Deep in the rolling bluegrass hills, Mississippi State traveled to face 8th-ranked Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Wednesday night. Winning at Rupp Arena is no easy feat, as the Wildcats have one of the best home-court advantages in the Southeastern Conference.

Mississippi State knocked off #5 Tennessee last Wednesday night at home before struggling to defend the Hump on Saturday as they allowed the Crimson Tide to come into Starkville and escape with a win. Wednesday night would be the ultimate test for Chris Jans and the Bulldogs as they tried to find lightning in a bottle twice, having an opportunity to beat Kentucky on their home floor.

However, Kentucky was too good. Kentucky came out on Wednesday night with stifling defense and shooting the lights out of Rupp Arena.

Kentucky jumped out of the starting gate, racing to a 47-29 lead over the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs at the half. Mississippi State struggled to find its offensive groove in the first half, shooting a disappointing 35% from the field, 50% from the charity stripe, and 35.7% from behind the arc. Shawn Jones led the Bulldogs in scoring, having six points, while Tolu Smith finished with four to close out the half.

Mississippi State would open the second half on a bit of a run, cutting the Kentucky lead down to six points. However, Kentucky’s athleticism was too much for the Mississippi State Bulldogs as the Wildcats methodically extended the lead back out to double-digits, giving Coach Calipari and the Kentucky fans the cushion needed to feel comfortable with a rebound win over an NCAA Tournament-caliber Mississippi State Bulldogs team.

As expected, Tolu Smith finished the night for Mississippi State with 26 points, making his last five shots for the Bulldogs. Trey Fort finished the night with 13 points, as the combo continued to give Mississippi State enough to win ballgames in this conference.

Mississippi State didn’t have enough on the offensive side of the court to beat Kentucky on Wednesday as the Wildcats cruised to a 90-77 victory over the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Life on the road in the Southeastern Conference has been brutal for every team so far. Luckily for Mississippi State, they return home on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Vanderbilt to the Hump for a bounce-back game against the struggling Vanderbilt Commodores.