LEXINGTON, Ky. — Arkansas coach John Pelphrey’s Kentucky homecoming boiled down to Brooklyn.

And with Ramel Bradley, Kentucky’s senior point guard from Brooklyn, N. Y., nailing the irrevocably tie-breaking shot over Arkansas Brooklyn-born senior point guard Gary Ervin, the New York accent slanted to Pelphrey’s old school instead of his new team.

Arkansas never drew even after Bradley’s 2-point jumper with: 01 on the shot clock and 1: 17 on the game clock snapped a 55-55 tie en route to the Wildcats ’ eventual 63-58 Southeastern Conference victory Saturday afternoon before 24, 371 at Rupp Arena.

The loss drops Arkansas (18-8, 7-5 SEC ) behind two games to Mississippi State in the SEC West going into Wednesday night’s game at Alabama.

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Kentucky, second in the SEC East to Tennessee, improves to 15-10, 9-3.

“ It felt a little bit better, ” Bradley said, “ because Gary Ervin is from Brooklyn. He played really good defense. Luckily the shot went in for me and we got the win. That’s the biggest thing. ”

Arkansas had one more chance to tie, but Sonny Weems, the senior from West Memphis with a game-high 26 points, missed with 55 seconds left, forcing Arkansas to foul Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson four seconds later.

Patterson sank both free throws for an irretrievable 4-point lead. Arkansas twice cut it to three but never had the ball with the chance to tie.

Bradley sank two free throws (Kentucky was 20 of 27 to Arkansas’ 10 of 14 from the line ) with six seconds left after a Weems deuce cut it to 61-58 at: 07.

Both Ervin and Pelphrey gave Bradley (18 points ) his due along with Kentucky two-guard Joe Crawford (18 points ).

The two seniors scored all of Kentucky’s final 15.

Freshman forward Patterson netted a double-double 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Cats cleaned the boards, 38-23 against the taller Razorbacks.

“ He made a tough shot, ” Ervin said. “ It got down to a situation where I had a hand in his face and he made it. ”

Pelphrey said Ervin was in the right place doing the right thing as the Razorbacks did defensively throughout the day.

“ That was a tough shot, ” Pelphrey said. “ A long two. I thought they made some good plays with Bradley and Crawford at the end of the shot clock. ”

Crawford missed one with: 01 on the shot clock but the Wildcats rebounded it and rebounded two more misses and then scored.

“ That killed us, ” said Arkansas center Steven Hill, one of six Razorback seniors concluding without ever beating Kentucky. “ We’d get a stop and then they’d get a rebound and get another possession to score. In a tight game, that really kills you. ”

Offensively, Arkansas only rebounded three of its 28 misses.

“ Everyone talked about our advantage up front, ” Pelphrey said. “ You didn’t see that today. I’m waiting for this great front court to show up and it hasn’t. ”

First-year Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie was shocked how the Wildcats cleaned the boards. He admired the defense played by both teams.

“ I can’t believe they only got three offensive rebounds, ” Gillispie said. “ It was fantastic for us because Arkansas is so long and athletic. That was the difference in the game. I’d like to win some time shooting 56 percent (the Cats shot 40 percent at 20 for 50 ), but credit Arkansas ’ defense. It was hard for both teams to score today. ”

About near impossible for Arkansas in the first half after Ervin’s trey gave the Hogs a 17-12 lead at 10: 31.

The Hogs mustered one more first-half field goal, a Weems dunk on a break from a Hill shot-block at 2: 08.

“ We didn’t get the ball out quick enough and let them set up their halfcourt defense, ” Ervin said. “ Coach told us they would play the best halfcourt defense we’ve seen. ”

Given the drought and that main men Weems was 1 for 7 and Patrick Beverley was 0 for 2 in the first half, it was some amazing Arkansas defense that kept the Hogs only down 27-22 at intermission.

Beverley, 1 for 8 and 4 points, never could get on track Saturday, but Weems sure did. He tallied a 22-point second half. Weems opened the second stanza with a trey igniting an 11-2 run for an Arkansas lead that Kentucky never surpassed until Bradley’s Brooklyn basket.

“ Weems is a great player, ” Gillispie said. “ An NBA player no question. He definitely put his team on his shoulders and was fantastic. ”

What did Weems do in the second half that he couldn’t in the first half ?

“ I had been panicking a little bit, ” Weems said, “ trying to to too much too fast. But once I hit that first three to start the second half, it was on from there. ”

Except for that miss with 55 seconds left.

“ I think I rushed it, ” Weems said. “ I could have pulled it out and we could have run some offense but I think I panicked and rushed it a little bit. I wish I could have that one shot back. ”

So does Pelphrey.

“ A poor decision, ” Pelphrey said. “ We had about about 50 seconds on the game clock and 20 on the shot-clock, but without Sonny we are not in position anyway. ”

Kentucky native Pelphrey isn’t apt ever to forget the standing ovation afforded to him before Saturday’s tipoff.

“ I have a lot of memories here, ” Pelphrey said. “ But it doesn’t get in the way of the job I am trying to get done. ”

Kentucky present, not Kentucky past, prevented Pelphrey Saturday.