The Kentucky Wildcats struggled more than anyone thought they would with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday. It was a close game for most of the 40 minutes, but Kentucky pulled away late to win it.
It looked like it was going to go the other way for a while, though. With less than ten minutes to play, Arkansas found themselves up by nine, and they still led as the clock ticked towards the final five minutes.
Every Kentucky fan knows that Rob Dillingham took over the game late in the second half, both with his shot-making and with his passing. However, another Wildcat Freshman may have keyed the biggest sequence of the game.
Justin Edwards over the final 4:45 vs. Arkansas:
8 points
3 steals— TheCatsPause247 (@TheCatsPause247) March 3, 2024
The Cats pulled ahead with less than four minutes to play, when Justin Edwards made a series of defensive plays that all but sealed the victory.
With 3:23 to play, Edwards got the steal, then was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws.
With 3:12 to play, the Freshman forward stole another one, and used up some valuable time.
With 2:34 to play, Edwards got a third steal that led to an easy bucket.
He followed up those three steals with a baseline jumper to put Kentucky back up by eight, then a three-pointer the next time down the floor to make it a nine point game with 1:25 to play.
Lots of the focus from the win was on the play of Dillingham, and Antonio Reeves, and it was deserved. However, Edwards was a major factor at the end, and that should make Wildcats fans very happy as the NCAA Tournament gets closer.