Tennessee At Kentucky: Second Half Game Thread

Kentucky was outplayed most of the first half, turning the ball over repeatedly and allowing the Tennessee Volunteers to repeatedly pound them on the on the glass. That is a problem, of course, but Julius Randle was practically unstoppable.

Halftime stats:

Halftime box score: pic.twitter.com/NTFEXDpNuH

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthleticsNews) January 18, 2014

As you can see from the stats, Kentucky is getting brutalized in the the paint and brutalized on the boards. That's got to change. What the Wildcats have done well is shoot the ball from the perimeter, and they are starting to show signs of getting it defensively. Early in the game, the Wildcats repeatedly allowed layups and open shots. Later in the half, that all changed.

Another thing that helped is that Kentucky looked much fresher than Tennessee late in the half. Tennessee has a thin bench, and Kentucky's bench is very deep, and Calipari has been using it pretty liberally. What Kentucky fans want to see this half is much better defensive and offensive rebounding from the Wildcats, and a continuation of the defensive effort that got them the lead.

Go, 'Cats!