FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Kentucky held off Arkansas in a gritty sparring match down in Fayetteville with an 88-79 victory to secure its 21st win of the season on Saturday. More importantly, the Wildcats secured a 3-seed for the SEC tournament and a coveted double-bye spot along with it.

What You Need To Know

  • Senior guard Antonio Reeves led the Cats with a surprise breakout performance, finishing with a career-high 37 points 

  • Oscar Tshiebwe added to his double-double total, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds

  •  Kentucky finished with 54% shooting from the field

  • Kentucky plays again in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament 

Without standout freshmen guard Cason Wallace and their junior floor general Savhir Wheeler, the Cats got enough help from enough players to grind out the win. That included a surprising breakout performance from senior guard Antonio Reeves, who had a career-high 37 points on 12-17 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-11 on free throws.

Oscar Tshiebwe added to his double-double total, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jacob Toppin also added 21 points, including two 3-pointers to add to a string of impressive late-season performances.

Kentucky started and finished strong, with lots of physical play in between. The Cats led by as many as eight points in the first half but the Razorbacks trimmed that back to four at the break.

Kentucky made a commanding statement in the second half, jumping out to a double digit lead. Arkansas clawed their way back to within four but Reeves kept his foot on the gas to push the team to the nine-point victory.

There was no love lost between teams at Bud Walton Arena. In the rowdy environment, both the Cats and the Razorbacks pressed a very physical game, swapping taunts and, at times, blows. Both sides combined for 52 fouls, including three technical fouls and one flagrant foul.

Tshiebwe was tagged with both a technical and a flagrant foul for throwing elbows in the paint. He would foul out with 4:53 left in the game.

Overall, Kentucky shot 54% from the field in its fifth win in six games. The team also held Arkansas to 36% shooting.

The Razorbacks had 17 offensive rebounds, but they were outscored 17-9 in second-chance points.

Nick Smith Jr. led Arkansas with 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting. Ricky Council had 16 points, and Anthony Black finished with 14.

Kentucky finishes the season with a 21-10 record and 12-6 in SEC play and Arkansas ends up with a 19-12 record with 8-10 in the SEC.

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky’s late-season push likely secures a spot in the NCAA tournament, and a couple of wins in the SEC tournament could boost their seeding even higher.

With the loss, Arkansas may be on the bubble and will need an impressive showing in the SEC tournament to help their chances.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: The Wildcats will receive a bye to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks play Thursday in the second round of the conference tournament.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

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