington, Kevin Knox and Nick Richards for the seventh time this season. UK is 5-2 with this lineup.
• Kentucky extended its streak of 1,033 consecutive games with a 3-pointer when Knox connected with 13:46 on the clock. 
• It was a back-and-forth first half, with a couple of UK seven-point leads being the largest margin for either team.
• Led by Knox and Washington, UK took a 38-36 lead into intermission.  Knox had 13 points, the sixth time this season he hit double figures in the first half.  Washington had 11 points, the fourth time this season he had double digits in the opening stanza. 
• UK is 11-2 this season when leading at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Trailing 52-49, Kentucky went on a 13-2 run for a 62-54 lead.  
• Ahead 68-63, UK added a 6-0 run for a 74-63 lead.
• All totaled, UK closed the game on a 29-13 run over the final 12:30 of the game.

Team Notes

• Mississippi State shot 38.8 percent from the field, the fourth straight game that UK has held the opponent under 40 percent.
• MSU hit only 5 of 29 on 3-point tries, 17.2 percent.  It’s the fourth straight game the Wildcat opponent has shot under 25 percent from long range.
• UK outrebounded Mississippi State 41-31.  The Wildcats are 14-1 this season when winning the battle of the boards. 
• UK had only 11 turnovers and the Wildcats are 8-0 this season when committing 12 or fewer miscues.
• UK is 42-9 under Coach John Calipari in bounce-back games after losses, including 4-1 this season. 
• UK’s largest lead was 13 points at the final buzzer.  UK is 224-5 under Coach John Calipari when leading by 10 or more during the game.
• Kentucky coaches and staff wore sneakers tonight as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer “Suits and Sneakers” week, raising funds and cancer awareness on behalf of the American Cancer Society.

Player Notes  

• PJ Washington had a career-high 22 points, sparked by a 10-of-14 performance at the foul line.
• He added six rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a career-high three steals.
• Featuring 4 of 4 on 3-pointers, Kevin Knox tallied 19 points and added six rebounds.
• Knox tied his career high for 3-pointers, also tying the most by a Wildcat this season.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched 16 points and six assists with no turnovers.
• Wenyen Gabriel contributed seven points and six rebounds.  He has six or more rebounds in each of the last four games.
• Hamidou Diallo scored six points, tied for the team lead with seven rebounds, adding two assists, two blocked shots (tying career high) and two steals.
• Jarred Vanderbilt snagged seven rebounds in 11 minutes of action.  Vanderbilt has 18 rebounds in 38 minutes this season, an average of one carom per 2.1 minutes of action, an outstanding ratio.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has a 709-198 all-time on-court record.
• Calipari is now 264-58 at Kentucky, surpassing Orlando “Tubby” Smith for third-most wins as a Kentucky coach.
• Calipari is 146-7 at Rupp Arena, including 128-4 against unranked opponents.
• Calipari is 12-0 vs. Mississippi State in his career.

John Wall and Karl-Anthony Towns Named Reserves For NBA ALL-STAR Game

John Calipari said last week he hasn’t given up hope to one day fill the NBA All-Star Game with half the players from Kentucky. There’s reason for him to stay optimistic with four players in this year’s annual showcase of talent.

Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and John Wall (Washington Wizards) were selected for the NBA All-Star Game as reserves on Tuesday. They’ll join starters DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. 

Only one other time in the history of the NBA All-Star Game has a college featured four or more of its former players in an NBA All-Star Game. That took place in 1983 with UCLA’s four representatives (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Marques Johnson, Kiki Vandeweghe and Jamaal Wilkes).

Kentucky will match that Feb. 18 in Los Angeles with Cousins, Davis, Tows and Wall. Davis will make his fifth consecutive appearance and third overall as a starter. Cousins is heading for his fourth All-Star Game but first as a starter. For Towns, this will be his first career All-Star appearance. Wall will make his fifth straight appearance.

Davis and Cousins were voted in by the fans, their peers and media members. Fans could vote via Twitter, Facebook, NBA.com, the NBA app and Google search. Towns and Wall were voted in by the league’s coaches.

Kentucky is the only school in the country with two former players in the 2018 All-Star Game starting lineup. When Cousins and Davis suit up for the game, it will mark the first time a school has had two players in the starting lineup of the NBA All-Star Game since Wake Forest had Chris Paul and Tim Duncan in the 2011 game. UK had two players – Davis and Wall – voted into the starting lineup in 2015, but Davis could not play due to injury.

Under a new All-Star Game format that replaces the traditional matchup between conferences, two captains will choose the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves. The captains will be the All-Star starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference.

Towns has continued his ascension as one of the league’s brightest young stars in year No. 3 in the league. The top overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft – Calipari’s third at Kentucky – Towns has more than lived up to the billing as a franchise player.

The 7-foot forward has turned into a double-double machine, leading the league in that category with 41 such games. Showcasing his versatility, he ranks 24th in scoring (20.0 points per game), fifth in rebounding (12.1 rpg), eighth in blocks (1.55 bpg) and 23rd in 3-point field-goal percentage (.412). His player efficiency rating, a strong indicator of a player’s overall contributions and value, is at 23.81, the 12th-best mark in the league.

