Kentucky vs. Texas A&M Post Game Notes

Kentucky Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Texas A&M vs. Kentucky, Southeastern Conference Tournament championship 

Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

March 13, 2016
Attendance: 19,613  

Final Score: Kentucky 82, Texas A&M 77 (overtime)

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 26-8 and has won five in a row. Texas A&M is 26-8, ending an eight-game winning streak.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 5-3. 
• Both games this season went into overtime, with Texas A&M winning in College Station.
• This is the first time the teams have played in the SEC Tournament.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started with the lineup of Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Alex Poythress and Skal Labissiere for the eighth time this year and fifth game in a row. UK is 7-1 with this lineup.
• With 16:09 remaining, Poythress extended UK’s streak of 973 games with a 3-pointer. 
• Tied at 28, Texas A&M went ahead with a 3-pointer with 4:48 remaining and held the lead the remainder of the half. The Aggies went to intermission ahead 38-34.

In the Second Half

• Trailing 45-44, UK got a 6-0 run to go ahead for the first time in the second half, 50-45.
• Texas A&M replied with an 8-0 spurt to take the lead 53-50.
• From there, the teams traded leads until Derek Willis hit a 3-pointer from the deep left corner with 7:34 left to put the Wildcats ahead 60-58.
• Willis’ 3-pointer began a 10-2 UK run that put the Cats ahead 67-60.
• The determined Aggies rallied and tied it at 71 on a Danuel House drive and basket with 18.7 seconds left. 
• Ulis missed a fallaway jumper inside the foul line to send it to overtime.

In Overtime

• Ulis opened the scoring with a 3-pointer but A&M’s House tied it at 75 with a 3-pointer with 1:55 on the clock.
• Willis broke the tie with 1:02 remaining when Ulis fed him for a 3-pointer on the right wing, giving the Wildcats the lead for good.
• After a Texas A&M miss, Murray sealed it with a 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds remaining. The Wildcats held on for an 82-77 win.

Team Notes

• Kentucky is 1-2 in overtime this year after losing earlier this season at Kansas and Texas A&M.
• Kentucky had 13 assists and 13 turnovers. Today ended a streak of 16 consecutive games against SEC opponents that UK had more assists than turnovers.
• This is the 24th-straight game that a Wildcat has scored at least 20 points, the longest such streak since a Cat scored 20 or more in all 28 games of the 1969-70 season.
• Coach John Calipari has a 661-186 (.780) all-time record, including a 216-46 (.824) mark at Kentucky.

The Southeastern Conference Tournament

• Kentucky is 127-25 (.836) all-time in the SEC Tournament and won its 29th tourney title today. 
• UK has won four SEC Tournaments in seven years under Coach Calipari – 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.
• UK is 20-2 (.909) in SEC Tournament games played in Nashville, including 17-2 (.895) in Bridgestone Arena.
• Tyler Ulis was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. 
• Ulis averaged 24 points and five assists per game in the tournament.  He totaled 72 points, 15 assists, five rebounds and seven steals.
• UK has had 17 tournament MVPs since the renewal in 1979. No MVPs were selected from 1933-52.
• Jamal Murray was named to the All-Tournament Team. Murray averaged 22 points per game in the tournament. He totaled 66 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Player Notes  

• Sophomore Tyler Ulis totaled a career-high 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.
• He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, see tourney stats above.
• Extended his UK single-season record of 14 games with at least 20 points and five assists.
• He extended his school-record streak of 27 consecutive games with at least four assists.
• Ulis leads the SEC and is sixth nationally in assists, 7.2 per game. He’s on pace to break the school record of 6.5 assists per game by John Wall in 2009-10.
• Freshman Jamal Murray had 17 points, including 3 of 10 on 3-pointers, adding five rebounds and two steals.
• He was named to the All-Tournament Team, see tourney stats above.
• He added to his UK freshman scoring record, now standing at 685 points.
• He ended his streak of 12 consecutive 20-point games. It was tied with Kevin Grevey for the second-longest streak in school history. Dan Issel has the UK record with 18 straight 20-point games.
• It is his 32nd consecutive double-figure scoring game, the most since Jodie Meeks had a 32-game double-figure stretch in 2008-09.
• He has scored at least eight points in all 34 games this season, extending his school-record for most consecutive games with 8 or more points at the start of a career.
• He has made at least one 3-point shot in every game this season, the first player in Kentucky history to make a triple in each of his first 34 collegiate games. 
• It’s also a school record for most consecutive games with a 3 to begin a season, regardless of year in school.
• He has 110 3-pointers this season, most ever by a Southeastern Conference freshman.
• His 110 3-pointers are tied for second-most by a freshman in NCAA history, matching Tajuan Porter of Oregon in 2006-07. The national freshman record is 122 by Stephen Curry of Davidson in 2006-07.
• He has 20 games with at least three 3-pointers, most by any player in the Calipari era. 
• He has made two or more 3-pointers in 16 straight games.
• Overshadowed by his prolific scoring, the 6-4 Murray has become an aggressive rebounder. He had five rebounds today and 38 rebounds over the last six games, averaging 6.3 boards per game during that span.
• Freshman Isaiah Briscoe totaled 10 points, a team-high six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
• Has scored double figures in 18 games this season.
• Junior Derek Willis totaled 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots and one steal.
• He has 11 double-figure scoring games this season.
• He hit two huge 3-pointers during the game.
• Trailing 58-57, his triple from the deep left corner started a 10-2 UK run. 
• Tied at 75, he hit a long one from the right wing with 1:02 to play that put the Wildcats in the lead for good.
• Senior Alex Poythress had 10 points and six rebounds.
• He has scored double figures in six of seven games since returning from injury, averaging 11.1 points during that span.
• Has made 31 of 48 shots (.646) since returning from injury.