Kentucky knocks off Missouri: 4 things to know and postgame cheers

What a way to finish the regular season for the Cats!

The Kentucky Wildcats knocked off the No. 15 Missouri Tigers by a final score of 91-83 in CoMo on Saturday afternoon. What a win! The Cats finish the regular season with a record of 21-10 (10-8 in SEC).

The Cats got off to an incredibly slow start, as they couldn’t get any shots to fall. Luckily, it was the same story for Mizzou as this was an ugly game for the couple segments. However, Kentucky exploded from that point, especially from deep, to take a 38-29 lead into the half.

After the break, Kentucky extended its lead to as many as 16 points. It looked like this game was headed for a blowout, but the Tigers just wouldn’t go away, which is to be expected on Senior Day. The Cats didn’t let the raucous crowd get to them, though, as they answered the call every time.

Mark Pope’s squad just picked up an absolutely massive road win to finish off a regular season that wildly exceeded people’s expectations. Kudos to him — now let’s win some games that really matter.

Next up, postseason play begins! The SEC Tournament will start on Wednesday night in Nashville and Thursday for the Cats. It’s now win or go home.

Now, here are four things to know from win No. 21 on the season.

The role players came to play

Koby Brea and Andrew Carr, while currently starters, have bounced in and out of the starting lineup this season. Both guys are crucial to Kentucky’s success, but they’re role players—not stars.

These guys maximized their roles in this one.

Brea is a microwave shooter and scorer, who came off the bench for the majority of the season until Jaxson Robinson got injured. Arguably the best shooter in the country, Brea is a crisp passer and also excels when attacking the rim. In this one, he did a little bit of everything.

There was no hesitation whatsoever in this game, which has become a bit of an issue over the last few weeks. He shot the ball confidently and consistently. The Cats need him to continue to play like this with Robinson out for the season.

Carr, on the other hand, started the season in the starting five, but injuries forced him to the bench. It took weeks for Carr to get comfortable again, but he’s since earned his starting spot back and he’s getting better game by game.

He was the X-factor for this team when healthy, and that still remains the case. When he’s on, he’s a matchup nightmare and helps Kentucky defensively with his length. Just like Brea, Carr played very well in this game, especially on the offensive end and the glass.

Otega Oweh is undoubtedly the star. Amari Williams and Lamont Butler are two of Kentucky’s most important players. But Brea and Carr are the role players that championship teams always have.

The freshmen provided a spark

Collin Chandler, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah have seen their playing time increase as the season has progressed and they’ve taken advantage.

Noah and Perry have had some big, memorable outings. Their three-point shooting allows them to score in bunches. Of course, both guys have their flaws and have been forced to play earlier than expected, but they have thrived despite the obvious flaws.

Chandler, however, took a lot longer to find his footing. The higher ranked recruit (from the class of 2022) was out of basketball for two years following a mission trip while at BYU with Mark Pope. It’s fair to assume that there was a lot of rust to knock off.

Well, the rust is coming off and we’re starting to see a player really develop and progress. Chandler found his confidence on the defensive end as his size, athleticism, and quickness allowed him to become a strong defender.

We saw it first when he shut down Chaz Lanier from the Tennessee Volunteers, but he’s excelled in that role over the last month or so. Now, the offense has caught up to the defense.

He played really well against the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night and he carried that over to today’s game. He’s aggressive and he’s not afraid to pull the trigger no matter where he’s at on the court. With all of these guys, you see the usual freshman hiccups, but Chandler’s development has allowed Pope a lot more freedom with Robinson out.

Another Top-15 Win

What a debut season for Mark Pope.

With today’s victory, Kentucky has now added to its school record of top-15 wins in a single season. The Wildcats had seven coming into the day, breaking the all-time program record.

Now, they have eight with a real chance to add more in the postseason!

I’d say Mitch Barnhart made the right hire.

The Cats CAN play defense

Defense has been an issue for the Cats since day 1, but they’ve slowly started trending in the right direction over the last month or so.

The return of Lamont Butler helps, but Kentucky wasn’t particularly good even when they had him in the lineup. However, something has clicked and they were really impressive on that end of the court in this game.

Kentucky actually forced turnovers, which was a first. They held their own on the glass. They shut down the Tigers’ scariest scorer in Caleb Grill.

It wasn’t perfect. This team is never going to lock opposing teams down. But if they can play at the level they did today, that’s all they need. With how good this team is offensively, they’ll be really hard to beat if they can just be more consistent on the defensive side.

I have no idea where this team will go from here, but they can beat anybody in the country. Let’s have some fun this March! Go Cats!