Towns is the leader of a young nucleus in Minnesota that is off to a head-turning 31-18 start, currently the third-best record in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. According to the Minnesota Timberwolves public relations department, in the past 35 years, only Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and David Robinson have recorded more double-doubles in their first 175 career games.

In 2015, Towns was tabbed the NBA Rookie of the Year, the first player in Kentucky’s storied history to win the award. Although he’ll be making his first appearance in the All-Star Game, he was at NBA All-Star weekend in both 2016 and 2017. In 2016 he won the Skills Challenge. He’s also appeared in the Rising Stars Challenge in both of his first two seasons in the league.

Towns was one of the centerpieces of the historic 2014-15 UK team that flirted with a perfect season. He was an NCAA Consensus Second Team All-American and Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.

Wall is in his eighth season in the NBA and continues to be among the elite point guards in the NBA. Despite missing some time in November and December due to injuries, he remains among the league leaders in several categories.

He’s 29th in scoring (19.3 points per game), second in assists (9.2 apg), 32nd in steals (1.31 spg), 21st in in blocks (1.14 bpg) and 20th in double-doubles (15). Despite the nagging injuries, his player efficiency is still among the top 50 in the league at 19.41.

Wall, who has led the Wizards to playoff appearances in three of the last four seasons, is Washington’s franchise leader in career assists and steals. The All-NBA Third Team selection a season ago has averaged 18.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game over his career, joining Magic Johnson as the only other player in NBA history to post those averages for his career, according to the Wizards. He’s also one of four players in NBA history (Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury and Chris Paul) with 9,000 points and 4,500 assists through the age of 26

A member of the remarkable 2009-10 team, Calipari’s first at Kentucky, Wall became the first No. 1 pick in the history of the program after averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game en route to the SEC regular-season and tournament championships and an Elite Eight appearance. His 241 assists were, at the time, the most in school history. He was an NCAA Consensus First Team All-American, the recipient of the Adolph Rupp Trophy (national player of the year) and SEC Player of the Year. 

After winning the All-Star game’s most valuable player award a season ago, Davis returns to the starting lineup for the third consecutive season. Davis is among the league leaders in a number of the major statistical categories. The 6-foot-11 forward ranks fourth in scoring (26.7 points per game), eighth in rebounding (10.5 rpg), third in blocks (2.05 bpg) and eighth in double-doubles (24). His player efficiency rating is at 28.65, the fourth-best mark in the league.

Davis has had a number of jaw-dropping performances this year, including making NBA history by posting 95-plus points and 50-plus rebounds over the first three games of a single season.  On Nov. 21, he recorded his 16th 35-point, 15-rebound game. According to BasketballReference.com, the only other player since 1983 who record more than 10 before turning 25 was Shaquille O’Neal, who had 27. Just recently, Davis recorded a 48-point, 17-rebound game and followed it with a 45-point, 16-rebound effort. He’s just the third player in NBA history with back-to-back games of at least 45 points and 15 rebounds. He’s now achieved the feat twice in his career, also turning the trick last season as well.

Davis was also voted in as a starter for the 2015 and 2017 games. In his MVP performance, Davis scored an All-Star Game record 52 points in addition to contributing 10 rebounds. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous scoring record of 42 points set in 1962. 

Named the 2012 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading Kentucky to the 2012 national championship, Davis has already put together a long list of accolades in the NBA during his short career. Among his most noteworthy achievements, he was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2015 and 2017 and the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2013. He was considered the consensus national player of the year – Kentucky’s first – in 2012. 

Cousins is in his eighth season in the NBA and is having a magnificent start to an MVP-caliber season. He, along with Davis, are among the league leaders in a number of the major statistical categories.

Cousins ranks sixth in scoring (25.6 points per game), third in rebounding (12.9 rpg), 14th in steals (1.63 spg) 21st in assists (5.2 apg), ninth in blocks (1.54 bpg) and second in double-doubles (36). His player efficiency rating is at 23.29, which ranks as the 19th-best mark in the league. He’s the only player in the NBA averaging 25 or more points, 10 or more rebounds and five or more assists.

His latest highlight in his best season to of his career so far included a monster 44-points, 24-rebound, 10-assist game on Monday night in a win over Chicago. Cousins became the first NBA player since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to have as many as 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He was the fastest player during the 2017-18 season to record 500 points and 250 rebounds. He recorded 40 points and 22 rebounds on Dec. 6 vs. Denver. According to NBA.com/stats, he’s the first player with multiple 40-point, 20-rebound games in a season since Patrick Ewing had two such games in 1989-90.

One of Calipari’s first-ever signees at Kentucky, Cousins went on to average 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in an All-America (NCAA consensus second team) season. He helped lead the Cats to an Elite Eight appearance after capturing the SEC regular-season and tournament crowns.

But NBA All-Star weekend won’t just be relegated to just these Wildcats as several others anticipate joining them as a part of the weekend’s festivities.

Recent NBA All-Star weekends have featured former UK players in the Rising Stars Challenge Game, the Skills Challenge, the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Challenge. Those announcements are expected to be made soon.