The win improves UK to 27-1 overall and 13-0 in SEC play, and clinched at least a share of the SEC regular season championship.  UK owns a three game lead on Florida with three games to play and can clinch the title when Vanderbilt visits Rupp Arena on Saturday.

Always considered one of the toughest road trips in the SEC, the Bulldogs didn't disappoint as they raced out to a 12-2 lead and scorched the nets in building a 41-28 halftime lead.  While MSU was lighting it up from beyond the arc in the first half, Kentucky wasn't helping its cause with unusually sloppy play and what appeared to be intimidation underneath caused by the big bodies of Bulldogs Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney.  UK's defensive effort left something to be desired in the first half as well as MSU was given several open looks from three and knocked down six of them.  MSU point guard Dee Bost had 16 first half points while being guarded by Marquis Teague, partly leading to Teague battling foul for most of the game (and partly due to a technical foul, which we will get to in a bit.)

The Wildcats adjusted in the second half, however, and besides leading the Cats in scoring, Kidd-Gilchrist accepted Calipari's challenge to defend Bost-and it worked, further enhancing MKG's reputation as a lockdown defender.  Bost scored just five points in the second half, and while it won't show up in the box score, MKG's defense also hampered his ability to throw into the low post where MSU's big bodies were waiting.

After letting the Bulldogs shoot 48% in the first half, UK allowed just 32% in the second half.  As has happened often this season, most recently at Vanderbilt last week, when the game was in the balance late, UK simply took over on both ends of the court.  Following a TV timeout with 6:17 to play, Kentucky went on a 20-4 run to get the win.  These Cats have shown that ability too often to call it a fluke or coincidence.  At a time when many freshman get rattled, especially in a hostile arena against a talented opponent, this team has shown the ability to do whatever it takes-on both ends of the court-to get the job done.  That is a special trait, especially in a primarily freshman roster stocked with future professional players.

Call it a will to win, or call it something else-but this team has it.  Period.

Now to the officiating-I hear a lot of folks complaining this morning about the officiating, and while I usually disagree with them, their complaints have some merit.  First lets talk about the technical foul on Teague-it looked to be warranted.  The NCAA Director of Officials sent a memo out last week directing officials to clean up "unsportsmanlike" conduct, and barking at the referees is unsporting.  Did Teague get fouled on the play in question-probably-but that doesn't excuse yelling at the officials-it will get you a technical, and it should.

On the other hand, the technical on Anthony Davis was absolutely ridiculous.  Hanging on the rim is allowed if there are players around who may be trailing the play and the officials feel the player may be in danger from falling...but it is not allowed for show boating.  I don't see how this technical was called given there were two MSU players with Davis, and one was trailing behind him-which means Davis had no way of knowing where the trailing player was in relation to his body.  Davis was nearly vertical due to his momentum, and in my view that's a technical that you have to pass on-especially when it is apparent that Davis is not a show-boater or a trash talker.

Finally, I was really disgusted by the way the officials acted in their mechanics when making calls at times.  I say this as an official-we are taught not to make a spectacle of ourselves, but I thought on several occasions the officials did just that.  Instead of simply pointing a direction or signaling a foul, they used exaggerated movements that were just downright silly at times.  That is disappointing.

Don't let your friends with teams in other conferences downplay the significance of this win-Mississippi State is a talented team with three guys who will play at the next level.  Frankly, I think their biggest Achilles heel is their coach, Rick Stansbury, because there is no way that team should be on a four game losing streak with the talent they have-they should be contending with Florida for second in the league.\

This was a tremendous win that exposed to the nation what we already knew-this team has the heart of a champion.  It can win in dazzling style, and it can win when not playing its best.  It can take the best an opponent can give it, on the road, play poorly, and yet still emerge unscathed.  This team is damn good-and is probably now considered the favorite to win the national title.

Go Cats!

Tonight's game against Mississippi State does cause concern for the Cats despite the fact that MSU is coming off three straight losses to significantly lesser SEC foes.  Of course, we know home crowds are always amped when the Wildcats come calling, and even more so given they are the top-ranked team in the nation.  Then there is Rick Stansbury-an able coach, decent recruiter, but a guy that likes to agitate things and showed a serious lack of class when speaking about former Bulldog and current Wildcat Twany Beckham.  Apparently Stansbury holds a grudge and is still a little steamed about Beckham leaving the train wreck that was MSU basketball last season and transferring to a real basketball school.  Stansbury's comments were a great insight into the jealousy that pervades other programs when it comes to John Calipari and Kentucky basketball, but more than that, they showed what a jerk Rick Stansbury is.

