QUICK TAKES: Kentucky 86, Louisville 63
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 86-63 win over Louisville on Saturday at Rupp Arena...
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
Nothing happened today that should put concerns over those four early season losses to rest, but it's a blowout win against Louisville and Kentucky fans needed that. There was never any real danger of this being an upset if you saw how bad Louisville had been this year, but it's a positive sign that Kentucky shook off any lingering negativity following the last loss. The way they played is the most encouraging part. Jacob Toppin knocked down 6/8 shots in the first half and played with more confidence and decisiveness than we've seen from him at times this year. He and Oscar Tshiebwe were far too much for the Cardinals today. They got pretty much what they wanted inside the arc and that's where they did most of the damage. Louisville's defense did not offer nearly enough resistance.
TRAVIS GRAF:
Louisville is a bad basketball team and Kentucky took care of business. The biggest bright spot I noticed in this game for the Wildcats was they played loose and seemed to actually be having fun on the court, which hasn’t been the case much during this season thus far. Jacob Toppin player extremely well, and while you can’t expect him to do that every game, hopefully it gives him some confidence moving forward after a very rough stretch. Tshiebwe and Wallace were great as well, but you can’t take too much from this game this season.
DAVID SISK:
Kentucky was expected to win somewhere in the 20 to 25 point range, and that was what we got. This was a win that should allow Kentucky fans to exhale and crack a brief smile. Hopefully it can build confidence in the much-maligned Jacob Toppin who had an outstanding game. I also like the decision to play Chris Livingston at the three and limit Antonio Reeves’ minutes. John Calipari was looking to build morale today more than anything. The question is can it carry over, and I don’t take much from it until we get proof that it has. LSU will be a big test. It’s at home, and it would easily be the best team UK has beaten all year if they were to come out with a win. After that there is a very difficult road game in Tuscaloosa. These are games where improvement can be gauged. As for today it is what it is. A comfortable win over a hated rival. That’s about all we can take from it.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
This one unfolded just about how I expected. The big suprise, however, was the breakout performance of Kentucky senior forward Jacob Toppin. He has looked completely demoralized in recent games, but the player who showed up today at Rupp Arena looked more like the guy who shined during the Wildcats' summer exhibition trip to the Bahamas. If Toppin can bottle that up and find a way to bring that type of performance to the court in SEC play, it makes Kentucky a much more dangerous team. He and Oscar Tshiebwe combined for 48 points and 21 rebounds. It's hard for any frontcourt in the country to match that. If nothing else, this picks up the fan base a little bit and may offer some hope of improved play moving forwward.
