No. 23 Kentucky, Arkansas try to shake off tough losses

Each No. 23 Kentucky and Arkansas will look to finish the common season on a optimistic be aware after they meet on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.

Arkansas is coming off back-to-back losses to ranked opponents, whereas Kentucky took a troublesome 68-66 defeat in opposition to Vanderbilt on Wednesday. After their regular-season finale, the Southeastern Convention match awaits, and each groups are projected to make the NCAA Match.

“We have completed what we have wanted to do,” Wildcats coach John Calipari mentioned. “We have yet another recreation left. We bought our match left. Now, let’s simply end it, after which let’s go to the subsequent. We’re high-quality.”

Calipari stored praising his gamers for the combat they confirmed in opposition to the Commodores.

The Wildcats (20-10, 11-6 SEC) trailed by 11 within the second half and rallied to take a two-point lead with 1:10 left on a jumper by Oscar Tshiebwe’. Vanderbilt’s Jordan Wright scored the subsequent two baskets, and the Wildcats’ Antonio Reeves missed a 3-point try on the buzzer.

“We fought and did all the pieces we may to provide ourselves an opportunity to win,” Calipari mentioned. “We simply wanted to make yet another shot.”

Kentucky’s greatest situation going ahead is the purpose guard place. Sahvir Wheeler stays sidelined as a consequence of an ankle damage and is unlikely to return earlier than the beginning of the NCAA Match.

Freshman Cason Wallace injured his left ankle early within the second half in opposition to Vanderbilt and left the sport for good. Calipari is hopeful Wallace can play in opposition to the Razorbacks.

“However I do not know,” Calipari mentioned. “If not, we have got to determine how we (run the offense) in opposition to stress.”

After Wallace’s damage, Reeves moved from capturing guard to take over level guard duties.

Arkansas (19-11, 8-9) performed No. 2 Alabama to the wire in an 86-83 highway loss on Feb. 25 however was a lot much less aggressive in a 75-57 loss at No. 12 Tennessee on Tuesday, trailing by as many as 24 factors within the second half.

“We did not bounce again like we had hoped after enjoying Alabama,” Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman mentioned. “We’ll proceed to do what we have completed with all of our groups and return and put together. We have to do a greater job, clearly.

“We took a step backward, there isn’t any query. Each as a staff and individually, we took a number of steps backward.”

A few of Arkansas’ offensive troubles stemmed from 16 turnovers, 10 of which Musselman mentioned got here from “our major ball-handlers,” together with six by Anthony Black.

“And there have been a whole lot of passes (Tuesday) that had been simply thrown out of bounds,” Musselman mentioned.

The Razorbacks had different points on offense. They shot 36.7 p.c from the ground, and their level complete matched their second-lowest of the season, only one extra level than the season low in a 62-56 loss at Texas A&M. Tennessee held a 42-18 benefit in factors within the paint.

“We did not go in there, and once we did, we did not end,” Musselman mentioned. “Tennessee is de facto sturdy. They’re actually bodily.

“We had been getting into there and never ending in opposition to verticality. You must go and assault the rim in opposition to a bodily staff. You must get within the physique, and we didn’t do this from a bodily standpoint.”

–Discipline Degree Media