No. 18 Arkansas made it 13 wins in its last 14 games on Saturday by knocking off No. 6 Kentucky 75-73 at Bud Walton Arena in a thrilling SEC showdown on CBS that featured 17 lead changes. The Razorbacks (23-6, 12-4 SEC) got 30 points from JD Notae and big second half contributions from Jaylin Williams and Stanley Umude to outlast a Wildcats' team that rallied from an early 13-point deficit to take the lead in the second half.
Williams hit a jumper to give Arkansas the lead with 1:22 remaining and then knocked down a pair of free throws with 36 seconds remaining to put the Razorbacks ahead 73-70. Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game with 23 seconds left, and the Razorbacks held on from there.
In its last three home games, Arkansas has knocked off the SEC's three highest-ranked teams in Auburn, Tennessee and now Kentucky. Making Saturday's outcome even more impressive for Arkansas was the fact that Kentucky (23-6, 12-4) had its full roster with point guards Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington each back after missing two games due to injury.
My oh my... That guy JD Notae is putting on a show 😤@RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/2roTTtjaEZ
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) February 26, 2022
UK star big man Oscar Tshiebwe turned in another monster performance with 30 points and 18 rebounds. But the Wildcats made just 4 of 15 attempts from 3-point range as outside marksman Kellan Grady never got going after sitting much of the first half with two fouls. The outcome will leave Auburn in solo possession of first place in the SEC standings regardless of whether it beats Tennessee on Saturday.
Arkansas became the first team since Notre Dame on Dec. 11 to beat Kentucky when the Wildcats were at full strength with both Washington and Wheeler available for the full game. When the Wildcats lost at LSU on Jan. 4, it was after Wheeler was knocked out just four minutes in. When they lost at Auburn on Jan. 22, it was after Washington left midway through the first half. Wheeler then also had to leave during a key time in the second half against Auburn after running into a pick.
Finally, in UK's only other SEC loss before Saturday, the Wildcats were without Washington for most of the game at Tennessee last week. With better injury luck, UK might still be in position to win the SEC regular season title. But Arkansas showed Saturday that the Wildcats are by no means invincible even when fully healthy.
Notae may be one of the few players in the SEC capable of stealing a vote or two from Tshiebwe in the conference's Player of the Year race. He showed why on Saturday by carrying the Razorbacks in the first half. Notae finished 13 of 26 from the floor as he reached the 30-point plateau for the third time this season. The 6-1 guard also turned in eight assists. Beating out Tshiebwe for the league's top honor will be nearly impossible, but this performance cemented Notae's place as a first-team All-SEC performer.
Even in defeat, though, it was hard to argue against Tshiebwe being the most dominant player on the floor. It was his second 30-point performance of the season. He scored UK's first nine points and then flashed some rarely seen passing skills with a couple of key assists out of double teams that helped the Wildcats get going.
"It's a 4-pt shot!" 😂😂
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) February 26, 2022
JD Notae LAUNCHES a 3 for @RazorbackMBB. pic.twitter.com/7x3Gs3WQJC
With 4.4 seconds still remaining on the clock and Arkansas leading by five, Kentucky's bench players left for the locker room. Their early departure from the sideline came as security personnel clad in yellow shirts lined the stands, presumably to dissuade fans from storming the court.
It also came less than a week after a sport-wide referendum on the traditional postgame handshake line began following Michigan coach Juwan Howard's open-handed on a strike on a Wisconsin assistant.
Did UK's decision to pull an early exit bother Arkansas?
"Nah," Notae told reporters. "We won."
While there didn't appear to be much bad blood because of UK's early exit, the final seconds were certainly significant. Arkansas held a 5-point lead and was comfortably in position to cover a two-point spread until Washington banked in a 3-pointer as time expired that turned the outcome into a push for any bettors that took Arkansas -2.
I hope Arkansas -2.5 bettors didn’t walk away from their TV’s like Kentucky because they just got backdoored 😬 pic.twitter.com/zHJhQuNf8m
— br_betting (@br_betting) February 26, 2022
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If you bought season tickets for Arkansas basketball season, you've gotten a nice return on that investment. The Hogs have now knocked off Auburn, Tennessee and Kentucky -- the SEC's three highest-ranked teams -- at home. For a team that started 0-3 in SEC play, this is an insane turnaround. Kudos to Eric Musselman for doing it again and gelling a transfer-heavy group into a great team when it matters most.
