Trey Lyles had just played arguably his best college game.
The freshman forward scored a career high at Mississippi State on Wednesday, showing the kind of versatility 6-foot-10 players aren't supposed to have.
But afterward, John Calipari was thinking bigger.
“He should have had 25 today,” Calipari said, with a caveat. “But I thought he played well.”
Lyles would have to settle for 18 points and six rebounds as top-ranked Kentucky moved to 28-0 (15-0 Southeastern Conference) with a 74-56 win in snowy Starkville, Miss. The Indianapolis native got off to a quick start, scoring the Wildcats' first basket on a lob dunk and 13 points within the first 15 minutes to make the illness that forced him to miss three games a not-so-distant memory.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
On This Day In UK Basketball History
- On March 19, 1966, Pat Riley joined the 1,000-point club. He did it in 54 games.
- On March 19, 1966, in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, top-ranked UK, featuring “Rupp’s Runts,” loses in the NCAA Championship game, 72-65, to Texas Western.
- On March 19, 1989, in the wake of an NCAA investigation, Eddie Sutton resigns as UK basketball coach.