Kentucky vs. Mississippi State: Score, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

Kentucky is a machine, and the nation better get used to it with March and all its madness right around the corner.

The No. 1 Wildcats let Mississippi State hang around for about 30 minutes during their 74-56 victory Wednesday in Starkville, but they went on an extended 17-2 run of dunks and three-pointers in the middle of the second half to put the game away. Kentucky simply flexed its muscles, and the Bulldogs never had a chance down the stretch.

Trey Lyles led the way for the Wildcats with 18 points and six rebounds, while Aaron Harrison, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns all scored in double figures.

Fred Thomas spearheaded the Mississippi State attack with 14 points, and Craig Sword chipped in 10 points of his own.

Kentucky jumped out to an 8-6 lead by the first media timeout, but it was Mississippi State's Sword who entered some rarefied air for the program, as MSU Men's Basketball pointed out:

It didn't take long for the Wildcats to seize control in the first half. By the 12-minute mark, they took an 18-10 lead and mixed in a couple of three-pointers to go along with absolute domination in the paint. Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal highlighted the advantage the Wildcats had down low:

Brandon Walker of the Commercial Dispatch looked at things from the Mississippi State perspective:

The Wildcats continued to add to their early lead with red-hot shooting from the field. Lyles was directing the offense, and his eight points and prowess on the offensive glass helped Kentucky build a 24-13 lead.

Lyles' play impressed Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio:

The Wildcats stretched the lead to 14, but Mississippi State went on a run to trim the lead back to six with seconds remaining in the half. However, Tyler Ulis drilled a back-breaking three in the final seconds before halftime and silenced the crowd.

Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger described the action as Kentucky took a 36-27 lead into the locker room:

That Ulis came through in a big moment shouldn't come as a surprise given teammate Towns' comments about the point guard, via Larry Vaught of the Advocate Messenger: "I mean, he’s big, he’s a playmaker. He knows how to make the ball go from side to side, he can score, he’s the whole package. That’s why everyone just loves him, it’s not just because of his size, but what he can do with it."

The Bulldogs responded after intermission and cut the deficit to 36-31 with a couple of early baskets. Tucker pointed out that Kentucky wasn't really playing like itself, while Jeff Drummond of AllWildcats.com questioned some of the defense:

One factor keeping Mississippi State in the game was the lack of turnovers, which is not something most of Kentucky's opponents can say. John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader noted the lack of intensity from the Wildcats, which undoubtedly played a role in the lack of ball pressure:

The Bulldogs closed the gap to four, but Kentucky responded behind Booker's shooting. However, it was a mix of good and bad, per Tucker:

Just when it looked like Mississippi State was going to keep the second-half momentum going and challenge the Wildcats for the entire game, Booker and Willie Cauley-Stein showed the crowd why their team is No. 1 in the nation.

David H. Murray of DawgsBite.com described the highlight play:

Part of the problem for the Bulldogs was the fact that it was taking extreme levels of effort to cut into Kentucky's lead, while the Wildcats continuously and effortlessly went on mini 4-0 and 6-0 spurts whenever the game got too close. 

Much of that work came on dunks by the basket because of the Wildcats' superior athleticism and height.

Then the game broke open.

Harrison drilled a three-pointer from deep, and Towns came flying in for a rim-rattling slam, much to the delight of the Kentucky faithful in the building. He certainly impressed Myron Medcalf of ESPN and Brett Dawson of Rivals in the process:

ESPN College Basketball had the highlight:

"

Karl-Anthony Towns! No. 1 Kentucky is pulling away, and Towns hammers down an impressive dunk. http://t.co/6pns0vVbms

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 26, 2015"

Kentucky then simply pulled away in sudden fashion during a three-minute stretch. It was a reminder to everyone in the building just how dominant the team is this season.

Mississippi State media relations director Gregg G. Ellis highlighted just how quickly the game turned:

After that run, the rest of the contest was virtually a formality. Kentucky Basketball passed along a summary of the second-half shooting, while Kentucky Athletics shared a highlight of a head-turning alley-oop between twins:

The Wildcats put it on cruise control for the final four minutes and walked away with a 74-56 victory. 

That's 28 wins down and three to go in the regular season.

What's Next?

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Kentucky's pursuit of perfection continues Saturday for what could be its toughest test in SEC play.

It returns home to face an Arkansas squad that has won seven consecutive games and has superstar Bobby Portis running the show. The Wildcats have only been challenged a few times in league play, but the Razorbacks are in second place in the SEC standings and should push John Calipari's squad in preparation for the tournament.

Mississippi State hits the road to face a South Carolina team Saturday that is 4-11 in the league.

Neither the Bulldogs nor Gamecocks have a chance to make the NCAA tournament unless they shock a few teams in the conference tournament, so each will be looking to build some momentum heading into next year.