FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Kentucky took its No. 23 ranking into Arkansas on Thursday in hopes of getting back into the SEC race.

With history on their side -- the Wildcats are 31-6 under coach John Calipari in games after a loss -- they did just, defeating the Razorbacks 80-66. It was Calipari's first victory at Bud Walton Arena with Kentucky.

The Wildcats (14-4, 4-2 SEC), who were No. 1 at the start of December, got the win in part because of huge performances from two unexpected sources.

Junior forward Derek Willis, who earned only the second start of his career after a strong showing Saturday at Auburn, had 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

Freshman forward Skal Labissiere added 11 points - his first double-digit scoring game since Dec. 9.

Sophomore guard Tyler Ulis led Kentucky with a career-best 24 points, including 14-of-15 from the free throw line, to go with five assists. Freshman guard Jamal Murray added 19 points

The Wildcats shot 41.9 percent and outrebounded Arkansas 43-34.

Arkansas (9-9, 3-3) suffered its worst night from 3-point range. The Razorbacks entered the game shooting an SEC-best 44.7 percent from beyond the arc, but did not make their first 3-pointer until nearly 25 minutes had passed. Arkansas finished 2 for 12 from long range and finished 22 points below its home-court season average of 88.

The Razorbacks were led by junior guard Dusty Hannahs with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Senior guard Anthlon Bell scored 16 points and junior forward Moses Kingsley added 13.

Kentucky jumped out to a 17-7 lead, with 15 points coming from the paint. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Razorbacks 16-2 during that stretch.

Senior forward Alex Poythress got Kentucky off to a fast start by scoring six of the first eight points. Willis had five points and three blocked shots in the first six minutes.

Arkansas managed to cut the lead to five points, but the Wildcats pushed back out to a 36-24 halftime advantage.

Kentucky had three players -- Willis, Ulis and Labissiere -- with seven points each in the first half. Labissiere came off the bench to score his points in seven minutes.

Arkansas got seven points from Dusty Hannahs but shot only 36 percent from the field as a team.

Kentucky led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

NOTES: Guards Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray combine to average 38 points per game in SEC play. That's 51 percent of the Wildcats' 75 points per game average. ... In six-plus seasons under coach John Calipari, Kentucky has won 204 games, most of any team during that span. Duke is at 199, Kansas 198. ... The Wildcats, who opened SEC play with four of their first six games on the road, return to Rupp Arena on Saturday to face Vanderbilt while Arkansas travels to Georgia.