Kentucky went into Bud Walton Arena on Saturday and left with an 85-77 upset victory vs. No. 15 Arkansas. The Wildcats’ win over former coach John Calipari was not only symbolic, but also marked their best win of the season. Kentucky (15-7, 6-3 SEC) entered the weekend 3-6 against Quad 1 opponents, and this victory over the Razorbacks (16-6, 6-3) could be exactly what Mark Pope’s team needed to get back on track for good.
Entering the game, Pope and Calipari had identical 38-19 records since taking over their respective programs last season. To draw even more parallels, Arkansas’ upset win over Kentucky last year on the road got Calipari’s team back on track after a disappointing start.
A year ago, the Razorbacks started 1-6 against SEC competition before going 7-5 the remainder of the regular season/SEC Tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky still has its flaws and the injuries could ultimately derail a deep run in March, but getting its first win over Calipari since his high-profile exit is one of the most important wins Pope will have coaching his alma mater.
Although the start to the SEC play hasn’t been as dire for Kentucky, this is the kind of win that could turn things around. Kentucky is somehow just 1.5 games back of Texas A&M for first place in the conference heading into February. Before UK suffered a 25-point loss earlier this week against Vanderbilt, Pope’s squad had won five consecutive games against SEC opponents.
As Kentucky star Otega Oweh put it, this game was “personal” for his team.
“It was definitely personal,” Oweh told the ESPN broadcast. “More the fact that the last time we played, the last time we had, we didn’t do a good job of representing Kentucky. We had to sit with that for a couple of days. We were eager to get back out there.”
Oweh steps up for Kentucky
It’s no secret that the Preseason SEC Player of the Year didn’t start the season strong. However, since conference play began, Oweh has been the steady scoring presence that Kentucky needs. He has recorded at least 20 points in seven of Kentucky’s nine conference games, including a 24-point outburst against Arkansas.
Those 24 points marked a season high for Oweh, less than a week after scoring 23 points in a win over Ole Miss. His resurgence also comes at a time when star guard Jaland Lowe has already been ruled out for the season, and big man Jayden Quaintance — Kentucky’s best NBA Draft prospect on the roster — is without a timeline to return. The best version of Kentucky down the stretch will involve Oweh playing like this.
Oweh shot 9 of 12 from the floor and added eight rebounds and three assists. Although he missed his lone 3-point attempt, his team had one of its most efficient outings of the year. Kentucky shot 6 of 13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc, which marked the second-highest 3-point shooting percentage of the season.
One of the staples of what made Year 1 of Pope’s tenure so successful was Oweh’s breakout and how well his team shot from beyond the arc. Last season, Kentucky shot 37.5% from the 3-point line as a team, which ranked No. 24 in Division I. This season has been a different story, as Kentucky is shooting just 33.9% from the 3-point line. That number ranks in the middle of the pack (No. 185) for Division I teams.
This game was déjà vu for multiple reasons. Kentucky was efficient from the 3-point line, Oweh looked like the player he was last season, and on top of that, Kentucky was able to flip the script after losing as a favorite at home last season against these Razorbacks.
Bracketology implications
Kentucky entered the day as a No. 7 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections, while Arkansas was on the No. 5 line. The Wildcats now have three wins over ranked opponents (St. John’s and Tennessee) after beating Arkansas. Notably, Kentucky has six games remaining against Quad 1 opponents for the remainder of the regular season. The Wildcats still have to play Tennessee, Florida (twice), Auburn, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
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There is still more work to be done for Kentucky to feel completely safe on Selection Sunday, but this is its best win of the season — for many reasons and it’s not close. Sure, Kentucky rallied from a 17-point deficit against Tennessee on the road earlier this month, but getting a win over a top-15 opponent is a huge resume builder for the Wildcats.
Acuff struggles early, but steps up in the second half
The best NBA Draft prospect playing in this game, with Quaintance sidelined, was Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. The Razorbacks star guard struggled in the first half against Kentucky (five points, 2 of 10 from the floor), but came on strong during the final 20 minutes to help give his team the lead back midway through the second half.
Acuff finished with 22 points and three assists. Acuff is the No. 13-ranked player in the CBS Sports NBA Draft prospect rankings. During Calipari’s first season at Arkansas, he did not produce a first-round pick. The only player selected was Adou Thiero — who previously played for Calipari at Kentucky — in the second round. That snapped Calipari’s streak of having at least one first-round pick for 17 consecutive years.
The good (and bad news) for Calipari is that a new streak will be started this summer. Acuff is arguably the best point guard in this class. During SEC play, he has posted some efficient numbers while also producing a great turnover-to-assist ratio. Guards win games in March, and the best version of Arkansas will involve Acuff playing at the top level.
