Antonio Reeves caught fire and nearly single handedly carried the Kentucky Wildcats mens basketball team over the Arkansas Razorbacks with an 88-79 win.
This game was a battle from the get go, with both teams chirping at one another throughout the game. At one point Davonte Davis of Arkansas got over emotional and was T’d up twice and ejected from the game. There were even some questionable calls on what could have been some flagrant 2’s on Tshiebwe throwing an elbow but the refs didn’t see it that way and let him slide by on those. The whole game was a back-and-forth jawing match between the two teams.
But the story of the day was Antonio Reeves catching fire going for a game high and career high (including his stint at his former school Illinois State) 37 points. He was masterful in getting to the paint and drawing fouls where he was perfect from the free-throw line. He also played every minute of the game, logging 40 minutes today.
The Cats shot 53.7% (29/54) from the field but still struggled a bit from behind the arc at 28.6% (4-14). But, where they lacked from behind the arc they made up with from the charity stripe, shooting nearly 79% (26/33), in what was certainly the difference maker in the outcome of the game.
Without Cason Wallace or Sahvir Wheeler to play the point, the Cats struggled and had 14 turnovers. At times, the Hogs defense was stifling, having 9 steals as a team for the game. However, in what could have been a travesty without a PG, Jacob Toppin’s ball handling and extensive minutes from Thiero kept the day without a PG from becoming a mess.
Jacob Toppin finished with 21 points and 4 rebounds. Although Oscar was somewhat limited in the second due to foul trouble, he was able to have another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebound before fouling out late in the half. Ware put in some solid time off the bench and provided a spark, scoring 4 points and pulling down 5 boards. Livingston may not have many points (1) but he had 9 rebounds in what was a pretty solid performance.
It was going to take a team effort for the Cats to get this end of season win. And, the Cats did just that today. These guys should be proud of the effort and results.
This win at Arkansas from the Cats pretty much assures a number three seed, a double bye and an extra day off to get Wallace back healthy for the SEC Tournament.
Read: Locker Room Lance Leading Cats
Read: 6 Things Slowly Killing College Basketball
Read: Tyler Ulis Making An Impression At Kentucky
Read: Player Spotlight – Cason Wallace
