Kentucky basketball and Andrew Carr ruin Missouri Senior Day

The Missouri Arena was rocking, and the Cats started slow, but really poured it on, Missouri made runs, and Kentucky did as well. Read about all the action that went down in the regular season finale.

Kentucky got off to a sluggish start against Missouri, opening just 1-for-6 from the field. Their lone basket came on a mid-range jumper, with the rest of their attempts including three missed jumpers and a Brandon Garrison airball from deep. Missouri wasn’t faring much better at 3-for-9, but they dominated the glass early with a 7-3 rebounding edge in the first five minutes.

Despite going scoreless for four minutes, Kentucky was down by just four points. With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, the Wildcats were shooting just 1-for-7 from the field, 11-7 Missouri. If they could find any kind of rhythm, they had a great chance to take control. That they did.

A Travis Perry three-pointer and an Otega Oweh steal and dunk finally sparked some momentum, giving Kentucky its first lead at 15-11. Oweh had been struggling at 1-for-6 from the field, so that highlight play could have been what he needed to get going. It was also Kentucky’s first two-point field goal in 12 minutes of play. However, both Oweh and Butler picked up two early fouls, adding a layer of difficulty.

The Wildcats started to settle in, playing a grittier game than usual. With just under three minutes left in the half, Kentucky built a 28-20 lead. Koby Brea found his groove, knocking down a step-back three and then taking a Missouri defender down low for a turnaround jumper. Kentucky stretched the lead to 35-25 with 1:08 remaining. Missouri’s Mark Mitchell caught fire late, helping cut the deficit to six before Collin Chandler drained a big three-pointer to give Kentucky a 38-29 halftime lead.

A massive turnaround fueled Kentucky’s surge, as they shot 7-for-12 from deep and flipped the rebounding battle to a slight advantage. Brea led the Wildcats with 11 points at the break, while Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler each had eight. For Missouri, Mitchell carried the load with 12 points, while Tony Perkins added seven.

Second Half: Cats Pull Away, Survive Late Missouri Push

Both teams started the second half a bit shaky, but Kentucky quickly found its footing, extending the lead to 14 behind an Andrew Carr three-pointer. Mitchell, continuing his strong play, answered with a three of his own—an unusual sight given his 24% three-point shooting on the season, but he was a perfect 2-for-2 on the night. Kentucky maintained control with a 6-0 run, stretching the lead to 53-37 before Missouri hit a three to cut it back to 13.

Mitchell remained the hot hand for Missouri, scoring eight of their last ten field goals to keep the Tigers within striking distance at 55-44 with 12:30 to go. The game sped up significantly from there. Chandler drained another three, and Missouri’s Jacob Crews responded with a quick layup, making it 62-48 at the under-12 timeout.

Missouri refused to go away, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to trim the deficit to 66-57 with 7:22 left. Kentucky had some costly mistakes, including a missed front end of a one-and-one from Garrison, a foul on Mitchell, and a bad turnover by Butler that led to an easy layup. Just like that, Missouri had rattled off a 10-0 run, cutting it to 66-61 with 6:19 remaining.

Amari Williams went to the line for a crucial one-and-one but missed—only to get another chance due to a lane violation. He sank the retry. Moments later, Oweh drilled a massive three to create some breathing room, putting Kentucky up 72-65 with 4:09 left.

Missouri kept applying pressure, forcing another turnover that led to free throws and a cut-down lead of 73-67 with 3:30 to go. But Carr stepped up, blocking a shot and throwing down a putback dunk to extend Kentucky’s lead to 75-67 with 3:15 left. A “Go Big Blue” chant broke out as the Wildcats looked to close in on a tough road victory.

With 1:32 left, an inbounds turnover allowed Missouri to hit another three, cutting it to 78-72. Butler calmly made two free throws, and Oweh found Brea leaking out for a dunk, putting Kentucky up 82-72 with just over a minute remaining. Missouri kept draining threes, but Kentucky continued knocking down free throws, ultimately sealing a 91-83 victory.

Key Stats:

Kentucky: 48.2% FG, 55.0% 3PT (11-20), 78.8% FT (26-33)
Missouri: 43.9% FG, 39.3% 3PT (11-28), 66.7% FT (14-21)
Rebounds: Kentucky 37, Missouri 36
Turnovers: Both teams with 10
Points in Paint: Missouri 32, Kentucky 26

Top Performers:

Kentucky: Otega Oweh (22 points, 3 steals), Andrew Carr (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks), Koby Brea (17 points, 3-5 3PT)
Missouri: Mark Mitchell (22 points, 8-14 FG), Jacob Crews (17 points, 4-6 3PT), Tony Perkins (9 points, 3 assists)

This was a massive road win for Kentucky, handing Missouri just their second home loss of the season. Despite a rough start, the Wildcats found their rhythm and held off a furious Missouri comeback to secure the victory. With their offense clicking and key players stepping up, this win could be a significant momentum boost as Kentucky heads into the final stretch of the season.