On paper, Kentucky should win the game handily, and the folks in Vegas think that's what will happen seeing they installed UK as 9.5 point favorites.  I think that's a little high, and I see UK having to win a grind-it-out sort of game similar to the one in Vanderbilt.  The Bulldogs have enough size and talent inside in Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney to give the Cats some trouble, so it will be important for Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones to stay out of foul trouble.  I do think Kentucky will win, though, and it would give me great pleasure to see Stansbury and his Bulldogs run out of their own gym simply because their coach can't keep his mouth shut.

UK didn't come out of the gate firing on all cylinders as they had been recently, but Florida's 6-0 lead was quickly erased with a  9-0 run.  The Gators' final lead came with 11:25 to go in the first half, but Kentucky outscored Florida 25-13 over the remaining first half to take a commanding 38-26 lead.  Florida scored the first four points of the second half and forced UK to call time less than a minute into the second frame, but Kentucky came out of the timeout and went on an 11-0 run to take a 49-30 lead and the game was never in doubt after that.

Much was made about this game being the first real test for the Cats in several weeks, but they proved they were more than up for the challenge, and frankly won easier than even I thought they would.  The Florida team that UK just beat by 20 is a damned good basketball team...yet UK made them look bad, to Kentucky's credit.  Kentucky's defense was simply outstanding-as it has been all season, but especially the last month.  Kentucky's last five opponents have all shot 40% or less-that is an amazing statistic!  Yet again, Anthony Davis had 4 blocks-and we all know he is a difference maker in the paint, but with that said, Florida came in as a terrific three point shooting team, yet Kentucky's defense held them to 22% on 6-of-27 shooting.  It's often said defense wins championships, and this team plays the best defense of any team I have seen in recent memory. 

While UK has gotten its fair share of attention all season, its fair to say the talking heads at ESPN and elsewhere are now looking at Kentucky as the favorites to win the national title.  At the same time, Davis is garnering significant attention as the leading Player of the Year candidate.  I think we all knew this Kentucky team would be really good, but I'm seriously starting to wonder if they will lose again-they are that good.  Someone is going to have to score 70 to beat them, and I'm not sure that's going to happen unless someone gets insanely hot from behind the arc.

While I don't want to get too giddy, its hard to overstate what Tuesday's smack down of the Gators really says.  Florida is a legitimate top 10 team-and they were simply no match for the Wildcats.  In fact, there was probably no one watching who thought Florida stood a chance to win over the final 30 minutes of the game-it was that much of a mismatch.

Vanderbilt is waiting in the seriously moronic setup that is Memorial Gymnasium.  The bench set up there is the worst in college basketball and shouldn't be allowed, and the raised floor is an injury waiting to happen.  Beyond that, the folks at Vanderbilt really think their team is pretty good, but they have underachieved significantly this season.  A win over the #1 team in the land would be a huge boost in the arm for the Commodores, but I don't think that will happen.

Kentucky is the best team in the nation-and they will prove it again in Nashville.

Anthony Davis continued to put up impressive numbers and was awarded the SEC Player of the Week award as a result.  Davis was a man among boys at South Carolina on Saturday while flirting with the elusive triple-double with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks, 2 steals and an assist-all in just 28 minutes of playing time.  If that line sounds like a broken record, it is because of the amazing consistency that Davis has shown all season.  Anthony Davis has become the unquestionable star of this Kentucky team and is now garnering serious discussion for the national Player of the Year award.

Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones also had impressive outings with Lamb scoring 18 (including 3-of-3 from three point land) while Jones turned in another impressive stat line with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block.  More to the point was the way Jones attacked the basket-with a fierceness not often seen this season.  Even Kyle Wiltjer scored in double figures with 12 points.

In other news, the Wildcats remained the unanimous #1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and stayed the top team in the AP poll despite two apparently clueless voters who continued to vote for Syracuse as their number 1.  Hopefully, if the Cats take care of business against Florida and Vanderbilt this week someone will help those guys get off whatever they are smoking and vote the right way.

This week provides two stern tests for the Wildcats, who will face the other ranked SEC teams five times in their final seven conference games.  First up is a Florida team that has made an impressive run in winning seven straight and entering the top-10 this week.  Florida shoots (and hits) a lot of three-pointers, about the only area that UK's defense hasn't been great at defending this year.  UK has cruised the past four games, and a certain swagger has taken over that could be a problem for a young team.  I don't see that happening tonight, however, as I see the Cats winning, but not covering the 9.5 point spread.

Go Cats!

UK was as animated to start a game as I have seen them all year.  It looked as John Calipari had lit a fuse under a rocket, and it provided an explosion to start the game that Tennessee could never recover from.  Kentucky made its first 11 shots and ran out to a 20-5 lead which meant lights out for the Volunteers.  Tennessee made a litte run thanks to five straight three pointers, but UK was never seriously challenged.

