3 takeaways from Kentucky’s win over Mizzou in SEC home opener
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Kentucky won its SEC home opener, improving to 2-0 in conference play with a 90-77 victory over Mizzou. The Wildcats and Tigers were locked in a single-digit game most of the night, with John Calipari’s squad pulling away in the final minutes.
UK had 5 scorers in double figures. Rob Dillingham led the way with 23 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point territory and 8-of-10 at the foul line.
Here are 3 quick takeaways from Kentucky’s victory to improve to 12-2 on the 2023-24 season:
Cats weren’t sleepwalking, but start wasn’t ideal
After the trip to Florida and enduring a 40-minute battle in a rowdy environment, it was fair to wonder if the Wildcats would be “up” to face a Mizzou team only slightly above .500 (8-6 through 14 games). Boosted by the Rupp Arena crowd, nobody was accusing the Wildcats of sleepwalking, notching 47 points in the first period.
Three-point shooting started particularly strong, before being overshadowed by a cold spell. UK made 5 of its first 7 3-point attempts. At the half, UK had made 5 of its first 15 shots from beyond the arc.
This wasn’t one of those “pull away in the second half” nights, either. Kentucky’s defense is what it is right now.
Mizzou just wouldn’t go away
While it never felt like Kentucky was in danger, Mizzou was able to hang around as the Wildcats could not put the game away until the very end. UK can score in spurts, but with plenty of offensive droughts and the current state of the defense, Kentucky’s runs don’t quite put the game out of reach.
It’s early in conference play. Ideally, the Wildcats can move on without worrying about a game that didn’t feel like it was ever truly in doubt, but they would like to get these games out of single-digit differences earlier.
Box score battles show how Kentucky got it done
When you receive more bench production and score more off turnovers, at the line and in the paint, it’s a good way to neutralize your opponent outscoring you with the 3-ball.
As one would expect with the rosters, UK dominated bench scoring 26-10 thanks to Dillingham’s big night. While Mizzou had the better overall night from 3-point territory (24-21 points), the Wildcats had the edge in the paint 28-24
It wasn’t always the prettiest defensive effort, but Kentucky managed 16 points off turnovers to Mizzou’s 4. UK also had the free-throw advantage over MU, 27-17 at the final whistle.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
