Reed Sheppard makes Kentucky history and gets a shoutout from Rick Pitino

The Kentucky Wildcats found a way to win on the road against Mississippi State, while Reed Sheppard has continued to prove he’s among the best players in the class of 2023.

Sheppard has had a tremendous season, but he took it to another level as the No. 17 Cats spoiled the Bulldogs’ evening. Kentucky allowed 43 in the first half to Mississippi State, but they scored 56.

Who scored most of that?

None other than Sheppard, who totaled 32 points on just 14 field goals. 23 of those points came in the second half.

The Bluegrass kid also made a bit of history, a common occurrence in what will likely be his only season in Lexington. He scored the most points ever by a Kentucky native in his freshman season, a record previously held by Jack ‘Goose’ Givens and Rex Chapman.

Sheppard also became the first Kentucky player in the last 25 seasons to have 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He’s also the first to have 30 points, five boards, and five dimes since Derek Anderson in 1996.

Sheppard had the best game of his young career, and with that play, he was awarded a shoutout from coaching icon Rick Pitino.

Sheppard was also 6/6 from the free-throw line, which ended up playing a huge role in the game, as five of them came down the stretch.

Oh, did we mention he had the game-winning shot as well after the Bulldogs tied it up with a deep 3?

Here’s the Tom Leach/Jack Givens radio call of that beautiful moment.

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