REWIND | Cats survive Illinois State for win
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Playing without sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis, No. 1 Kentucky survived a closer-than-expected challenge from Illinois State for a 75-63 win. Freshman point guard Isaiah Briscoe led Kentucky with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and added seven rebounds, three assists and four turnovers before fouling out with more than two minutes left in the game. Junior forward Marcus Lee posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman guard Jamal Murray added 16 points. The Wildcats entered the halftime locker room tied at 31, but a 10-0 run early in the second half helped them take control of the game before holding off a late Illinois State rally.
UK 65, ISU 56 (3:14, 2H): Outcome still not settled here at Rupp Arena, as Illinois State refuses to go away. Outside of Kentucky's 10-0 second-half run, this game has been pretty even. Illinois State still holds a 36-34 advantage in rebounds and a 17-12 advantage in second-chance points. Isaiah Briscoe has 18 points for UK.
UK 59, ISU 47 (7:46, 2H): Illinois State not going away yet, but the Redbirds have significant foul trouble with one player already having fouled out, two more with four fouls and four players with three fouls. After hitting just 10 of 20 free throws in the first half, UK is 11 for 14 at the free-throw line in the second half. Isiah Briscoe has 15 points, Jamal Murray has 14 and Marcus Lee has 11.
UK 56, ISU 40 (11:49, 2H): UK has taken control of the game with a 10-0 run, and the Rupp Arena crowd has found some life after some hard-nosed play from the Wildcats. Alex Poythress had to play peacemaker after Jamal Murray popped up from a hard foul looking to fight, but that energy has translated into improved play for UK. One worry for the Wildcats: Skal Labissiere still has not attempted a field goal and has just two points from the free-throw line.
UK 43, ISU 38 (15:51, 2H): Kentucky appears to have come out with better energy in the second half and has earned a little bit of breathing room against the Redbirds. Marcus Lee has been particularly effective since intermission with four points and three rebounds since intermission. He has nine points and five rebounds in the game. Isaiah Briscoe leads UK with 12 points to go with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and four turnovers.
HALFTIME: Kentucky 31, Illinois State 31
An uninspiring first half left little doubt about the importance of Tyler Ulis to Kentucky. Playing without the sophomore point guard, who suffered a hyperextended elbow elbow in the game against South Florida in Miami, the No. 1 Wildcats struggled to find any consistency against Illinois State. The Redbirds jumped out to a 7-1 lead, and battled back to retake the lead after Kentucky gained a four-point advantage with 6:18 remaining in the half. A 3-pointer by junior forward Derek Willis, Kentucky's first of the game, gave the Wildcats the lead back at the 1:09 mark, but an Illinois State layup just before the buzzer sent the game to the halftime locker room tied. UK shot 47.6 percent from the field in the half but was just 1 for 4 from 3-point range and 10 for 20 at the free-throw line. The two teams combined for 20 turnovers in the half, and Illinois State gained a 20-12 advantage in rebounds. Illinois State outscored UK 11-0 in second-chance points.
ISU 27, UK 26 (2:05, 1H): More of the same from Kentucky, as Illinois State has rallied for the lead. Cats are 0 for 3 from 3-point range and 8 for 17 at the free-throw line. One positive bit of news: junior guard Dominique Hawkins has a chance to complete a three-point play to tie the game after the media TO after battling through contact for a fast-break layup. Freshman forward Skal Labissiere has yet to attempt a field goal and has no points.
UK 21, ISU 17 (7:47, 1H): Ugly game at Rupp Arena tonight as UK appears to be fighting through a post-holiday hangover. Teams have combined for 14 turnovers, and UK has just 21 points despite shooting 58.3 percent (7 for 12) from the field. Cats have been woeful at the free-throw line, making just 7 of 13 attempts as a team. Four Illinois State players already have two fouls, and that number only figures to grow until Kentucky can prove capable of shooting better at the line.
UK 15, ISU 15 (11:33, 1H): After a miserable start, Isaiah Briscoe has helped Kentucky charge back to tie the game. Briscoe leads UK with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, and also has recorded three rebounds, one assist and one steal to go with his three early turnovers. Juniors Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins both earned some early minutes for UK tonight and will be on the court after the second media TO.
Illinois State 7, UK 3 (15:52, 1H): Bad start for UK without Tyler Ulis. Illinois State jumped out to a 7-1 lead as Kentucky did not record its first field goal until the 16:24 mark. Isaiah Briscoe turned the ball over on each of Kentucky's first three possessions, and UK was forced to call an early TO following two quick baskets by Illinois State less than two minutes into the game. Cats are 1 for 3 from the field, and Illinois State is 3 for 8.
Starting Lineup: With Tyler Ulis out, UK will start Isaiah Briscoe, Jamal Murray, Charles Matthews, Alex Poythress and Skal Labissiere.
* TYLER ULIS OUT: The Wildcats’ sophomore starting point guard, who hyperextended his right elbow in Friday’s game against South Florida, will sit out tonight’s game. The injury is not considered serious and Ulis could come back against the Bruins. Coach John Calipari tweeted at 6 p.m. that Ulis will "be fine but (we) want to make sure he's 100 percent before he goes back out there. He wants to play."