Kentucky Gets Stunned In Loss At LSU

Kentucky was stunned in an upset road loss on Wednesday night in Baton Rouge, where they fell to a 75-74 loss to LSU. Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham both carried the Cats, but a 15-point lead slipped away, and an unlucky tip-in by LSU in the final seconds was the game after a go-ahead jumper by Rob Dillingham with a few seconds left.

Kentucky had a rough 2nd half, and it led to a stunning loss. Let’s look at what went down throughout the game that cost the Cats the game.

Rob Dillingham, Antonio Reeves Will Kentucky

It was these two that combined for 48 of Kentucky’s 74 points, with big shots by Dillingham in the final minutes, and one of those put Kentucky up by 1 point with 13 seconds left, but a last-second tip-in by LSU wasted the terrific clutch performance.

Reeves led Kentucky in scoring with 25 points, and Dillingham finished with 23, and 21 of his points were in the 2nd half. Those performances ultimately couldn’t get it done, thanks to a 2nd half collapse and a last-second tip-in.

Kentucky Has 2nd Half Collapse

Kentucky started the 2nd half on a run to give them a comfortable 15-point lead. That lead turned out to be not so comfortable, as Kentucky let the lead slip away, getting down by as much as 5 points. From there it was back-and-forth, with Kentucky having to fight back. Defense was struggling during this time, with Kentucky not able to stop LSU from attacking the basket. Thanks to a clutch shot with 13 seconds left by Rob Dillingham, the Cats led by 1-point, but an LSU tip-in goes in for a tough road loss for the Cats

This was the story of the game to put it simply. It was a 6-minute stretch of a collapsing lead.

Calipari Says “Fifty-Fifty Balls” Cost Kentucky

After the game, Calipari spoke with the media (very briefly, discussing his thoughts on the loss. He stressed that “Fifty-fifty balls” and defensive issues cost them the game. “Fifty-fifty balls cost us the game. It’s all we talk about. Fifty-fifty balls,” Calipari said. “Don’t tell me about your offense. If you’re not going to come up with 50/50 balls, you can’t win.” Kentucky’s lead collapse was definitely a reason for the game being in the position it was, but getting loose balls was also part of that collapse. Calipari said that communication was an issue during Kentucky’s collapse of the 15-point lead.

Calipari said he was proud, though, of how they fought back after collapsing. “I was proud of these guys, in this environment, doing what they did,” Calipari said. “Fought to get back, made baskets, (Rob) Dillingham made some unbelievable plays. He did what he does.”

It was another tough loss that puts Kentucky at 18-8 overall, 8-5 in SEC play, with 5 games left on the season. Kentucky brings in No. 13 Alabama to Rupp Arena on Saturday, a big opportunity to bounce-back after the tough road loss. Tip-off will be at 4 p.m., televised on CBS.