Takeaways: A Reed Sheppard buzzer beater inches the Kentucky Wildcats past Mississippi State

Reed Sheppard was incredible in this game. Whenever the Wildcats needed a shot to fall, a pair of free throws, or a big stop, he made a great play. Of course, Sheppard also nailed the game-winner with a second left on the clock. The freshman had 32 points on 11-14 shooting while grabbing five rebounds, dishing seven assists, blocking two shots, and securing two steals. This game is an excellent example of why Sheppard is a projected lottery pick. The biggest shot of the year belongs to Sheppard, as he got Kentucky the big win in Starkville.  

Zvonimir Ivisic didn't score a ton, with only two points on 1-5 shooting, but he was the best of Kentucky's seven-footers when it came to defending Tolu Smith. Ivisic was the +/- champion with a whooping +17 in his 21 minutes on the floor. Ugonna Onyenso didn't have a good game as he was getting dominated by Smith and had Kentucky's worst +/- with a -21 in just 12 minutes. If Big Z can get more minutes and continue to improve on defense, there is no question he should be Kentucky's starter going forward. He had four rebounds, three blocks, and a steal in this win. Unlike the other two seven-footers, he can give you 20+ points on any given night.

Kentucky got the lead all the way up to eight points late in the game, but a few silly mistakes made this stressful. Now, to be fair, Josh Hubbard made some incredible circus shots, but a silly foul from Onyenso and a bad pass from Sheppard gave the Bulldogs opportunities to get this win. Kentucky winning is all that matters, but you don't want to lose a game in the NCAA Tournament making mistakes like Kentucky did late in Starkville. 

What's next? 

Kentucky will host Arkansas on Saturday at 1:30 pm et. Kentucky will look to take down an Arkansas team that has been playing better of late.