No. 1-ranked and undefeated Kentucky made sure the third time was not the charm for Southeastern Conference teams as the Wildcats dismantled the Missouri Tigers 86-37 on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena.
“Great game for them, bad game for us,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson. “I thought they came out and physically controlled us from the start.”
After having been pushed to overtime by Ole Miss and to double overtime at Texas A&M, winning by three and six points, respectively, Kentucky (16-0, 3-0 SEC) rolled up a double-digit lead halfway through the first half and never looked back, building a 40-point lead at 71-31 with 7:30 left to play before winning by 49.
The 37 points marks the 10th time in 16 victories that Kentucky held an opponent to 50 or fewer points. It’s a list that includes traditional powers Kansas (40 points), UCLA (44) and Louisville (50). It was Kentucky’s largest margin of victory over an SEC school since a 106-44 win over Vanderbilt on March 5, 2003.
