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Well, Wildcats fans, that one felt like a long-put off trip to the dentist. It was painful, frustrating, and way too close a call. The Kentucky Wildcats got up big early on the Georgia Bulldogs and then apparently decided they were just too cool for school.
Georgia didn’t play well at all, and yet they were right there with Kentucky. They turned the ball over 18 times, and only 5 of them were forced. But what they did do well was rebound, and once again, Kentucky found themselves on the short end of the glass. Georgia also refused to go quietly into the winter night, and fought their way back into the game despite several UK haymakers. Kudos to them
Final stats
It was wire to wire once again for the Cats. UK led for all but the first 20 seconds. Stats: pic.twitter.com/Uht7zaDs5V
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) February 4, 2015
Observations
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The rebounding is going to be ugly, I can tell you that right now. Just get ready for it.
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UK managed only 45% from the field. That’s because they took 22 3-point shots despite having a huge size advantage. They wound up shooting only 32% from three. There’s a reason why that shot is worth three points.
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Defensively, Kentucky started out incredible, and decided to call it a game after the half. What the heck?
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Calipari has given this team permission to lose, and they almost went ahead and did it. Drives me crazy when they show no character in their game like in the second half tonight.
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We really missed Trey Lyles tonight. Without that extra front-court depth, UK can be vulnerable.
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When UK went inside, they mostly did well. They just didn’t do it enough.
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I have rarely seen a bigger difference in intensity from half to half, and as much settling as there was tonight.
That’s it for now, I have to eat. We won the game despite our disinterested effort, and UK now has 22 in a row. But this feels more like a defeat than a victory to me.