Malique Ewin receives game's sixth technical for hitting Mo Dioubate in face with ball

The technical foul fest that occurred in the second half of Saturday night’s game between No. 15 Arkansas and Kentucky came to a head with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.

Kentucky forward Mo Dioubate was fouled on a layup by Arkansas‘ Trevon Brazile, sending Dioubate to the free throw line. While Dioubate was on the ground, however, Malique Ewin stepped over him and dropped the basketball off of Dioubate’s face.

The Florida State transfer was assessed a technical foul, the fourth of the second half. Prior to that, Kentucky‘s Brandon Garrison, Mo Dioubate, and head coach Mark Pope were called for a technical foul apiece in the half.

So, it was a technical foul on Arkansas for hitting Kentucky with the ball in the face.

These refs out here acting like these guys are playing dodgeball

SIX technical fouls called in this game pic.twitter.com/cCncQeiSh5

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) February 1, 2026

The technical foul served as a major swing in the game, as Kentucky led just 65-63 prior to the technical. Dioubate made one of two free throws and Malachi Moreno made both free throws after rebounding a miss, equating to a 68-63 lead. Moreno then threw down a thunderous dunk to make it a 70-63 advantage for the ‘Cats, which put the game nearly out of reach for the Razorbacks.

Kentucky has won six of its last seven SEC games

The win serves as a massive bounce back performance for Kentucky, which was blown out by No. 18 Vanderbilt 80-55 in its last game. In former coach John Calipari‘s return to Rupp Arena last season, the Hogs shocked the ‘Cats 89-79. Now, Mark Pope earns his win over Calipari on the road in Fayetteville.

Suddenly, Kentucky has now won six of its last seven SEC games and sits at 6-3 in conference play. Arkansas falls to 6-3 in conference play and is now tied with Kentucky for second place in the conference. With the win, the Wildcats now boast two wins against Top 25 SEC teams while being unranked for the first time in program history.

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh continued to build his case for SEC Player of the Year by scoring 24 points on 9/12 shooting from the field in the win. Oweh has been spectacular for the Wildcats in conference play this season, scoring 20-plus points in seven of Kentucky‘s nine SEC games.

The ‘Cats will now look to parlay the win into a win at home against Oklahoma on Feb. 4, while the Razorbacks look to bounce back from the disappointing loss with a win over Mississippi State on Feb. 7.