Kentucky Beats Arkansas: Anthony Davis Shines For No. 2 WIldcats

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Freshman Anthony Davis scored a career-high 27 points and blocked seven shots to set a season school record in No. 2 Kentucky's 86-63 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats (18-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) won their 10th straight overall and extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 46, including 45 straight at Rupp Arena.

Davis and the Wildcats jumped on the Razorbacks (13-5, 2-2) from the start by taking a 10-2 lead and extending it to as many as 20 before halftime.

Davis, who had 14 rebounds, blocked his 84th shot with just under 5 minutes left in the first half when he turned away freshman B.J. Young's layup to set the record previously held by Melvin Turpin and matched by Andre Riddick.

Arkansas beat the Wildcats in overtime last season in Fayetteville, but these Wildcats reloaded with Davis and fellow freshmen Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer. Arkansas remained winless in Lexington since the 1994 title team won here.

Doron Lamb scored 14 points, Terrence Jones 13, Darius Miller 11 and Kidd-Gilchrist 10 for Kentucky, which got nine assists from Teague.

Arkansas hasn't won in four road games this season and struggled against the nation's second-best defense by field goal percentage despite 12 points from Mardracus Wade and 10 points apiece from Marvell Waithe, Rashad Madden and Young.

The Razorbacks never got closer than 14 points on the first basket of the second half.

When they cut it to 50-35 with 14:48 left, Kidd-Gilchrist threw an alley-oop pass to Davis, Jones blocked freshman Devonta Abron's shot and Teague fed Kidd-Gilchrist in the paint for another slam as part of a 13-2 run that put the game away before the midway point of the second half.

Davis finished 10 of 12 from the field, his best game with at least 10 attempts of his 19-game career and went 7 for 8 from the free throw line. He got a standing ovation with 4:23 left with his seventh and final block, an emphatic swat of Julysses Nobles' shot into the front row.

Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson said his team would try to run against Kentucky, a strategy most teams have tried to stay away from against the athletic Wildcats.

It didn't work as Davis scored in bunches and the rest of the Wildcats chipped in.

In one sequence, Miller grabbed an offensive rebound and slashed across the paint, flipping a contested reverse layup. Then, Jones started a break by swatting Wade's attempt that Lamb finished with a floater that made it 19-6.

Davis matched the school record for blocks when he rejected Rickey Scott's layup off the glass with 8:02 left in the first half, matching the 83 that Turpin set in 1982-83 in 31 games and Riddick tied in 34 games in 1993-94. Davis set the record a little over 3 minutes later when he turned away Young's layup with Kentucky leading 28-12.

Kentucky took its first 20-point lead when Lamb hit a 3 with 3:22 left in the half. Davis blocked another layup by Young with 5 seconds left and swatted Wade's attempt at the buzzer as the Wildcats took a 37-21 lead.

Comments

[Larry Clemons]

03:06 PM on 01/18/2012

Anthony Davis SHOULD stay all 4 years...Get a Degree, Date College Girls, Become the King Of Kentucky, Break all kinds of Kentucky Basketball and NCAA Basketball Records and do what hasn't been done since Kareem Abdul Jabar. Anthony would Graduate with an NBA Body and Skills unmatched by Most if not All Basketball Players Worldwide. Historic, Legacy, Honor, Respect, Tradition, Admiration, Anthony Davis could be a better Player and A BETTER MAN if he STAYED and PLAYED. Good Things Are Worth Waiting For...GREAT THINGS ARE WORTH FIGHTING AND SACRIFICING FOR ! Anthony Davis, John Wooden would ask, " Do you have Greatness ", " Can You Visualize Basketball Immortality " ? A.D., I see this opportunity for you and it is a Rare Opportunity, the timing in your Life is HERE...Do you have the Desire and Instincts to Act on this Glorious Opportunity...Or will you settle to become, just another 1st round, possibly #1 NBA Draft Pick, you do know there is one of those EVERY YEAR...But a Player like You, Anthony Davis, has an opportunity to do what only comes around every 50 years, ( Pistol Pete, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Bill Russell, Bill Walton, Michael Jordan)...The beautiful thing Anthony, is You and ONLY YOU can choose your Path. But Remember, Rarely does the OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATNESS ever exist, for ANYONE !!! Gallery721.com

[Popeye1]

10:56 AM on 01/18/2012

I love watching Anthony Davis! What I really admire about him is his demeanor. Regardless of what he does, he just goes about his business. No screaming to the heavens after a shot or block, not a "in your face" glare at an opponent, just hustles to the next play. I don't have many heroes, but he's fast becoming one of my favorites. He is a shining example for others to emulate.

[john bruno]

10:47 AM on 01/18/2012

Memo to the mopes in the SEC who insist on going soft to the basket against shotblockers.

You have to reverse everything against Davis and others.....they are jumping out of the gym with your first move. Reverse them and you'll be fine.....they'll be hanging in the air while your ball is going in the basket on the other side.

Or....continue doing the same thing and you will continue to look like fools playing against men.

[CatfishJohn]

11:22 AM on 01/18/2012

Fake out Davis......and there's Terence Jones to make the block....fake him out.....and there's Mike Kidd-Gilchrist.....fake him out......and that's a whistle---3 second violation!..GO CATS!