Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s important win at Mississippi State

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 71-68 win over Mississippi State in Starkville on Wednesday night.

1. Kentucky won this game on the glass

Forget field goal percentage or three-point percentage or free throw percentage. Where Kentucky knocked off Mississippi State at the Hump in Starkville was on the glass. Specifically, offensive rebound percentage.

Kentucky flat-out bashed the host Bulldogs on the boards 38-22. Maybe more important, the Cats grabbed 18 offensive rebounds compared to just 15 defensive rebounds for the home team. That’s an offensive rebound percentage of 54.5, UK’s highest against an SEC opponent since Feb. 14, 2015, when the Cats posted a ORP of 57.7 in a 77-43 victory over South Carolina.

Oscar Tshiebwe grabbed seven offensive rebounds. Cason Wallace and Adou Thiero were each credited with two. Lance Ware, Jacob Toppin and Chris Livingston had one each. The Cats were credited with four team offensive rebounds.

That collective boardwork awarded Kentucky seven more field goal attempts than Mississippi State. So while the Bulldogs shot a higher percentage (50.0 to 45.5), the Cats made 25 field goals compared to State’s 24.

It also helped Kentucky average 1.214 points per possession against a Mississippi State team that was ranked fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency by Kenpom. State averaged 1.133 points per possession. And lost.

2. Despite his shooting, Cason Wallace made winning plays

At UK’s 75-68 loss at Georgia last Saturday, I talked to someone with strong NBA connections who was at Stegeman Coliseum to check out Cason Wallace. He told me that Wallace affected the game in enough ways to be a good NBA player. How good would depend on how well Wallace shoots the ball, he said.

Wednesday night, Wallace was cold as ice. He was 1 of 13 from the floor, including 0 of 8 from three-point range. According to UK stats maven Corey Price, Wallace is now 15 of 61 from the floor in SEC road games for 24.6 percent.

And yet, to quote a Twitter follower, Kentucky would not have won the game without the freshman from Texas. With Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick out for the second straight game, Wallace handled point guard duties and finished with a career-high 11 assists.

It was Wallace who hit both ends of a one-and-one to give Kentucky a 62-56 lead with 3:14 left. It was Wallace who hit Jacob Toppin for a lob dunk with 1:46 left and a 66-60 Kentucky lead. And it was Wallace who more than likely got away with taking an extra step in the lane late in the game, much to the ire of Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans.

It goes back to something John Calipari preaches: Don’t let your shooting affect the rest of your game. Wallace did not shoot well Wednesday night. But he did not let it affect the rest of his game.

3. Finally, another Quad 1 win

As you might have heard, Kentucky came into Wednesday night’s bubble battle with a 1-7 record against Quad 1 opponents in the NCAA NET rankings, a key metric used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

After losing at Georgia on Saturday, Kentucky could not afford to let Wednesday’s Quad 1 opportunity slip away. And for the most part it played like a team with its back to the wall. For once, the Cats started fast, jumping to a 20-13 lead in the Bulldogs. And down the stretch, Kentucky refused to wilt, stepping to the foul line and making six of its seven free throws in the final 8.1 seconds.

Actually, Kentucky might have picked up two Quad 1 wins on Wednesday. Texas A&M knocked off Arkansas 62-56 in College Station, improving the Aggies to 11-2 in SEC play. Ranked 35th in the NET before the game, Buzz Williams’ team could move into the top 30. That would qualify UK’s 76-67 win over the Aggies on Jan. 21 as a Quad 1 win.

(Quad 1 wins can be earned with a home win over a top-30 team at home, a neutral site win over a top-50 team on a road win over a top 75 team.)

Saturday brings another Quad 1 opportunity when Tennessee visits Rupp Arena for a 1 p.m. game on CBS. It won’t be easy. The Vols were No. 3 in the NET before knocking off No. 1-ranked Alabama 68-59 in Knoxville on Wednesday night. No doubt Tennessee will be anxious to avenge its 63-56 loss to Kentucky at Thompson-Boling Arena back on Jan. 14.

Still, if Kentucky plays like it did Wednesday night in Starkville, it has a shot at sweeping the Vols.

Kentucky tops Mississippi State in battle of bubble teams. It was a big one for the Cats.

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