Kentucky had one job in Starkville. Who played well and who struggled was irrelevant, as was how pretty or hideous it looked. No more excuses or kicking the can down the road, the Wildcats simply couldn’t board the plane with another loss added to the resume. With just six games left in the regular season, four being Quad 1 opportunities, it was a must-win on the road at Mississippi State.
And above all else, that’s exactly what Kentucky did, coming out on top by a final score of 71-68 inside Humphrey Coliseum. Thanks to a second-half surge that put the team up as many as 13 with 8:33 to go, the Wildcats held on down the stretch to move to 17-9 on the year and 8-5 in the SEC.