QUICK TAKES: Kentucky vs. Kansas
Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. slammed in two of his career-high 27 points. (Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 80-62 romp over Kansas in the Big12-SEC Challenge on Saturday at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
When this team plays well they really play well. Their A-game has to be as good as any team's very highest level of play. In terms of the ceiling, this team is right there with Calipari's best teams. I can't help but feel good for Keion Brooks Jr. I've been pretty hard on him at times this year but he picked a great time to have his best game as a Wildcat. Hat tip to Jeff for calling him the guy who needs to step up. He certainly did. I was just impressed with how unflappable Kentucky was in the first half. That crowd wanted to will Kansas back into the game for a long time and Kentucky just never flinched or got away from that initial focus. They were prepared for the physicality and the intensity right from the start and ended up with what will be their best win of the season. This is a resume-padder and I'm more convinced than ever that these Cats are one of those top handful of teams in the conversation for the national championship.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
Big Blue Nation loves its basketball lore, and this might go down as "The Keion Game." Brooks played the game of his life in arguably the toughest setting in college basketball, recording a career-high 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds at legendary Phog Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks rarely ever lose a game. He was 9-of-15 from the field and 9-for-10 at the free-throw line. Just an incredible performance with the eyes of the college basketball world on this game. This was a huge win for Kentucky, a statement one might say, that it can not only win on the road against an elite opponent but also maybe that the Cats belong in the conversation as a championship contender if they can stay healthy and keep building on this effort.
DAVID SISK:
I’ll say the same things after the game that I said before. This team is lethal when they are healthy. We found out how much so tonight. The what if’s from Auburn and LSU are in the rearview mirror. Kentucky fans know how high this team’s ceiling is today. The Cats were simply dominant today. They shot 51% from the field, won the rebounding battle by 12, and had twice as many assists as turnovers. The defensive effort along with the physicality was outstanding. They were really on time with their switches and rotations. Agbaji was just 4-of-14 shooting. There were four players in double figures led by Keion Brooks with 27. Kellan Grady had a hot hand, and Oscar Tshiebwe has another double-double. In the end, they did all of this with only two points from TyTy Washington. There is no doubt this team has Final Four potential.
TRAVIS GRAF:
This was one of the most impressive wins of the entire John Calipari era. The Cats dominated in every facet of the game and showed that, when healthy, they’re very arguably the best team in the country. If Kentucky can consistently get even half of the production that they received from Brooks and Toppin tonight, this team doesn’t necessarily have a weak spot on the floor. Keion had his best game in a Kentucky uniform and Oscar solidified himself as the NPOY front runner. Kansas threw a ton of defensive looks at the Cats, and Kentucky eventually figured them all out. You have to be thrilled with how Kentucky was able to consistently operate against junk defenses.
