The Kentucky Wildcats had a busy day, starting with a crucial game against Ole Miss to extend their winning streak to five games. After securing a 72-63 victory, they planned to head home and prepare for an incoming snowstorm that would keep them indoors for the rest of the weekend. The team handled the first part of their agenda well, moving to 14-6 on the year and 5-2 in the SEC.

The game started with a strong halftime lead against a high-major opponent, but it wasn’t the most visually appealing performance. The Wildcats led 29-23 at halftime with shooting splits of 32/25/75. Chris Beard’s group responded after the break, cutting the lead to two just over a minute into the second half before tying the game at the 13:51 mark.

A second-chance three-pointer put the Cats back up by three, and they managed to hold on for the rest of the game. The lead fluctuated between one and six points before a strong final minute pushed the margin to nine at the end of the game.

KSR has provided some key takeaways from the game at Rupp Arena.

Travis Perry’s Unsuccessful Homecoming

There was anticipation when Travis Perry moved to Ole Miss, with many wondering if he would return to Rupp Arena — where he helped win the 2024 KHSAA Sweet 16 title and played his freshman season — and make himself comfortable. However, the night didn’t go as expected.

Perry faced a mixed reaction during player introductions, but things quickly turned difficult for him once the game began. He airballed his first shot and was booed on every touch for the rest of the game. Perry ended the night scoreless on 0-3 from three in 10 minutes, with two rebounds and a steal. It was certainly not the homecoming he had hoped for, but the Wildcats were pleased with the result.

“I love Travis. Being a freshman is hard, so going through that year together creates a special bond,” said Collin Chandler about his time playing with Perry in Lexington. “I have a lot of love for Travis, but I’m grateful. I think it’s a lot easier for me to be happy with Travis and love Travis when we win.”

Jasper Johnson Continues to Shine

Speaking of local talent, good things happen when Lexington’s own gets extended run for the Wildcats. With the team needing scoring help, Johnson delivered, finishing with 11 points on 4-8 shooting and 3-6 from three while adding two rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.

His best stretch came in the first half when he went on an 8-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a four-point lead in just 1:36 — including a bank shot from the right wing and a heat check transition pull-up from deep. He added another three in the second half to give him his fifth 10-plus-point effort of the season.

Out of the last five games where Johnson has earned double-digit minutes, he’s hit the double-figure mark in scoring four times, making him KSR’s PARLOUR Pizza Player of the Game!

PARLOUR

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Don’t miss out on their great Happy Hour. Come in Monday through Friday from 2-6pm to enjoy discounted pints, cocktails, and starters.

Parlour is looking forward to celebrating two new locations during the first half of 2026. Coming soon to Lexington Hamburg and Richmond, KY!

Whether you’re sipping a hand-crafted cocktail or sharing one of our signature pizzas, PARLOUR is a place where great food and good times come together naturally.

Otega Oweh Takes Control

Otega Oweh took control of the game when it mattered most. He had just three points on 0-2 shooting in the first half — all free throws — with scoring being a big issue outside of Johnson early on. This problem continued in the second half, but Oweh picked up where the freshman guard left off, going into takeover mode to essentially single-handedly will Kentucky to a victory in crunch time.

The senior superstar went for a team-high 20 points on 6-10 shooting in the second half, with just one other Wildcat earning multiple buckets after intermission. At one point, Oweh scored eight of the team’s 10 points between the 6:54 and 4:08 marks.

The most underrated part of his 23-point effort in 29 minutes? He drew seven fouls and finished 10-13 at the line — including 7-9 in the second half.

“Man, he’s on a run, isn’t he?” said Mark Pope of Oweh. “You think about all the frustration he had during the first half tonight, and then he bailed us out a lot in the second half and was terrific. So, I’m really proud of him.”

Oweh has now scored in double-figures in all 20 games for Kentucky this season and has reached double figures in 53 of his 56 games as a Wildcat. The dude just makes it look easy, and that level of consistency shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Collin Chandler Seals the Win

Sticking with the weather theme, how about the Mormon Mamba hitting the dagger to seal it for the Cats? Talk about ice in his veins, making it three straight double-figure performances for Chandler.

He wasn’t quite as efficient as the Tennessee (4-6) and Texas (5-9) wins, finishing just 2-10 from the field, but he hit them when they mattered most — including the biggest shot of the game.

Up three with 50 seconds to go, Chandler fired away several feet behind the line from the left wing and splashed it to put Kentucky up by six, effectively ending the game. Like his full-court Hail Mary to Malachi Moreno for the game-winner at LSU, it seems like the sophomore guard always finds himself in these moments and continues to come up big.

“He’s an elite-level shooter, and he loves that little step-back,” Pope said after the win. “Collin is interesting. He loves the moment. He wants it. He wants the moment.”

He finished with 12 points on 2-10 shooting, 2-7 from three and 6-6 at the line to go with seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in a team-high 34 minutes.

Turnovers, Fouls and Bad Shot Selection

A win is a win, and we will never apologize for those — especially when you’re finally working with a five-game SEC winning streak for the first time under Mark Pope — but we can all acknowledge what a slog that was.

Eight turnovers did not help clean up the sloppiness with the Wildcats already shooting poorly in the first half. They cleaned things up in the second with just four, but that’s when the never-ending whistle and rough shot selection on both ends absolutely killed the pace and flow. All in all, we’re talking 42 total fouls and 59 combined free throws with 18 made field goals for the Wildcats compared to 21 field goals for the Rebels.

If it wasn’t a free throw contest, it was a battle of mid-range pull-ups for an ugly and forgettable morning of Breakfast Ball. Quite the change from the 106-point effort in the SEC opener vs. Florida last season with the same 11 AM tip-off time — but we’ll take it if it leads to a victory.

Craig Skinner Nails His Y Appearance

This has nothing to do with basketball, but it has everything to do with the best coach on campus getting his flowers in front of 20K strong. Coming off a national championship appearance as the runner-up with SEC regular season and tournament titles, the Wildcats brought out UK women’s volleyball coach Craig Skinner early in the second half as the honorary Y.

And it’s worth pointing out that he absolutely nailed his appearance with picture-perfect form.

Well deserved — and well executed.

Kentucky needed these two victories this week to make it five straight before the schedule really picks up from here with back-to-back road matchups at Vanderbilt and Arkansas and only two non-Quad 1 battles out of 11 regular season games the rest of the way.

Now, it’s time to hunker down and get ready for this snowstorm before things pick back up for the Cats on Tuesday. Stay safe, everyone.