Final Score: No. 5/4 Ohio State 71, No. 6 Kentucky 65
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky falls to 8-3 while Ohio State is 11-1.
- UK leads the series 11-10, although OSU leads at neutral sites 6-4.
- UK is 3-3 in the CBS Sports Classic, 0-2 vs. Ohio State in this event.
- Next up: Kentucky players went home for the holiday break and return Christmas night to begin preparation for Louisville. The Wildcats play host to the Cardinals on Dec. 28. Game time is 3:45 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS.
Player Notes
- Ashton Hagans had 14 points, his team-leading ninth double-figure game of the season.
- The sophomore had a game-high nine assists. He has at least six assists in seven straight games, the best such streak since Tyler Ulis posted at least six in nine straight games from Feb. 9, 2016 to March 5, 2016.
- He had a game-high three steals. He has had multiple steals in six straight games.
- Nate Sestina drained five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 17 points.
- Five 3s are the most this season by a Wildcat.
- It also tied Sestina’s career-high of five threes, previously for Bucknell vs. Boston University on Jan. 5, 2019.
- Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 15 points and led the Wildcats with six rebounds.
Calipari
- Calipari is now 313-74 at UK.
- He has a 758-214 all-time on-court record.
- He is 60-32 vs. Associated Press Top 25 competition while at UK, including 11-11 vs. the top five.
- UK is 52-28 under Calipari when both teams are ranked in the top 25, 16-12 when both teams are ranked in the top 10.
- UK is now 51-13 under Calipari in bounce-back games after losses. It is UK’s first two-game losing streak since February 2018.
Team Notes
- The Wildcats fell to 4-2 all-time in games in Las Vegas.
- Ohio State won the rebounding 33-25. UK is 7-0 this season when winning the rebounding, 1-3 when losing or tying the boardwork.
- UK had 17 assists tonight. The Wildcats have given out at least 14 assists in each of the last seven games.
In the First Half
- The starting lineup consisted of Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney, EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards.
- Immanuel Quickley and Nate Sestina were the first substitutes.
- It was an evenly played opening stanza, as each team’s largest lead was four points.
- Maxey scored Kentucky’s first six points.
- Hagans and Sestina each had 11 points in the first half with Ohio State going to intermission ahead 37-36.
In the Second Half
- The contest continued evenly until a six-point run gave the Buckeyes the largest lead of the game at 51-44.
- A 3-pointer by Quickley with 6:46 to go pulled the Wildcats within one point at 55-54.
- The Wildcats got no closer, however, as the Buckeyes stretched the lead to eight points before the final score of 71-65.