Five things you should know about No. 17 Kentucky’s sad 75-74 loss to LSU in men’s SEC basketball at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1. A crushing finish. With 13 seconds left in the game, Rob Dillingham’s jumper gave Kentucky a 74-73 advantage.
On the next LSU possession, longstanding UK adversary Jordan Wright, a former Vanderbilt guard, drove to the rim. When Wright raised to shoot, Kentucky’s Adou Thiero blocked his attempt.
Wright had the foresight to catch the ball and throw it back toward the front of the goal while falling out of bounds. Tyrell Ward of LSU grabbed Wright’s pass and deposited the ball in the basket just before the final horn to win the game.
It was a crushing defeat for Kentucky, which had recovered from 73-69 down with 1:04 remaining to take the lead.
2. LSU “drives” its investment in the UK. With 19:08 left in the game, LSU rallied by repeatedly pushing the ball right at UK.
As a result, the Tigers concluded the game with 32 points in the paint—22 of which were in the
Unlike some games earlier this season when Kentucky’s defense seemed to offer little resistance, the Wildcats appeared to be battling. LSU just drove the ball at and over UK repeatedly and the Wildcats could not get enough stops.
Losing the second-half rebounding battle 22-12 was not helpful for the Cats.
3. Cats waste a Dillingham “heater.” At halftime Wednesday night, UK freshman guard Rob Dillingham had two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
