Kentucky men’s basketball (8-4) earned its first ranked win of the season on Saturday afternoon, routing No. 22 St. John’s (7-4) 78-66, sparked by yet another offensive turnaround in the second half.
While State Farm Arena in Atlanta was painted with Kentucky fans, as it always tends to be, the Cats still had a rocky first 20 minutes, finishing the first half with a 35.7% field goal percentage and a 16.7% 3-point percentage.
In addition to their sloppy shooting, the Wildcats also turned the ball over 11 times, digging themselves into a 32-25 deficit at the break.
Despite a slow start on efficiency, Otega Oweh tallied a game-high nine points in the first half, impacting the contest from the jump as he often does; however, his teammates failed to contribute, as Mo Dioubate and Brandon Garrison were the closest scorers with four points each.
The second half brought a completely different storyline, though, as Kentucky elevated its field goal percentage to 54.5% and its 3-point percentage to 30%, while reducing its number of turnovers to five.
While no UK player reached 10 points in the first half, Oweh (11), Kam Williams (11) and Jaland Lowe (13) all scored in double digits in the final 20 minutes, contributing to a massive wave of offense as the Cats outscored the Red Storm 53-34.
Implemented in the blueprints of a 53-point second half, the Cats strung together a 14-0 run in the span of 3:42, where Williams, Lowe and Quaintance all found the basket, triggering a loud reaction from Big Blue Nation that would go on never to fade.
The game prior, against the Indiana Hoosiers, UK was saved by its second-half effort, turning a 39-32 halftime deficit into a 72-60 victory, leading to its first quad-one win and first power-five win of the 2025-26 campaign.
With UK’s second-half turnarounds against Indiana and No. 22 St. John’s in mind, it could seem like a fluke. However, given that the Cats have produced more second-half points than first-half points in eight of their first 12 contests, it’s not.
Kentucky manufactured more second-half points against Nicholls, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech, all of which led to 20-plus point wins.
Mid-majors aside, even in its power-five contests, UK scored more second-half points against No. 17 Michigan State, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 11 Gonzaga, Indiana and, of course, St. John’s.
Obviously, no team would prefer to come out flat, but the fact that Kentucky continues to stay competitive, except for the losses to Michigan State and Gonzaga, it serves as a testament to what this team is really capable of.
The Cats’ overall record may have looked a little different up to this point if they competed for a full 40 minutes. However, given the rough starts it has had, you could see it as a positive that they hold an 8-4 overall record.
Kentucky will look to continue improving and play a complete game when it hosts the Bellarmine Knights (5-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m. ET inside Rupp Arena. That contest can be viewed on SEC Network+.
