Well, that wasn't a pretty game. A lot of whistles, plenty of missed shots and it will be a very forgettable game. Let's get to the notes so you can enjoy the rest of your weekend.
1. The win: Well, it's a win. That's one of the few nice things you can say about today. It wasn't pretty but at the end of the day it's still a win and the Cats are still undefeated in the SEC. I do feel as if Bruce Pearl followed the right recipe for beating Kentucky. They mostly allowed UK to take outside shots while making things very difficult inside. Kentucky nailed plenty of threes early but after the initial outburst struggled outside. Inside few things came easy when the Cats were in the half court. It didn't hurt that Auburn had a player play out of his mind and hit some clutch shots. That wasn't pretty but it's still a win.
2. Fox: What did you all make of John Calipari keeping him in with eight minutes left and four fouls? I definitely think Calipari was trying to have a teaching moment but it backfired. Or worked, I guess depending on how you look at it. Fox's defense hasn't been great this season. I thought he would be a much better defender when I watched him in high school and AAU. Sometimes that happens but I'm still surprised with how much he has struggled. Tonight he not only struggled but struggled to defend without fouling. I'm not putting it entirely on Fox but the Cats will have to become a better defensive team if it wants to win a championship. I don't think they need to improve significantly, but it needs to tighten up. Offensive players are getting to the rim too easily.
3. Monk: It's crazy how quietly he's scoring nowadays. Obviously when he has some dunks like he did at the six minute mark you remember that. And it's easy to remember his threes. But it all just seems to add up so quickly. It was games like today why I think he's UK's most valuable player and most important player moving forward. Kentucky needs his scoring and when he's clicking he draws so much attention from the defense it makes things easier for his teammates. Another great game from the freshman.
4. Free-throw shooting: I think it's OK for UK fans to be disappointed with the free-throw shooting tonight, but I don't know if it's anything to panic about moving forward. Sometimes these shooting nights from the line happen. The guys missing tonight have been solid free-throw shooters on the season. Luckily when UK had an off like tonight they were still able to get an easy win. It may make some fans uneasy moving forward, or nervous, but that's just what kind of free-throw shooting team this is this season. Most games it will be fine but there's always a chance they have that off night.
5. Bam: Another impressive game from the big. It seems like when UK really needs a bucket they first look to go inside to Bam. A few times they were able to feed it and Bam scored those trips, but a few times he was denied the ball on the block. Calipari may need to become more creative with how he's going to get Bam the ball. He's also such an underrated passer out of the post. He's still only going to get better.
6. Gabriel: UK fans have been waiting for a performance like this all season. Gabriel was able to get comfortable offensively early in the game but I thought he did his best on defense. And what I mean by his best is he's also a bit slow footed guarding his man. He did a really good job to use his length to his advantage so when he was beaten he wasn't out of the play. Also, fantastic rebounding performance. 16! Most by a UK player this season. Doubled up Bam.
7. Mulder: Solid game from Mulder and it could have been better. He deserves the majority of Willis' minutes at this point. Not to pile on Willis but he had one of the best games of his career last Saturday and completely went missing his next two games. Give those minutes to Mulder, who takes advantage of every opportunity he's given.
8. Moving forward: Despite winning by 20 the Cats will need to be much better at Mississippi State. Ben Howland has plenty of momentum with the Bulldogs winning three straight games. Winning on the road is always tough, even if MSU isn't great, but with how the Cats played at Vandy and today that likely results in a close game in Starkville. If the Cats find their groove they will be fine on Tuesday, but things have been sluggish lately.
1. The win: Well, it's a win. That's one of the few nice things you can say about today. It wasn't pretty but at the end of the day it's still a win and the Cats are still undefeated in the SEC. I do feel as if Bruce Pearl followed the right recipe for beating Kentucky. They mostly allowed UK to take outside shots while making things very difficult inside. Kentucky nailed plenty of threes early but after the initial outburst struggled outside. Inside few things came easy when the Cats were in the half court. It didn't hurt that Auburn had a player play out of his mind and hit some clutch shots. That wasn't pretty but it's still a win.
2. Fox: What did you all make of John Calipari keeping him in with eight minutes left and four fouls? I definitely think Calipari was trying to have a teaching moment but it backfired. Or worked, I guess depending on how you look at it. Fox's defense hasn't been great this season. I thought he would be a much better defender when I watched him in high school and AAU. Sometimes that happens but I'm still surprised with how much he has struggled. Tonight he not only struggled but struggled to defend without fouling. I'm not putting it entirely on Fox but the Cats will have to become a better defensive team if it wants to win a championship. I don't think they need to improve significantly, but it needs to tighten up. Offensive players are getting to the rim too easily.
3. Monk: It's crazy how quietly he's scoring nowadays. Obviously when he has some dunks like he did at the six minute mark you remember that. And it's easy to remember his threes. But it all just seems to add up so quickly. It was games like today why I think he's UK's most valuable player and most important player moving forward. Kentucky needs his scoring and when he's clicking he draws so much attention from the defense it makes things easier for his teammates. Another great game from the freshman.
4. Free-throw shooting: I think it's OK for UK fans to be disappointed with the free-throw shooting tonight, but I don't know if it's anything to panic about moving forward. Sometimes these shooting nights from the line happen. The guys missing tonight have been solid free-throw shooters on the season. Luckily when UK had an off like tonight they were still able to get an easy win. It may make some fans uneasy moving forward, or nervous, but that's just what kind of free-throw shooting team this is this season. Most games it will be fine but there's always a chance they have that off night.
5. Bam: Another impressive game from the big. It seems like when UK really needs a bucket they first look to go inside to Bam. A few times they were able to feed it and Bam scored those trips, but a few times he was denied the ball on the block. Calipari may need to become more creative with how he's going to get Bam the ball. He's also such an underrated passer out of the post. He's still only going to get better.
6. Gabriel: UK fans have been waiting for a performance like this all season. Gabriel was able to get comfortable offensively early in the game but I thought he did his best on defense. And what I mean by his best is he's also a bit slow footed guarding his man. He did a really good job to use his length to his advantage so when he was beaten he wasn't out of the play. Also, fantastic rebounding performance. 16! Most by a UK player this season. Doubled up Bam.
7. Mulder: Solid game from Mulder and it could have been better. He deserves the majority of Willis' minutes at this point. Not to pile on Willis but he had one of the best games of his career last Saturday and completely went missing his next two games. Give those minutes to Mulder, who takes advantage of every opportunity he's given.
8. Moving forward: Despite winning by 20 the Cats will need to be much better at Mississippi State. Ben Howland has plenty of momentum with the Bulldogs winning three straight games. Winning on the road is always tough, even if MSU isn't great, but with how the Cats played at Vandy and today that likely results in a close game in Starkville. If the Cats find their groove they will be fine on Tuesday, but things have been sluggish lately.
