No. 8 Kentucky men’s basketball overruled No. 11 Texas A&M 81-69 on Tuesday night, furthering its record to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in SEC play.
With the win, Kentucky is now 5-0 against opponents ranked in the top 15 of the AP poll this season and 6-3 in quad-one matchups.
It was far from a perfect game for UK, scoring just 11 points in the first 11 minutes, but, through the hills and valleys of the win, guard Jaxson Robinson fought through it all.
Robinson put up 22 points, eight rebounds and two assists against the Aggies, slashing his former school where he spent the 2020-21 season as a freshman.
The 6-foot-6 guard hit the 20-plus point mark for the second straight game, nearly duplicating his 27-point performance from the previous game against Mississippi State.
“I think it’s probably the most well-rounded that I’ve seen him (Robinson) play,” Head Coach Mark Pope said when reflecting on Robinson’s last two performances.
The words deem to be significant as Pope and Robinson tag-teamed the Big 12 together the past two seasons at BYU before both transitioning to Lexington together.
Robinson’s golden night didn’t start off too hot though, as he began the game 0-4 from deep through the first three minutes.
“I missed the first four, but I knew eventually one would fall and, once they went in, see what happens,” Robinson said.
After that point, Robinson found a way to finish the first half with 15 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 4-9 shooting from beyond the three-point arch.
In the second half, Robinson scored seven more points, grabbed three boards and helped with one assist in a full effort to carry the Cats to their 14th win of the season.
Robinson and the Cats look to stay on the winning track in SEC play this Saturday, when they face No. 4 Alabama inside of Rupp Arena. Tip-off is set for noon ET and that game can be viewed on ESPN.