Shorthanded Kentucky Suffers Crushing 75-68 Defeat at Georgia
ATHENS, Ga. — "Go Big Blue" chants were audible inside Stegeman Coliseum as Kentucky sought after a stop on defense, down 59-58 to the bottom-barrel Georgia Bulldogs, losers of six of their last seven.
Bulldogs forward Braelen Bridges landed yet another basket, quickly silencing the contingent of Kentucky fans that made the trek down south. That chant would be the final yelps of hope for a season that now lays in ruins.
The shorthanded Wildcats added another chapter to its book of forgettable games. Despite 40 combined points from shooting guard Antonio Reeves and Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky floundered in a crushing 75-68 defeat, furthering questioning its chances as an NCAA Tournament team.
Veteran guard Kario Oquendo racked up 21 points to lead the way for Georgia.
Out of a timeout with less than four minutes to play, Kentucky drew up a horrific set, resulting in passing that led to nothing, ending with an airball 3-pointer from the top of the key by Chris Livingston.
The other end? Jabri Abdur-Rahim drills a corner trey, putting the Dawgs 64-58. The deficit was just six, but it felt like 60.
Two free throws from Justin Hill made it 68-60 with just over one minute to play. Kentucky would play the foul game from then on, but the result was never in doubt.
Winning on the road in the SEC is a tall task regardless, but the climb was already much steeper than normal for the Cats before tipoff. Both point guard Sahvir Wheeler (ankle) and shooting guard CJ Fredrick were ruled out pregame, leaving John Calipari with just three guards in Athens.
"Being shorthanded — I know that will be said publicly around the nation ... no it won't," Calipari said flippantly after the loss.
Stegeman Coliseum quickly morphed into Mount Everest in the eyes of Kentucky, as starting point guard and all-around weapon Cason Wallace picked up two personal fouls in the first four minutes of the game. He would play just eight minutes in the half, failing to score.
In his place was fellow freshman Adou Thiero, who played 15 of the first 20 minutes, the most action he's seen in a half this season. While he was clearly outmatched by the talented duo of Oquendo and Terry Roberts, Thiero managed two points and three rebounds, showing bundles of heart in the process.
"I thought (Thiero) would play 10 or 12 minutes in the game and he ends up playing how many? Come on," Calipari said. "We're playing basically without a point guard.
Oquendo took advantage of every opportunity the shaky UK defense gave him, filling the cup for 17 points on 5-12 shooting, including a 3-pointer late in the half to open a 6-0 run to propel the Bulldogs to a 42-32 lead at the break.
Thanks to 35.5-percent shooting and multiple failures on defensive assignments, Kentucky (16-9, 7-5 SEC) trailed at the half for the seventh time in 12 SEC games.
If not for 15 points from Reeves on 6-11 shooting, the Wildcats' deficit would've felt insurmountable, as the Illinois State transfer was the only player on the floor in blue and white showing any sort of offensive competence.
"We were down a couple points and it just drained the energy, cause we're not at home," Reeves said after a 20-point, six-rebound performance.
With its season and NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, UK reached deep and found some of the intensity it had left from the six-game conference winning streak it entered the week with.
After another ho-hum first half, Oscar Tshiebwe found an inkling of the effort he played with against the Bulldogs earlier in the season — a game where he notched a career-high 37 points and 24 rebounds.
He hauled in eight points and four rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the second period, leading the charge back for the Cats while UGA (15-10, 5-7) suffered a field-goal drought that lasted over five minutes.
After leading for just one possession in the first half, forward Jacob Toppin rattled off five points in a row, including a corner 3-pointer to put UK up 52-48 with less than 12 minutes to go.
In true Kentucky fashion, it couldn't keep its mojo going and acquire a lead of any significance. UGA's Bridges and Hill combined for a quick 7-0 run in less than a minute, throwing the Dawgs back in front by three.
Bridges continued to attack the basket, gunning at Tshiebwe, landing a tough layup plus the fourth foul of the game on the reigning National Player of the Year. With Kentucky down 59-54 with less than six minutes to play, Calipari opted to keep the big man on the floor despite being one call away from riding pine the rest of the afternoon.
"We made a couple mistakes that really kind of hurt us," Tshiebwe said.
Wallace remained an offensive no-show, as he didn't score until there was less than a minute to play in the game, bringing UK's deficit down to just eight points. Thiero played just one minute down the stretch, while backup forward Daimion Collins couldn't recreate the spark he found over the last week-and-a-half.
"The guys that had to make some daggers missed every shot, didn't get a basket until there was three minutes (left) in the game," Calipari said. Think about that. You have an opportunity to throw the dagger."
Opportunity missed. The Cats now have two losses against teams ranked above 100 in the NET and nine losses on the season with hardly any tournament résumé to speak of.
Kentucky now stays on the road for its only back-to-back away game stretch of the season. It will return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 15 in Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tipoff inside the Humphrey Coliseum is set for 8:30 p.m. EST.
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