Wildcats hammer Hogs
Meeks too much as Arkansas falls again
Bart Pohlman
Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: Sports
Jodie Meeks didn't quite set a new career high, but he still set a new record.
Meeks scored a Bud Walton Arena-record 45 points to lead Kentucky past Arkansas 79-63 on Saturday, sending the Razorbacks to their ninth Southeastern Conference loss of the season.
Meeks shattered Al Dillard's arena record of 39 points, helping the Wildcats prevail without injured forward Patrick Patterson.
"After I hit my first couple of threes, I felt like I could be in a rhythm," Meeks said. "After my third three, I really felt like I was in a rhythm. At the same time, I was trying to be patient and get my teammates involved."
Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said he was amazed at Meeks' performance.
"I don't know how you explain it," Gillispie said. "He had seven defensive rebounds, he guards great players and he gives great effort every single time. I've not ever seen anything like what he's done for our team this year because we need it so badly. He does it all within the framework of the team every single time. He never gets outside of it. We don't do a lot of special things for him. He just makes it happen out of what we try to do."
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said Meeks made the game easy for Kentucky.
"We're just another defense left in his wake," Pelphrey said. "He has the ability to almost see through you, not pay attention to you and get shots off."
Meeks wasn't the only reason Arkansas (13-10, 1-9 SEC) dropped its ninth straight game against the Wildcats.
Kentucky (18-7, 7-3 SEC) continued a trend of opponents shooting well against Arkansas, connecting on 11-of-22 three-point attempts.
The Razorbacks, on the other hand, hit just 4-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc.
"I think us shooting 11-for-22 [from 3-point range] had the most to do with the outcome of the game," Gillispie said. "I think that had the most to do with it."
After a brief 2-2 tie, the Wildcats took the lead and never relinquished it, even holding off an Arkansas rally in the second half.
Meeks scored a Bud Walton Arena-record 45 points to lead Kentucky past Arkansas 79-63 on Saturday, sending the Razorbacks to their ninth Southeastern Conference loss of the season.
Meeks shattered Al Dillard's arena record of 39 points, helping the Wildcats prevail without injured forward Patrick Patterson.
"After I hit my first couple of threes, I felt like I could be in a rhythm," Meeks said. "After my third three, I really felt like I was in a rhythm. At the same time, I was trying to be patient and get my teammates involved."
Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said he was amazed at Meeks' performance.
"I don't know how you explain it," Gillispie said. "He had seven defensive rebounds, he guards great players and he gives great effort every single time. I've not ever seen anything like what he's done for our team this year because we need it so badly. He does it all within the framework of the team every single time. He never gets outside of it. We don't do a lot of special things for him. He just makes it happen out of what we try to do."
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said Meeks made the game easy for Kentucky.
"We're just another defense left in his wake," Pelphrey said. "He has the ability to almost see through you, not pay attention to you and get shots off."
Meeks wasn't the only reason Arkansas (13-10, 1-9 SEC) dropped its ninth straight game against the Wildcats.
Kentucky (18-7, 7-3 SEC) continued a trend of opponents shooting well against Arkansas, connecting on 11-of-22 three-point attempts.
The Razorbacks, on the other hand, hit just 4-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc.
"I think us shooting 11-for-22 [from 3-point range] had the most to do with the outcome of the game," Gillispie said. "I think that had the most to do with it."
After a brief 2-2 tie, the Wildcats took the lead and never relinquished it, even holding off an Arkansas rally in the second half.
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