Obviously Tyler Ulis' injury dominated much of the social media conversation during the game but there seems to be enough information floating around from official UK outlets to indicate he's going to be okay. He's day to day and was initially listed as questionable to return.
Before anyone speculates on whether this team might be better without Ulis, because Kentucky happened to be even more dominant with him out of the game, let's nip that in the bud. No. UK was better tonight because Skal Labissiere played a phenomenal all-around game with excellent energy, because Jamal Murray played his best offensive game of the season, and because Charles Matthews chipped in and established himself unquestionably as a rotation player.
Those three -- Skal, Murray and Matthews -- were the stars of the game, although Poythress played well and Isaiah Briscoe's defense was again impressive.
Going into the game I said I thought USF's poor defense made for a bad match especially on the perimeter but I was actually impressed with how Antigua's bunch played out of the gate on that end of the court. As the game wore on the confidence, especially of Murray, took over and he just got the ball exactly where it needed to be.
Kentucky was 16-19 (84%) from the free throw line and that's a welcomed change if there ever was one. They were 6-13 from three after starting a scorching 5-9, so the shooting was better across the board -- but they still weren't forcing it.
Most of all I was impressed by the poise of the team in the absence of their well-established leader. They were unfazed and were totally seamless in his absence, not missing a beat and transitioning to a team that Murray shouldered more of a load for.
Kentucky only turned it over eight times and they had 16 team assists. USF was one of the worst teams in the country going into the game, in opponent A/T ratio, so that's not a surprise. Nine steals, five blocks, 40 points in the paint -- all-around solid performance. Probably could have won by a lot more if they didn't get sloppy.
Before anyone speculates on whether this team might be better without Ulis, because Kentucky happened to be even more dominant with him out of the game, let's nip that in the bud. No. UK was better tonight because Skal Labissiere played a phenomenal all-around game with excellent energy, because Jamal Murray played his best offensive game of the season, and because Charles Matthews chipped in and established himself unquestionably as a rotation player.
Those three -- Skal, Murray and Matthews -- were the stars of the game, although Poythress played well and Isaiah Briscoe's defense was again impressive.
Going into the game I said I thought USF's poor defense made for a bad match especially on the perimeter but I was actually impressed with how Antigua's bunch played out of the gate on that end of the court. As the game wore on the confidence, especially of Murray, took over and he just got the ball exactly where it needed to be.
Kentucky was 16-19 (84%) from the free throw line and that's a welcomed change if there ever was one. They were 6-13 from three after starting a scorching 5-9, so the shooting was better across the board -- but they still weren't forcing it.
Most of all I was impressed by the poise of the team in the absence of their well-established leader. They were unfazed and were totally seamless in his absence, not missing a beat and transitioning to a team that Murray shouldered more of a load for.
Kentucky only turned it over eight times and they had 16 team assists. USF was one of the worst teams in the country going into the game, in opponent A/T ratio, so that's not a surprise. Nine steals, five blocks, 40 points in the paint -- all-around solid performance. Probably could have won by a lot more if they didn't get sloppy.