Eight straight wins at Bud Walton Arena pic.twitter.com/4XkQl54lju
— #18 Arkansas Razorback Men's Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
Great having @jtate_the_great and @JimmyWhitt33 in Bud Walton Arena today! #Family pic.twitter.com/RAOUaHvZA6
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) February 26, 2022
Let’s go Hogs. BeatKentucky! #WPS
— Moses Kingsley (@KingMoses_) February 26, 2022
WPS❤️❤️
— Joseph Pinion (@josephpinion2) February 26, 2022
Jd player of the year for sure 🐗
— Mase (@masonjones2) February 26, 2022
Those piggies can beat ANYBODY🐗 #wps
— Justin Smith (@justinsmith3_) February 26, 2022
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) February 26, 2022
Bud go crazy every time🔥🐗
— Kyng Bailey (@adriobailey) February 26, 2022
The first SEC player with 30 Pts and 8 Ast in a game vs an AP Top-10 team over the last 25 seasons:@RazorbackMBB's @jdnotae 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EmvXxG07l5
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 26, 2022
go hogs 💪🏻💪🏻#wps
— DUSTY (@D_Hannahs) February 26, 2022
You gotta WANT it pic.twitter.com/0KizDqHtxo
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
C R U N K S T A R Z ⚡️⚡️⚡️ https://t.co/4L2s8R13vK
— Duke Deuce (@dukedeuce901) February 26, 2022
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
Unstoppable pic.twitter.com/ggzKF7NZMT
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
An absolute force to be reckoned with pic.twitter.com/UYOvyZEAgW
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
Coach Calipari and Players - Arkansas Postgame presented by UKHealthCare https://t.co/SEv76kVkXl
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 26, 2022
Final. pic.twitter.com/nO1d7dTOVC
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 26, 2022
BIG BLUE NUTHIN pic.twitter.com/tBqQjZ55xl
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
BUD AIN'T DEAD pic.twitter.com/M4Gz1QtK69
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
The statistical similarities between what these teams have done is striking. Both are shooting 27-28% from 3. Both have a 30-point scorer and two complimentary scorers with 13-14 points. Similar points off turnovers, assists, etc. Here we go. 71-70 Arkansas with 1:03 to go.
Are you entertained yet?@KentuckyMBB takes back the lead with just over 2 min. to go. pic.twitter.com/Ttd4tK8iFf
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) February 26, 2022
K3LLAN!!
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 26, 2022
u4 timeout (2:43): Arkansas 69, Kentucky 67
Sahvir Wheeler has been huge in this half for UK. He's making things happen for the Wildcats. Jaylin Williams having a really nice second half for Arkansas as well. He and Umude are providing Notae with a lot of support, and the Razorbacks finally have a few buckets from their bench as well. Of note: Tshiebwe picked up his third foul. Probably won't be an issue but could become an issue if OT enters the picture.
2:43 | An absolute dogfight out there. Notae with 30. To the finish.
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
Hogs: 69
Wildcats: 67 pic.twitter.com/aiha5vXQ3K
Down the stretch we go.
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 26, 2022
Big O - 30 PTS, 18 REB
UK 67, UA 69 | 2H 2:43 pic.twitter.com/htN3MHl08w
Sahvir Wheeler banked in a 3 to begin the second half and then had a brick somehow fall in just now. He seems a little closer to 100% than Washington. On the Arkansas side, Stanley Umude is heating up to provide Notae with some help. He's got 8 points in the second half with a couple of 3s as the Razorbacks retake the lead.
There is no longer a roof on Bud Walton pic.twitter.com/24cpOMeiZy
— 1pm CBS 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 26, 2022
Bud Walton Arena is coming alive as Arkansas heats up. Razorbacks have hit 6 of their last 7 from the floor to reclaim the lead 55-54 at the u8 timeout. Notae is up to 30 and Oscar is at 24. Keion Brooks Jr. has been huge this half for UK and Sahvir Wheeler is starting to get his mojo back as well.
UK 47, Arkansas 46
Notae is up to 26 and Tshiebwe is up to 22. The duel continues. Good finish coming on CBS as the Razorbacks and Wildcats duke it out.
