After more than three decades of seeing Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beating game-winner in Duke’s win vs. Kentucky in the 1992 Elite Eight replayed on national TV, it must have been nice for UK fans to be on the winning side of a similar play.
But Malachi Moreno’s turnaround jumper at the final horn was only part of the story from the Wildcats’ 75-74 win at LSU on Wednesday. UK dug itself a 19-3 hole and trailed by as much as 18 in the second half before rallying to win a road tilt featuring plenty of tension for both teams.
Kentucky (10-6, 2-2 SEC) would likely have fallen to First Four Out territory in CBS Sports Bracketology with a loss. Instead, the Wildcats are expected to rise from a No. 11 seed to a No. 10 seed. LSU (12-5, 0-4) needed a win to get onto the right side of the bubble and to alleviate some of the mounting pressure on fourth-year coach Matt McMahon.
In a battle between desperate league foes figuring out life without injured starting point guards, it was Kentucky that found a way in the end. So how did the Wildcats surge back from their second straight abysmal start for their second straight win?
Here’s the anatomy of a comeback that may go down as a season-saver for Kentucky.
Riding the star guards
Kentucky coach Mark Pope rode his star guards in the second half, keeping Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen on the floor for all 20 minutes as the Wildcats sought to replicate a formula that worked for them on Saturday in a 92-68 win over Mississippi State.
In that win over the Bulldogs, which featured a similarly ugly start, the duo combined for 38 points, including 23 in the second half. Oweh and Aberdeen were encouragingly efficient (15 of 26 from the field) in that game. But could they stack back-to-back strong performances? Early on at LSU, the answer appeared to be a resounding no.
Oweh missed his first four shots as Kentucky got bogged down in directionless half court possessions against the Tigers. But he bounced back to finish 6 of 13 from the field and 6 of 10 from the free-throw line. Of Oweh’s game-high 21 points, 15 came after halftime. All 17 of Aberdeen’s points came after halftime as the duo combined to hit 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc.
Even before this week’s announcement from Pope that starting point guard Jaland Lowe will miss the rest of the season because of a lingering shoulder injury, the Wildcats needed more from Oweh and Aberdeen. They are finally getting it.
More Williams and Moreno
Six of Kentucky’s 10 most-effective two-man combinations against high-major opposition entering Wednesday night involved Kam Williams. Pope must have seen the data, because he finally put the sophomore wing in the starting lineup against LSU for the first time since Dec. 5. Though he scored just five points, Williams continued to provide a critical element of floor-spacing while logging 16 minutes in the second half.
The Tulane transfer also provided a massive defensive lift with his steal and flush that gave Kentucky its first lead of the game with just under four minutes remaining.
Williams was key in lifting UK out of a slow start against Mississippi State on Saturday and continues to look like the sort of connector piece the Wildcats need to keep things moving offensively. Williams also gives Pope some lineup versatility, as he’s big enough to play in a small-ball four role.
Moreno has reentered the starting lineup for the past two games amid the absence of Jayden Quaintance. While the status of Quaintance, a center with potential first-round NBA Draft potential, remains an uncertainty, Moreno continues to blossom. The freshman seven-footer finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and one memorable buzzer-beater against LSU.
The No. 27 overall prospect from the Class of 2025 is a local product from nearby Georgetown, Kentucky, who looks like a potential long-term building block for Pope. Even if Quaintance can’t consistently be part of the UK rotation, the Wildcats have a great alternative with Moreno who could factor in to the future in a way that Quaintance likely won’t.
Andrija Jelavic gets a start
There wasn’t much underlying data to suggest that Croatian newcomer Andrija Jelavic’s performance warranted a promotion to the starting lineup. But the 6-foot-11 stretch big played well in his first career start, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. He was on the floor for 11 straight minutes to begin the second half as UK trimmed a 16-point halftime deficit to six.
We’ll see whether Jelavic remains a fixture in the starting lineup from here on out for Kentucky, but he was good enough against the Tigers to deserve another opportunity. His increased role has come with a price for others.
With Jelavic and Moreno heavily featured against LSU, Brandon Garrison logged just five minutes in the second half. One game after logging a season-low 13 minutes against Mississippi State, Mo Dioubate set another season-low with just 12 minutes. During UK’s two-game SEC winning streak, the uncomfortable truth is that the Wildcats have been better with those two former starters in reduced roles. While both bring physicality in the frontcourt, neither are particularly skilled on offense.
With Lowe out and Kentucky struggling to execute in half-court situations, the floor-stretching ability of Jelavic and Williams — along with Moreno’s development as a passer — is forcing Pope to reimagine how he allots minutes.
