Meeks’ roadshow claims Hogs

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He was unleashed again.

This time, Jodie Meeks scored 45. Meeks shot 17-of-24, and the Cats beat Arkansas, 79-63, in Fayetteville, Ark., at Bud Walton Arena.

Meeks has notched 40-plus points three times this season, all away from Rupp Arena. The other two times were against Appalachian State on Dec. 20 in Freedom Hall (46 points) and the historic 54-point outburst in Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 13 against Tennessee.

The 45-point performance was another record-setting day for Meeks. He broke Al Dillard’s mark for most points scored in Bud Walton Arena. Dillard scored 39 in 1993.

“After I hit my third three, I felt really in a rhythm,” Meeks said, according to UK Athletics. “As many great players that Arkansas has had as well as the players that have come through here, it is an honor to break the Bud Walton Arena scoring record.”

More impressive than Meeks’ barrage may have been the Cats’ victory, considering prized big man Patrick Patterson’s absence. Patterson sprained his ankle in Tuesday’s win over Florida. He sat out against Arkansas and is listed as day-to-day.

Playing and winning without their star inside showed UK head coach Billy Gillispie just what his team is made of.

“You define your legacy when you face adversity,” Gillispie said. “I really believe we faced it and overcame it today.”

Despite not having Patterson, the Cats were able to get production from other players. Junior Michael Porter and freshman Darius Miller each pitched in eight, while junior Ramon Harris recorded seven points and nine rebounds, logging his most minutes (37) since Nov. 28. Junior Perry Stevenson had six points, five rebounds and five blocks.

“When Jodie is making shots like that it takes pressure off of us,” Porter said. “There was a big emphasis on us playing hard out there.”

The Cats were able to bust out to an early lead thanks to hot shooting. Four different Cats hit a 3-pointer, including sophomore A.J. Stewart’s first bomb of the year. For the game, the Cats hit 11 3-pointers and shot 52 percent from the floor. Their defense did not back down either, as they held Arkansas to 18 percent from the 3-point line.

Even with the strong defensive effort, the talk after the game was back to Meeks. Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey, a former UK standout, said his team couldn’t do anything to slow Meeks down.

“Meeks had an awesome performance,” Pelphrey said. “He’s been good all season. We were just another defense left in his wake. He has an ability to almost see through you, to not pay attention to you and get shots off.”