A lot of controversy surrounds the last 10 seconds of overtime when Isaac Humphries slammed the ball against the ground after being fouled. The official, Pat Adams, made the decision to call a technical foul in the waning seconds and Texas A&M was back in it.
Offensive Boards
Kentucky was getting beat on the boards all night long and it may have been a little fitting the game-winning shot came with what the Wildcats couldn't stop the Aggies from doing. With Humphries fouling out the technical, Kentucky lost their best rebounder left on the floor. Their next option: Skal Labissiere.
Labissiere contested Danuel House's shot but didn't get in position fast enough to get the board and Tyler Davis grabbed the rebound and put it in at the buzzer.
It was a heartbreaking way for Kentucky to lose a basketball game, but when bigs don't box out, it will come back eventually.
The Technical
This was the biggest "play" of the game it seems. Humphries, barely a month over 18, had a fantastic game on the boards and helped UK stop the bleeding when being out-rebounded big.
The 7-foot-tall freshmen grabbed a board after an Aggies miss and was ready to go to the line for free throws to possibly make it a three-point lead with 9.4 remaining, but the Australian got too excited.
The thing is, the slamming of that ball isn't unsportsmanlike or showing up the ref in any way.
The official had the choice to call that technical due to the action not matching any rules warranting a technical foul. Some think Adams should have let it go since it was late in the game, and some think it was a good call. No matter the opinion, Humphries' actions after the play did not violate a technical foul rule set by the NCAA.
Kentucky's Fight
There's obvious fight in this team after nearly winning in an environment plenty of top ranked teams would not stand a chance in.
They went down by eight with 10 minutes to play in the game and fought back thanks to plays made by the guard duo of Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis.
Kentucky fought right to the buzzer in plenty of ways. With key pieces of the Wildcats' schematic puzzle missing, seeing this team perform late in a game gives scary thought of what they can do when healthy.
The Injuries Pile Higher
Kentucky was able to get Marcus Lee healthy enough to play against Texas A&M, but found themselves without Alex Poythress for the fifth game in a row.
Lee had four fouls with eight minutes remaining and the Wildcats looked everywhere to find help. With foul trouble already working against them, there was another blow to the Kentucky frontcourt.
Derek Willis came running down the court and put his foot down in the wrong spot and his ankle turned immediately. The sprain looked bad and the junior had to be helped off the floor.
Willis helped Kentucky spread the floor on offense and without him, it would take some grit to win on the road. His absence hurt the Wildcats since they had to also go to a four guard lineup and lose a lot of size.
Poythress should be returning soon, but the Willis timetable has not been set. John Calipari has stated that it is a pretty bad sprain, so expect the sharpshooter to be out a couple games.
Hysterical Humphries
Ulis said Humphries was in the locker room before players went out to do interviews continually apologizing to his team for the technical.
Humphries might have been called for the technical and threw the ball at the ground but there is no reason for this big man to be saying sorry for what he did. He had an amazing game and his emotions got out of control on one play. There's no doubt Humphries will learn from this and get better going forward.
The freshman's earned more minutes the way he rebounded the basketball. He'll see the floor a lot more coming down the stretch of SEC play.
Player Statistics
Jalen Jones- Jones was hitting everything early and had the Aggies first nine points of the game. The Wildcats had no answer for him with a broken defense and he went off for 24 points and eight rebounds.
Tyler Ulis- Ulis had another dominant game while playing 45 minutes in this contest. The little leader racked up 22 points, 11 assists and four boards for his fourth double-double of the season.
Jamal Murray- Murray hit some important shots late and was Kentucky's go-to man in overtime as he drew fouls in the lane while collecting 21 points.
Tyler Davis- Davis didn't score the most points but he was the star of the game after his game-winning put back. Davis had 15 points and 12 boards to go with his shot at the buzzer.
Upcoming Schedule
Alabama at #14 Kentucky 2/23/16
Mississippi State at Texas A&M 2/24/16