Kentucky vs Arkansas score today: UK basketball game updates, highlights from SEC contest

Posted by author February 2, 2025 Basketball

LEXINGTON — Anyone who’s listened to Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope speak since his tenure began has heard his goal of the team attempting, at minimum, 30 3-pointers per game.

The Wildcats are falling short of that objective so far.

Twenty games into the 2024-25 season, UK is averaging 27.2 attempts from long range per outing. Not bad. But it’s not 30.

Preparing to host Arkansas — and ex-Kentucky coach John Calipari — tonight at Rupp Arena, Pope isn’t giving up on his 3-point target.

“Arkansas is a terrific, really talented team and terrific at guarding the 3 and also terrific at protecting the rim,” Pope said of the Razorbacks, who are tied for eighth in Division I in block percentage (16.3), a measure of how many shots attempted by an opponent are rejected by the defensive team. “They’re a pretty good dual punch in terms of being able to do both those things. … We just have to go earn those (3-point) shots.

“We’ve got to find a way to earn ’em.”

Find them and you’ll find a satisfied Pope.

“When we earn 30 (3-point attempts in a game), it means that we’re playing right. We’re moving right. We’re executing right,” he said.

Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:

The contest between the Wildcats and Razorbacks will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline) will have the call.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Betting odds: Kentucky is an 11 ½-point home favorite (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 158 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky -600, Arkansas +440.

Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 69
Jan. 28: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 78, Tennessee 73
Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network

Record: 15-5 (4-3 SEC)

Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
Walker Horn (guard, junior)
Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
Amari Williams (center, graduate)

The Razorbacks are 12-8 this season, with a 1-6 mark in SEC play.

Calipari’s club only had one notable win during the nonconference portion of its schedule: Arkansas topped Michigan, 89-87, in New York on Dec. 10, a matchup that was part of the Jimmy V Classic.

Arkansas’ lone SEC triumph is against Georgia; it has losses to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Calipari is 2-4 in six prior meetings against UK. Five of those games occurred when Calipari was UMass’ coach. In his lone matchup with Kentucky as Memphis’ coach, Calipari’s Tigers won, 80-63, in the third-place game at the 2006 Maui Invitational.

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 36-14. Entering tonight’s tilt, the Wildcats have won three in a row over the Razorbacks and 11 of the past 14.

Click here to see the Razorbacks’ full 2024-25 schedule.

Want to learn the Razorbacks’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.