If you were to think of one storyline from Kentucky’s victory against Arkansas on Tuesday night, the first thing to come to mind is almost certainly Tyler Herro’s scorching-hot performance that nearly single-handedly brought the Cats back to victory.

Finishing with a career-high 29 points on 9-10 shooting and 5-6 from three, Herro was unstoppable with the ball in his hands. Anything he threw up felt like it was going in, and with the Cats down by as many as 15 in the second half, they needed every bit of it.

While the three-pointers and stepback jumpers were flashy and certainly made for an impressive highlight reel, Herro’s biggest moment of the game came at the free throw line up by one point with just five seconds remaining.

With all of the pressure in the world on his shoulders and the outcome of the game in the palm of his hand, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin stepped up to the line and drilled back-to-back free throws with zero hesitation.

To make it even better, after the first make, Herro turned to an Arkansas player on his right and dropped the epic phrase that has since gone viral: “I’m a bucket.”

While some players choke under pressure, Herro proved yet again he thrives when the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He lives and breathes this stuff.

The swagger Kentucky head coach John Calipari said the star shooting guard had in the Bahamas and to start the year has shown up from time to time throughout the season, but it’d be tough to find a moment like the one he had last night.

After the game, the same swagger he showed on the court bled into his postgame interview, where he had several priceless exchanges with the media.

It started with the very first question of the evening, and it lasted all the way through the end.

Kyle Tucker (The Athletic): “What did you say at the free throw line?”

Tyler Herro: “I’m a bucket.”

Jerry Tipton (Herald-Leader): “I’m what? What did you say?”

Tyler Herro: “I’m. A. Bucket.”

Kyle Tucker: “What does that even mean?”

Tyler Herro: “I don’t know. (laughter) I really don’t know.”

Jerry Tipton: “What kind of confidence do you bring to a free throw in the clutch? Because you’ve only missed one since North Carolina…”

Tyler Herro: “(Knocks on wooden arm-rest of chair). You’ve got to knock on some wood for me.”

Jerry Tipton: “I’ve got you.”

Tyler Herro: “Well for me, I just feel like it’s going to go in every time when I shoot free throws.”

….

Kyle Tucker: “What was the Arkansas guy saying to you that made you say, “I’m a bucket?'”

Tyler Herro: “He told me to miss one… But I didn’t.”

Kyle Tucker: “Do you know who it was?”

Tyler Herro: “I think it was number 13 (Mason Jones).”

Kyle Tucker: “What was his reaction when you said, “I’m a bucket.”‘

Tyler Herro: “He said he knew I was going to make them (laughter).”

Jon Hale (Courier Journal): “Tyler, was there ever a point you guys thought you might lose this game?”

Tyler Herro: “Oh, no. We’re just so close as a unit, and we always have fight in us. As a group, we came together in the second half and everybody made plays for each other, played defense, and got it done.”

…

Jerry Tipton: “The Arkansas coach complained about the refs, he said you guys shot twice as many free throws as they did. How do you explain that?”

Tyler Herro: “I don’t know. I guess that’s just how he felt.”

Jerry Tipton: “Did you feel that you got away with one on the late inbounds? It looked like you pushed off…”

Tyler Herro: “I think he flopped.”

…

When asked about his teammate’s confidence at the free throw line and the trash talk with the opposition, Kentucky forward Keldon Johnson said that’s just who Herro is. When the team needs a big shot, whether it be on the line or from the perimeter, the Wildcat freshman knows how to get the job done. He’s got ice in his veins.

Curtis Burch (Big Blue Insider): “Did you see Tyler talk to the Arkansas player on the two free throws that he had?”

Keldon Johnson: “Oh, yeah. I mean, I knew he was going to hit those. No doubt in my mind, I knew he was going to make both of them. So, I mean, he did that, and… That’s what he works on every day. … He was pretty hot today. He could really put it in the basket.”

After ranting about Herro giving up a plethora of buckets to start the game on the defensive end of the floor (he even said at one point he thought Herro was going to give up an all-time Rupp Arena opponent scoring record of 46 points), Kentucky head coach John Calipari complimented his talented starting guard for his elite scoring performance.

He even joked that Herro should have taken more shots.

“(Herro) played well,” he said. “He was 9-10 from the floor. He only shot 10 balls. I didn’t know. I didn’t know he had 29. I’m looking at this for the first time. Wow. 9-10. Probably should have shot more balls, huh?”

Following his elite scoring performance, Herro is now averaging 14.2 points per game (No. 2 on the team), 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He has finished in double figures in 23 of Kentucky’s 28 games this season, including 11 of the team’s last 12 games.

He has also separated himself even further from the pack on Kentucky’s all-time free throw shooting list.

Name Year Free Throws Made Free Throws Attempted Free Throw Percentage Tyler Herro 2018-19 69 74 93.2 Kyle Macy 1979-80 104 114 91.23 Travis Ford 1993-94 103 113 91.15 Jodie Meeks 2008-09 211 234 90.17 Jodie Meeks 2006-07 61 68 89.71 Jim Master 1981-82 95 106 89.62 Kyle Macy 1977-78 115 129 89.15 Gimel Martinez 1991-92 68 77 88.31 Kent Hollenbeck 1970-71 82 93 88.17 Bennie Coffman 1959-60 67 76 88.16

Numbers don’t lie, Tyler Herro is a bucket. A living, breathing bucket.