Kentucky’s unsung MVP delivers again: Andrew Carr powers No. 19 Wildcats past No. 15 Missouri on the road

Otega Oweh is Kentucky’s leading scorer. Amari Williams is the best glass cleaner in the club. Lamont Butler is the leading assist man. Oweh and his sticky hands and Williams with his stretchy arms team up to split the headliner defensive categories. But no one on this Kentucky team might be more valuable than Andrew Carr. 

The veteran forward leads the Wildcats in plus-minus on the season, and he delivered one of his best performances of the season to spur No. 19 Kentucky past No. 15 Missouri 91-83. Carr totaled 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, one steal and just one turnover in Kentucky’s eighth (!) victory over a AP top-15 club. Whew, that’s a mouthful.

Back spasms slowed down Carr in early January, and maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that a few of Kentucky’s most-frustrating moments came when Carr wasn’t himself. 

He looked every bit the part of the guy that Mark Pope so desperately wanted in the transfer portal. Maybe Saturday’s win over a potent Missouri club and Carr’s part in it can give banged-up Kentucky a glimmer of hope for an extended March stay.

Carr is so vital in checking off the boxes that Kentucky desperately needs filled. His nine rebounds in the second half all felt enormous, including four offensive rebounds which led to four second-chance points. Offensive rebounding hasn’t been a strength for Kentucky much this season, but it corralled 31% of its misses against Missouri. That was the third-highest mark in the last 12 games. Carr’s secondary rim protection was also so key. Missouri entered the day ranking second in the SEC, shooting a sizzling 64% at the rim. It missed 10 of 22 layup attempts against Carr and the Kentucky frontline. 

March is the ultimate litmus test for everybody, especially a Kentucky program that hasn’t sniffed the second weekend since 2019. Oh, and Mark Pope still hasn’t won a Big Dance game as a head coach. 

But as Part II of a three-part story concludes, Kentucky has to feel good about its direction, right? 

Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa are done for the year, Lamont Butler is banged up and Carr’s back could flare up at any time, unfortunately. And yet, Kentucky will enter tournament play 21-10 with a boatload of Quad 1 wins and a 10-8 mark in the most daunting league of this century.

Carr was the story, but it was a little bit of everybody. Even baby-faced freshmen like Trent Noah and Collin Chandler rose to the occasion with 11 key points on the road. Koby Brea made tough shot after tough shot. Oweh and Butler missed good looks that they normally make, but their defensive presence was obvious. Missouri’s quartet of terrific guards, namely Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates, Anthony Robinson and Tony Perkins all did not crack double figures. 

Pope has unequivocally overachieved with a group that could end up being the least-talented roster he will ever have at Kentucky. There might not be a pro on this roster. That will change when next year’s recruiting class jets into Lexington.

But we’ll have time to put a bow on 2024-25 later. With March looming, Kentucky has shown it can play with anybody for 40 minutes. Oh, and its unsung MVP is finally healthy.