It was a back-and-forth battle in Athens, but it felt like Georgia's game to lose from the start, with the Bulldogs owning the lead for 34 of the game's 40 minutes. Ultimately, the Dogs came out on top, as Kentucky fell to Georgia 75-68 Saturday afternoon.
The loss moves Kentucky's record to 16-9 overall (7-5 in the SEC), and weakens the Cats' resume at a critical time, with one month to play before Selection Sunday.
Antonio Reeves and Oscar Tshiebwe led the Cats on offense with 20 points apiece. Reeves started for the first time as a Wildcat and played the entire 40 minutes, finishing 8-21 from the floor and 4-8 from deep. Tshiebwe recorded another double-double: 20 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with four blocks and four assists.
Starting point guard Cason Wallace finished with five points (2-8 FG, 0-4 from the 3-point line) in 28 minutes. All five of his points came in the game's final 51 seconds. Fellow freshman Chris Livingston had nine points and three boards in 36 minutes.
The first half was far from Kentucky's best of the season, on both ends of the court. CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler were both unavailable for the entirety of the game due to injury, and Wallace picked up his second foul less than four minutes into the matchup.
Because of that, the Cats were without three of their key guards for most of the first half. In their absence, Reeves caught fire, and Adou Thiero earned significant playing time.
Despite Reeves and his early trio of three pointers, the Cats were still struggling to put points on the board.
Rough start for Kentucky offensively
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) February 11, 2023
Reeves and Tshiebwe are the only Wildcats to have connected on a field goal with 7:48 left in the half. Reeves is 4-8 (3-4 from deep), while Oscar is 1-4
Team currently shooting 23% pic.twitter.com/QeS4O2eTO5
Jacob Toppin gave Kentucky its first lead of the game (23-22) with just under six minutes to play in the first half. However, Georgia fired off a 6-0 run in the half's final minute, and the Bulldogs went to the locker room with a 10-point lead, 42-32.
Kentucky was shooting 35 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep after 20 minutes of play. Reeves led UK with 15 points, while Tshiebwe was next with 6 points and 5 rebounds. Georgia's Kario Oquendo was already up to 19 points after an active first half for the junior guard.
Tshiebwe hit his stride in the second half when Georgia was often late to double-team him down low, thanks in part to Reeves' hot hand.
Oscar double-double ✅ Big O is coming alive in the second half vs. Georgia (sound familiar, anyone!?). He's up to 16 points & 10 rebounds with 7:23 to play in Athens pic.twitter.com/tu1uktqZ3X
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) February 11, 2023
Kentucky had its largest lead of the day (four points, 52-48) with 11:53 to play, but for the most part, Georgia controlled this game. The Bulldogs re-established their lead with 9:57 to play, and they never looked back.
Reeves cooled in the second half and without his offensive spark, the Cats struggled to overcome a series of Georgia runs.
Kentucky put the Bulldogs on the free throw line throughout the game's final minutes to try and get back within reach, but Georgia was consistent from the line. They finished 25-29 from the charity stripe to eventually win by seven points.
Kentucky will be back in action next Wednesday night with another road test. This time, they'll travel to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
