"When Jodie came into the game, he gave us a big lift," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said afterward.
Meeks scored all five of his first-half points in a 21-second flurry after LSU coach John Brady was whistled for a technical foul with 1:36 remaining in the opening half.
Meeks calmly drained two free throws and connected on a 3-pointer to pull the Wildcats to within a bucket after trailing by 16 with 6:59 left in the half.
"It was a lucky break," Meeks added. "I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. We were getting good looks all night. We weren't hitting them at first, but I just happened to hit some shots tonight."
On a roll at the line
The free throws continued an impressive trend for Meeks, who has made 39 of his last 41 shots at the charity stripe. Meeks connected on all three of his free-throw attempts against the Tigers.
"It's a confidence thing," he said. "I try not to think too much when I go up there. I just have the confidence that I will make them."
Although Bobby Perry initially sparked Kentucky's successful second-half rally by scoring seven of Kentucky's first 13 points of the half, Meeks knocked down a clutch 3-pointer that pushed the Cats' lead to a 46-40 with 15 minutes remaining.
Meeks didn't stop there.
Although a 3-pointer rimmed in and out on his next attempt, Meeks scored seven unanswered to thwart a comeback attempt by the Tigers. Meeks scored on a layup on a nifty assist from classmate Derrick Jasper, drained a trey and connected on another basket off the glass on an assist from Perry.
Meeks' inside-outside ability was no surprise to Smith.
"He's active and always on the move," he said. "He's very athletic."
In addition to adjusting to his team's offense, Meeks has developed into perhaps one the team's best shooters from the perimeter. Meeks made all but one of UK's four shots from long range against the Tigers.
"I try to be as aggressive as I can, whether it's on the offensive end or the defensive end," he said. "On offense, I try to let the game come to me. On defense I just try to give it everything I have."
Granted, Meeks is still adjusting to the college life, but the Cats are becoming more appreciative of his presence on the court.
"I think the players trust in him that he's going to make some good things happen," Smith said.
The end result was all good for the Cats.
