WATCH: Jackson State's Dylan Canoville throws shoe at Kentucky's Brandon Garrison in hopes of stopping a dunk
Friday night’s seemingly low-key matchup between No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats and Jackson State Tigers at Rupp Arena delivered an unexpected comedic moment, courtesy of Tigers forward Dylan Canoville.
During the game, Canoville, a third-year forward, lost his shoe while making a layup under defensive pressure from Kentucky’s Brandon Garrison. Shortly after, Garrison received a transition pass from Kerr Kriisa for one of the Wildcats' many easy baskets.
As Garrison drove down the lane for a dunk, Canoville—carrying his loose sneaker—hurled it at Garrison’s back. The shoe missed its mark, sailing into the first row, while Garrison completed the dunk unbothered.
Garrison seemed puzzled by the sudden appearance of a stray black shoe sliding across the court as he added to Kentucky's dominant score.
Despite Jackson State's unconventional tactics, Kentucky cruised to a commanding 108-59 victory, improving to 5-0 on the season. After the game, Wildcats coach Mark Pope commended the Tigers for their effort but couldn’t resist referencing the shoe-throwing incident in his postgame remarks.
"It’s a great night. Proud of our guys. Thought they did a ton of good things and it was fun," Pope said.
"You know, we got to see everything. We got to see a ton of transition and a ton of shots and all kinds of fireworks from all of our guys. And, you know, got to see shoes flying in the air. It was a magical evening," Pope added.
Kentucky hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday, while Jackson State travels to Lipscomb on Sunday for the sixth of 11 consecutive road games to start the season.
Kentucky not losing a step in hot start this season
Kentucky Wildcats continued its streak of five consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers, keeping its unbeaten record intact with another commanding win. The Wildcats set a season high with 17 made threes and shot an impressive 59% from the field, rolling to a 108-59 triumph over Jackson State (0-6), one of the nation’s lowest-ranked teams statistically.
Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Koby Brea's game-high 22 points, which included five triples on eight attempts. Otega Oweh followed closely with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Jaxson Robinson contributed 14 points, while Lamont Butler added 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Ansley Almonor rounded out the group with 10 points.
Kentucky’s defense limited Jackson State to just 33% shooting from the field and a 4-of-21 performance from beyond the arc. The Tigers committed 17 turnovers, while the Wildcats tallied 29 assists—just one shy of their season high.
The Wildcats dominated early, using a barrage of threes to take a commanding 54-30 halftime lead. In the second half, they shifted focus to the paint, with their first six baskets coming from layups or dunks. Kentucky nailed six threes in the first 10 minutes of the game and has now surpassed 100 points in three contests this season.