The Big Blue Lowdown

The Cats pulled out a closer than expected 76-68 victory over a Georgia Bulldog squad that pushed them to their physical limits in every phase of the game.

Georgia held a lead as late as the 5:00 minute mark, but defense and clutch inside baskets by Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins ended up being the difference.

Once again, poor free-throw and three-point shooting plagued the Cats, who went 2-14 from behind the arc and 22-33 from the line. But backcourt defensive pressure contributed to 26 Bulldog turnovers and the UK front line stood tall with the game on the line.

Georgia clawed its way back from an 11 point deficit in the first half and built as much as a six point cushion in the second half. The Dawgs were led by Travis Leslie’s 20 points, which included a thunderous first half dunk over Cousins, and Trey Thompkins 17 point, 13 rebound performance. Thompkins fooled UK defenders with an array of short jumpers and strong inside moves.

But the Cats inside pressence was too strong in the end, as three Georgia big men fouled out in the game. John Wall and Eric Bledsoe were also crucial factors down the stretch, getting clutch steels and penetrating at will for most of the afternoon.

Takeaways

• DeAndre Liggins continued to show improvement and, we feel, deserves more PT. Liggins had 6 points and 3 steals in only 14 minutes. He showed more aggressiveness today than he has so far this season. It was great to see.
• Coach Calipari seemed to shrink the bench again, which is becoming a bit of a trend. The starters received the bulk of the minutes, and most of the subs shared their time at the 3-position. As in the Louisville game, when things got tight late, Cal was unwilling to go the bench.
• This Kentucky team continues to find ways to win, and it’s not always the John Wall show. Wall had an off-game, missing a couple dunks and shooting erratically. He penetrated at will, but didn’t finish. Meanwhile, Patterson was strong down the stretch and Cousins showed a will to win, diving on the floor and making some big hustle plays in the waning minutes.
• With several other top 25 upsets already this weekend, it seems fairly clear that conference play is going to be a roller coaster in college hoops this year. The Cats will need to buckle up and prepare for 15 straight wars.