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Arkansas Razorbacks vs Kentucky Wildcats: Final Score, Stats, Highlights, and more

By Cory Thone

Jan 21, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Dusty Hannahs (3) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Kentucky Wildcats guard Isiah Briscoe (13) during the first half of play at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gunnar Rathbun-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Dusty Hannahs (3) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Kentucky Wildcats guard Isiah Briscoe (13) during the first half of play at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gunnar Rathbun-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 80-66 Thursday night in Bud Walton Arena. The Wildcats dominated the glass as Arkansas struggled from the field, and rolled to an easy win over the struggling Hogs.

You’re going to hear a lot of people complaining about the officiating in tonights game. And I’ll be honest with you…it was pretty bad. But those refs didn’t make Arkansas shoot its worst game of the year, or give up 16 offensive rebounds.

Make no mistake about it, the Kentucky Wildcats are a very good basketball team. The Arkansas Razorbacks just don’t have the athletes to hang with a team like Kentucky. John Calipari got his first win in Bud Walton since he was at Memphis, and the Wildcats completely exposed the Arkansas offense tonight.

The Hogs offense lives and dies by the three pointer, and when a team like Kentucky can stretch the floor and not give up open looks, Arkansas will struggle. The Razorbacks, AS A TEAM, were 2-12 from the three point line in the game. Kentucky did to Arkansas what the Hogs look to do to other teams: Push the tempo, force turnovers, and create shots in transition.

Jan 21, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anthlon Bell (5) goes up for a shot while being guarded by Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) during the first half of play at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gunnar Rathbun-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anthlon Bell (5) goes up for a shot while being guarded by Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) during the first half of play at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gunnar Rathbun-USA TODAY Sports /

Basically, Kentucky played the up tempo game better than Arkansas could. It didn’t help that there were 48 fouls called in this game by these refs. Not to get back on that topic but…uh…they were super not great at the whole “officiating” thing.

Players of the Game

  • Dusty Hannahs – the guard refused to be denied tonight. While the rest of the Hog’s guards looked sluggish, Hannahs penetrated and created shots for himself. He led the team with 20 points on the night.
  • Moses Kingsley – the big man refused to be out-muscled in the paint. Kingsley finished with 13 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks. Not bad considering he got into foul trouble and missed a large chunk of time in the second half.
  • Tyler Ulis – this kid could teach a seminar on how to draw a foul. Ulis finished the night with 24 points, 14 of which came from the free throw line. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen at jumping into someone and getting a foul called. (This is easily the saltiest thing I’ve ever wrote for Razorbackers.)

Tweets of the Game

More razorbacks: Bielema hosting top recruits this weekend

The slate of games doesn’t get any easier for the Arkansas Razorbacks, with Georgia, A&M, Texas Tech, and Florida all incoming. The season is far from over for the Hogs, for better or worse.

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