If you walked into Rupp Arena expecting a polite, early-season blowout when the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball vs Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball matchup tipped off in late 2024, you were probably pretty shocked by the first ten minutes. It wasn't just a game. Honestly, it was a literal "bloodbath." That's not my word; that’s what Kentucky head coach Mark Pope called it after the smoke cleared.
Kentucky won. That part wasn't a surprise. The final score of 105-76 looks like your typical "big school beats smaller school" outcome on paper. But paper is boring. What actually happened on the hardwood was a chippy, high-intensity scuffle that saw players getting tangled up, technical fouls flying, and a mid-major team from Atlanta refusing to be bullied by the No. 8 team in the country.
The Night Rupp Got Salty
Most people focus on the 105 points Kentucky hung on the board. I get it. It’s a big number. But the real story of this particular meeting between the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball vs Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball was the sheer physicality. Jonas Hayes, the Georgia State coach, has built a reputation for coaching teams that play like they’re in a street fight. They don't care about your blue-blood pedigree.
Early on, it worked.
The Panthers actually cut the lead to just two points at 31-29 in the first half. Think about that. A Sun Belt team that was picked to finish 12th in its own conference was staring down a top-10 Kentucky squad in their own building and didn't blink. Cesare Edwards was a man possessed, finishing the night with 21 points. He was hitting threes—going 3-for-3 from deep—and making Kentucky’s bigs work for every single inch of space.
Then, things got weird.
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In the second half, the game turned into what Pope described as "salty." We’re talking about a genuine scuffle. Bodies on the floor. Trash talk that you could probably hear in the back rows. Zarique Nutter for Georgia State and Otega Oweh for Kentucky both ended up with technicals. It was the kind of game that makes you realize why college basketball is better than the pros sometimes. There was actual emotion.
Why Kentucky Eventually Pulled Away
You can only hold off a team like Kentucky for so long when they have seven different guys scoring in double figures. That’s just math. Eventually, the depth of Mark Pope’s roster became too much for the Panthers to handle.
Kentucky’s offensive explosion was led by Jaxson Robinson, who dropped 19. But the guy who really broke Georgia State’s back was Lamont Butler. He had 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals. He’s basically a defensive vacuum cleaner who can also run a fast break like a seasoned pro. When Kentucky went on that 13-0 run late in the first half to make it 44-29, the vibe in the arena shifted from "uh-oh" to "okay, we got this."
Check out how the scoring balanced out for the Wildcats:
- Jaxson Robinson: 19 points (The primary engine)
- Lamont Butler: 17 points (The floor general)
- Amari Williams: 14 points (The force inside)
- Ansley Almonor & Otega Oweh: 12 points each
- Koby Brea & Andrew Carr: 10 points each
Georgia State actually shot the lights out from three in the second half, hitting 7-of-11. Usually, if you shoot 63% from deep in a half, you win that game. But when the other team is shooting nearly 60% from the floor and turning your turnovers into 36 points, those threes are just keeping you from drowning.
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The Coaching Chess Match: Pope vs. Hayes
This game was a fascinating look at two different coaching philosophies. Mark Pope wants to play fast. He wants 100 points. He wants his guys to have the green light from anywhere. On the other side, Jonas Hayes wants to make you uncomfortable. He wants to muck it up.
Even though Georgia State lost by 29, you could see the blueprint. They forced Kentucky into 9 turnovers and kept the rebounding margin respectable (36 to 27 in favor of UK). Hayes has this way of making his players believe they belong on the same court as NBA prospects. And for long stretches of the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball vs Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball game, they absolutely did.
Pope was actually super complimentary of Hayes afterward. He called him a "star in this business." It’s rare to hear a winning coach talk that way about an opponent after a 29-point victory, but it shows how hard Georgia State made them work for it.
The Impact of the Transfer Portal
If you look at the rosters for this matchup, it’s a "who’s who" of the transfer portal. This isn't the old days where guys stayed for four years.
- Kentucky’s lineup is basically an All-Star team of transfers: Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), and Amari Williams (Drexel).
- Georgia State isn't different. Cesare Edwards came from Missouri State. Zarique Nutter came from Northern Illinois. Malachi Brown came from Seton Hall.
This is the new reality of college hoops. The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball vs Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball game felt more like two professional teams meeting in the preseason than a traditional college game because almost everyone on the floor was a veteran. These weren't 18-year-old kids getting bullied; they were 22-year-old men who have played hundreds of college games.
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What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
There’s a common misconception that Georgia State is just a "buy game" for Kentucky—a team they pay to come in and lose so they can pad their record.
While Kentucky leads the all-time series 3-0, these games are rarely just "warm-ups." In 2004, Georgia State played them tough. In this 2024 meeting, they forced Kentucky to play a style they didn't necessarily want to play. Kentucky wants to be a "finesse" team that shoots triples. Georgia State forced them to be a "bruise" team that had to score 62 points in the paint.
If you’re a bettor or a casual fan, don't sleep on the Panthers when they play high-major teams. They have this weird knack for making the game ugly, and in March, "ugly" is exactly how you pull off an upset.
Key Takeaways from the Recent Matchup
- Kentucky's Depth is Terrifying: Having seven players in double digits is a nightmare for opposing scouts. You can't just shut down one guy.
- Georgia State is a "Second Half" Team: Despite the deficit, they outscored their own first-half total by 10 points and shot significantly better after the break.
- The Physicality Factor: If you aren't ready to get hit, don't play Jonas Hayes. The Panthers aren't afraid of a flagrant foul or a hard screen.
Looking Ahead: What's Next for Both Programs?
For Kentucky, this win was part of a larger narrative of Mark Pope establishing a new era. The Wildcats are looking to move past the late-Calipari years where early exits in the tournament became the norm. This team plays with a different kind of joy, but as the Georgia State game showed, they also have a mean streak when they need it.
For Georgia State, the focus is the Sun Belt. If they can play with that same level of intensity against South Alabama or Georgia Southern, they’re going to be a problem. They have the size in Cesare Edwards and the backcourt grit in Malachi Brown and Jelani Hamilton to make a run at a conference title.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the Replay: If you missed the second-half "scuffle," find the highlights. It’s a masterclass in how mid-majors try to mentally break high-major opponents.
- Track the Sun Belt Standings: Georgia State was undervalued in the preseason polls. Keep an eye on their "points in the paint" stats; if Cesare Edwards stays hot, they are a live underdog in any game.
- Monitor Kentucky’s Shooting Splits: The Wildcats are elite when they move the ball (23 assists vs Georgia State). If that number drops below 15 in future games, that’s when they become vulnerable.
This rivalry—if you can call it that—might only happen once every few years, but the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball vs Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball games always seem to leave a mark. Usually a literal one.