Lost in the hype of Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones has been the development of Marquis Teague at the point guard position over the last several games.  While I, and others, have been critical of Teague at times this year, it appears the freshman is rounding into the type of floor leader that Calipari is looking for.  Against Tennessee, Teague had 9 points and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line while handing out 4 assists versus 2 turnovers.  Against LSU on Saturday, he had 6 points, 4 assists, and just one turnover.  This is exactly the kind stat line we need to be seeing from Teague, and it is what Calipari has been preaching all season, and it appears that Teague is getting the message.  That's great for him and for the team.

Another subject being overlooked by some is the tremendous defensive effort this team plays every night out.  In the last three games, UK has allowed 44, 50, and 44 points respectively.  While this looks great, it truly is remarkable considering the fact that since the advent of the shot clock this is the first time UK has held three consecutive opponents to 50 or fewer points.  UK is holding opponents to 36% shooting on the year (#2 in the nation) and just under 58 points per game (#10).  Kentucky is averaging nearly 78 points a game, and is currently ranked #2 nationally in scoring margin.

So while its fun watching Anthony Davis swat shots away at record paces (and it is a lot of fun!) the Wildcats as a team are flat-out getting it done on the defensive end, and Davis' shot blocking ability is a huge piece of that.  UK's defense is the reason they can go on the road and grind out wins over Tennessee (65-62) and Auburn (68-53) even when the offense isn't clicking on all cylinders.

These past three games have solidified my belief that Kentucky is the best team in the nation.  Ohio State and Syracuse are close behind, but I think this team playing as it has the past three games won't get beat.  When Terrence Jones looks like a man on a mission, when Davis is terrorizing opposing shooters and getting rebounds and put backs, when I see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Darius Miller playing with passion, and when I see Teague playing as a point guard should-this team can't be beat.  Period.

Because I'm such a rabid UK fan, I always try to temper my expectations so that I won't be disappointed come tournament time.  I convinced myself we wouldn't win in 1996 even though we were clearly the best team, and in 1998 I just knew the wheels would fall off after UK outlasted Duke in the Regional Final.  I've been tempering my expectaions on this team thus far as well, but I think its time to be realistic.

UK IS the number one team in the country.  That's not a fan talking, that's just fact.  It's a snapshot to be sure, and can change at any time, but right now they are the best team out there withough much argument.  UK is a last second three-pointer away from joining Murray State in the undefeated column.  Every other major team has been manhandled at one point or another or, at a minimum, has a bad loss on their resume-except Kentucky.  Unlike last year's Final Four team, the Wildcats have proven they can win on the road and at neutral site games. 

The toughest part of their SEC schedule is coming up.  The Cats will face Vandy and Florida twice and a road trip to Mississippi State in the final month of the regular season.  Vandy's Memorial Coliseum has been the site of many debacles for UK over the years and should be razed due to it's ridiculous layout and design, but that won't happen before next week.  A Florida team that is playing really good basketball will invade Rupp Arena next Tuesday, and I look for the Gators to provide a stern test. 

With that said, however, I see UK coming out of that stretch with at most two losses, and more likely one or none.  A loss wouldn't hurt UK's NCAA seeding and could produce a much needed jolt right before tournament play starts.  This Kentucky team has a will to win unlike any I've seen in recent years, I think that comes from having the heart of champions.  I really like this team's chances to raise banner #8 over Cawood's Court at Rupp Arena!

More impressively, the Wildcats showed what coach John Calipari has said was missing-toughness-in overcoming the obvious game plan of the Tigers which was to use brute force to knock UK off stride, in particular by physically pounding Anthony Davis in the middle.  This strategy is not all that surprising in league play, which is usually more physical, but LSU took it to new heights on Saturday and it resulted in the ejection of LSU's Malcolm White early in the second half.  White's foul, which was intended to stop Davis on a breakaway layup after a steal, was scary to watch and absolutely deserved the flagrant technical that was assessed and the subsequent ejection. 

Despite the physical play, however, UK never looked off stride and went about their business in an efficient dismantling of the Tigers in their most impressive win in SEC play. Terrence Jones was a beast again with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and a pair of steals and looked like the Terrence Jones we have come to love over the past season and a half.  Davis turned in yet another double-double with 16 points and 10 boards to go along with 3 blocks and 2 steals-all in just 28 minutes.  Darius Miller had another nice game with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting.

