
Arkansas vs. Kentucky: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
Kentucky is now two wins away from completing a perfect regular season. The Wildcats dominated No. 18 Arkansas at Rupp Arena Saturday by a final score of 84-67.
The win continued Kentucky's best start ever, as John Calipari's team is 29-0 with games against Georgia and Florida next week before beginning the SEC tournament.
In addition to keeping their quest for perfection alive, the Wildcats also officially wrapped up the SEC regular-season title on Saturday, via Kentucky's official Twitter:
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If that's not enough, per ESPN Stats & Info, the Wildcats' win widened the gap for most victories by at least 15 points:
After a win against Mississippi State Wednesday, Calipari discussed the state of his young-but-talented team as it prepares for the final stretch of this season before the NCAA tournament, via Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal:
"The amazing thing right now: We have a really talented team with no one trying to be the star. Think about that statement now. You got guys they're saying are lottery picks and No. 1 pick and 5, and not one guy here is trying to be a star. They're just trying to do their job and try to play for their teammates. That's the story.
"
That's a telling statement, not to mention an accurate one. Trey Lyles was the leading scorer against Mississippi State with 18 points and was a key contributor against Arkansas with 18 points again, but all seven players to score had at least six points in this victory.
There's also big man Willie Cauley-Stein in the middle who sets the tone for this defense, as this block on Alandise Harris shows, via The Big Lead:
No one else in the country can match Kentucky's combination of size and athleticism, especially on defense.
Not that anyone would confuse the talent-rich Wildcats basketball team with the still-developing football program, but Paul Myerberg of USA Today puts in perspective how much better one has been than the other:
Keep in mind, that total was coming into Saturday, so you can go ahead and add another victory for the Kentucky basketball team.
Even though Kentucky was winning by 16 points at halftime, it wasn't until the second half that the Wildcats found their shooting stroke. They were at 40 percent after 20 minutes, but that was pedestrian compared to this stat late in the second half:
It seems foolish with the benefit of hindsight, but some thought Arkansas would provide problems for Kentucky. After all, the Razorbacks started the day ranked 18th in the country with an impressive 23-5 mark.
Plus, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Arkansas has given Calipari fits since he took over as Kentucky's head coach:
Yet even with all of that working in favor of Mike Anderson's team, the Razorbacks still lost by 17 points. The margin actually looks a lot closer than the game played out.
Not that Kentucky is hurting for scoring weapons, but one positive development from this game was the shooting of Andrew Harrison. The sophomore has been underwhelming after a breakout tournament run last year, but he scored 18 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field (2-of-4 from three-point range).
ESPN's Jeff Goodman could only repeat one line when seeing how well Harrison was starting to play:
No matter where you look, the things Kentucky is doing right now are unbelievable. The Razorbacks came into the game with the ninth-highest scoring average in the country at 79.5 points per game, per ESPN.com.
No problem for the Wildcats, who held Arkansas to 21-of-56 (37.5 percent) shooting from the floor. Only four players had more than two field goals in the loss.
So in a game that figured to be one of the biggest challenges for Kentucky this season, the Wildcats won by double digits and didn't trail for one second. Calipari is doing an incredible job with this team, though, the players deserve as much credit for their efforts.

Everyone expected Kentucky to be great before the season, so that pressure could have sank a young group like it nearly did early last year. Instead, the few returning players have developed a rapport with all the freshman to make this group as dominant as any we have seen.
With only two obstacles standing in the way of a perfect regular season, the Wildcats can't take their foot off the gas pedal yet. Georgia and Florida have already lost to Kentucky, so there won't be any surprises.
Of course, having already experienced what those two teams have to offer, Calipari will undoubtedly have his team on top of its game in its quest to complete a 31-0 regular season. At this point, it's impossible to bet against it.



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