Kentucky’s offense looks bad again, but it was good enough to beat struggling Arkansas

That was a close one for the Wildcats.

Kentucky weathered a terrible offensive start Saturday to rally from a double-digit deficit and escape Bud Walton Arena with a 63-57 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Antonio Reeves led the way with 24 points. Tre Mitchell had 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Reed Sheppard was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half but finished with 14 points, five assists and four steals. He was 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 on 3-pointers in the second half.

Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC) missed 15 of its first 16 shot attempts — a 3-pointer by Mitchell was the Wildcats’ only made basket by the Cats in the first 10 and a half minutes of the game — as the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense continued to sputter four days after an uncharacteristically poor scoring night in a 79-62 loss to South Carolina earlier in the week.

The Wildcats had scored only four points by the 10:00 mark of the first half.

UK had just 24 points at halftime Saturday after scoring 25 points in the first half against the Gamecocks. According to ESPN stats, it was the first time in John Calipari’s 15 seasons as head coach that the Cats scored 25 or fewer points in consecutive first halves.

UK came into the day averaging 89.9 points per game, the most in college basketball.

Even with the offensive futility, Kentucky never trailed Arkansas by more than 10 points and narrowed the deficit to two at halftime. Both teams were 9-for-31 from the field in the first half.

The Cats took their first lead of the night on a steal-and-slam by Sheppard, who put UK ahead 38-37 with 12:54 left. The play capped a 7-0 run over a period of 69 seconds, though Arkansas retook the lead on its next possession.

The two teams traded the lead over the next couple of minutes before a layup by Sheppard put the Cats up 42-41 with 10:21 left. UK never trailed again, thanks in large part to some big shots by Mitchell and Reeves down the stretch.

Sophomore guard Adou Thiero returned to the UK lineup Saturday night after missing the last seven games with a back issue, but the Wildcats still weren’t at full strength. Freshman guard Rob Dillingham — the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game — did not play due to illness. Kentucky has not had a single game this season with all of its players healthy.

Thiero started in place of Justin Edwards, who came off the bench for the first time in his college career after starting Kentucky’s previous 18 games.

Arkansas’ disappointing season (10-10, 1-6 SEC) took another odd turn Saturday evening. Just a few minutes before tipoff, the Razorbacks announced that Devo Davis — one of the team’s top players the past few seasons — had “stepped away” from the program. The Hogs were also playing without preseason first-team all-SEC selection Trevon Brazile, who sat out with a knee injury.

Arkansas was picked to finish third in the SEC in the preseason but came into the game with a 1-5 record in the league, and all five of those losses — to Auburn, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Ole Miss — were double-digit defeats. Two of those games (South Carolina and Auburn) were at home, and the 83-51 loss to the Tigers in the league opener on Jan. 6 marked the Hogs’ most lopsided defeat in 31 seasons playing at Bud Walton Arena.

The Razorbacks do have talent, however, and they managed to beat Purdue (currently the No. 2-ranked team in college basketball) in a preseason exhibition game and scored an 80-75 win over Duke (currently ranked 12th) in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Their lone SEC win came against Texas A&M, the team that handed Kentucky its first league loss two weeks ago.

Arkansas also started 1-5 in the SEC last season — with three double-digit losses — before rallying to make the NCAA Tournament, where the Hogs upset 1-seeded Kansas and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

UK was a six-point favorite in Saturday’s game, according to the Caesars betting odds at tipoff.

Kentucky’s next game

The Wildcats will return home Wednesday night for a rematch with the Florida Gators, who UK defeated 87-85 in the SEC opener earlier this month. (The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN.)

Florida is 4-3 in the league following a 103-98 overtime victory over Georgia on Saturday afternoon, and the Gators have now won three in a row and four of their last five games.

Kentucky has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in this series, the Cats’ only loss in that span coming amid the COVID-19-impacted 2020-21 season, when UK finished with a 9-16 record.

John Calipari shakes up Kentucky starting lineup. Justin Edwards will come off the bench.

Box score from No. 6 Kentucky basketball’s 63-57 SEC win at Arkansas

Shot charts from No. 6 Kentucky basketball’s 63-57 win at Arkansas

First Scouting Report: Kentucky goes for a season sweep of Florida

Star freshman guard didn’t play for Kentucky basketball in SEC road game at Arkansas

Adou Thiero returned from injury, and gave Kentucky basketball a needed physical presence

Why a former Kentucky basketball standout decided to make a $1 million donation to UK

It’s one of the biggest questions for this Kentucky team. Where is Justin Edwards?

Now an All-American, Boogie Fland growing as leader before joining Kentucky basketball

McDonald’s All-Americans named for 2024. Which Kentucky basketball recruits made it?