Kentucky Outmuscles Arkansas in Fayetteville as Defensive Woes Continue for Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE - From the moment Otega Oweh glided to the rim for the game’s opening basket, it was clear Kentucky had come to Bud Walton Arena with a purpose. The Wildcats didn’t just want a bounce-back win after getting blown out by Vanderbilt - they needed it. And they played like it.
Oweh, the preseason SEC Player of the Year who flirted with the NBA before returning to Lexington, looked every bit the star Kentucky needed him to be. He finished with a game-high 24 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and added 3 assists in a performance that set the tone early and never let up.
The Razorbacks, meanwhile, never quite found their defensive footing. And against a team as talented and motivated as Kentucky, that’s a recipe for trouble.
“They came out and set the tone,” Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas said. “They scored more. Kind of played our offense to start the game out.”
That early tone-setting was more than just symbolic - it was surgical. Kentucky hit 11 of its first 13 shots, including second-chance points like Brandon Garrison’s putback off one of the few misses.
The Wildcats shot 53% from the field overall and an eye-popping 61.9% in the second half. Arkansas simply couldn’t slow them down.
The 85-77 loss drops Arkansas to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in SEC play, now tied with Kentucky (15-7, 6-3) for third in the conference standings. But the bigger concern is what’s happening - or not happening - on the defensive end.
Arkansas came into the game ranked 53rd nationally in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. After Saturday’s showing, that number tumbled to 67.
Kentucky’s offense, meanwhile, jumped from 48th to 44th. That’s not just a one-game blip - it’s the continuation of a season-long trend.
The Razorbacks have the offensive firepower to hang with anyone. Their ability to score off drives, cuts, and perimeter shooting makes them dangerous. But if they want to be more than just dangerous - if they want to be great - they’ve got to get stops.
Right now, they’re not.
They were outrebounded 35-26. They didn’t force turnovers.
They didn’t get out in transition. And they couldn’t match Kentucky’s physicality.
“They out-toughed us,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “This was Kentucky coming in more desperate than us, and played way rougher than we played, and came up with balls that we just didn't come up with.”
That desperation showed. Kentucky didn’t just hit shots - they hit tough ones. And even though they only had 11 assists, second-year head coach Mark Pope praised his team’s off-ball movement and discipline in creating opportunities.
“It was guys making plays to put other people in positions where they could actually go to work with an advantage,” Pope said.
Arkansas, on the other hand, struggled to create rhythm. The Hogs shot just 3-for-14 from beyond the arc and left 10 points at the free-throw line, going 16-for-26.
But those offensive miscues weren’t the story. The story was defense - or lack thereof.
The Razorbacks have been open about their aspirations. They’re aiming for a deep NCAA Tournament run, and they believe they have the talent to do it.
But history says they’ll need a top-tier defense to get there. Of the last 20 Final Four teams, only two - 2024 Alabama and 2023 Miami - had defenses ranked outside the top 50 by KenPom.
Right now, Arkansas is tracking toward the SEC’s 10th-best defense.
That’s not where a contender wants to be.
“We've had some stinkers like this,” Calipari said. “But then there's other times you look at us and you're like, we can beat anybody. We just got to get back in that.”
Arkansas now has a week off before heading to Mississippi State - a chance to regroup, refocus, and, most importantly, recommit to defense.
When asked what needs to be addressed during the break, Thomas didn’t hesitate.
“Defensive accountability and rebounding,” he said.
That’s the blueprint. The offense is there.
The talent is there. But if Arkansas wants to be more than just a fun team to watch in February, if they want to be playing meaningful basketball deep into March, they’ll need to start getting stops.
And soon.