All in all, Saturday's game, coupled with an an impressive 57-44 win over Georgia on Tuesday, makes it appear that the Wildcats are rounding into form at just the right time-especially on the defensive end.  While UK has been in the top ten nationally defensively all season, over the past two games they have given up just 44 and 50 points respectively while allowing the Dogs and Tigers to shoot just 37% from the field and 22% (6-of-27) from three collectively.  That is simply getting it done!  And, FINALLY, we are seeing a little killer instinct in these young Cats in not allowing teams to hang around, especially on their home floor.  This has been the cause of much alarm and debate over the past few weeks.

Kentucky now stands at 21-1 overall and 7-0 in the SEC and will remain the #1 team in the nation in both polls this week.  The schedule gets a little tougher this week as the Cats host a vastly improved Tennessee team tomorrow and then travels to South Carolina on Saturday.  On paper, UK should win both games, but strange things happen in conference play.  Still, there are very few, if any, teams that can beat UK when they play the way they did at LSU on Saturday.  That UK team, with Jones and Davis controlling the paint, is as close to unbeatable as any team in the nation.

Go Cats!

Perhaps the most impressive stat of the game for Kentucky is that they had six players score in double figures.  Yes, that's right, six!  Leading the way was Terrence Jones with 15, Doron Lamb with 14, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 13, Darius Miller and Anthony Davis with 11 each, and Marquis Teague with 10.  Davis also had 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks while Jones and Kidd-Gilchrist had 6 boards each. 

Two things impressed me the most-first is this team's toughness down the stretch.  The Wildcats have been seriously pushed in all but one of their conference games, yet each time have found a way to win when the game was in doubt with less than five minutes to play.  While blow outs are fun, the reality is the deeper a team gets in the NCAA tournament, the more likely the games are close, and despite the youth on this team, they still find a way to win.  This team has consistently shown a mental toughness and a desire to win in the clutch, and those are intangibles that are hard to teach.

The other thing I take from Saturday's win is the Cats' ability to win when its stars (Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist) are struggling.  Kidd-Gilchrist was limited to just 23 minutes on the day due to foul trouble and Davis had his worst shooting performance of the year (2-of-10), yet the rest of the team stepped up and found a way to get the job done.  On a team loaded with blue chip prospects, UK seems to put winning ahead of individual accolades, and Saturday's box score is exhibit one.  Rarely does a team have six players in double figures.  Enough said.

Saturday's game also saw the return of some troubling issues.  Jones had a horrendous first half, but rebounded nicely to have a strong second frame.  This far into the season its a fair question to wonder if the reality of Terrence Jones is up and down.  For the Cats to contend for the national title, however, they need to get more ups than downs from Jones, and right now its about 50-50.

Marquis Teague continues to frustrate.  His 4-of-11 shooting is bad enough, but frankly he simply shoots too much.  As the point guard, his primary focus needs to be on getting the team started in its offense, yet Teague looks to score far too often for my liking.  Not only did he take 11 shots, but he had just one assist.  11 shots, 1 assist-that is not acceptable from your point guard.  Teague should understand this by the time 20 games are played, but apparently isn't getting the message.

As I said at the top though, a win is a win.  The Cats are now 19-1 overall and 5-0 in the SEC and the lone team unbeaten in league play.  With Syracuse taking a pounding at Notre Dame on Saturday (they were never in that game) the Wildcats will assuredly assume the top spot in the polls this week.  Trips to Georgia and LSU loom this week, and as always, UK will have a big target on their back, even more so since they will be ranked #1.  It will take great efforts to escape the week unscathed.

The star of the game had to be Anthony Davis who again showed why he will most certainly be a lottery pick in the NBA this summer.  Davis scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks.  With those seven blocks, Davis broke the all-time single season block record at UK with 89 blocks thus far and nearly half the season still to play.  Simply said, Anthony Davis is a BEAST and is one of the few players in college basketball that can single-handedly change the opponents offensive sets due to his defensive ability.  Beyond that, Davis just keeps getting better as the season wears on.  One stat that jumps out from last night is that Davis nearly accomplished a triple-double while committing no fouls and no turnovers.  That bears repeating-Davis had 27 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, 0 fouls, and 0 turnovers.  That stat line is simply unbelieveable!

Beyond the obviously tremendous game from Davis, the entire team contributed to the win, and five Wildcats scored in double figures with Doron Lamb getting 14, Terrence Jones 13 (along with 9 rebounds), Darius Miller 11, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 10.  While not scoring in double figures, point guard Marquis Teague had perhaps his best game as a Wildcat with 7 points and 9 assists while committing just three turnovers. 

The Arkansas game saw the continued reemergence of Terrence Jones who is looking more and more like his old self the last few games.  13 points and 9 rebounds is a solid performance if not eye-popping, but more than that was the aggressiveness that Terrence showed in attacking the basket, something coach Calipari had been challenging him to do.  His injured finger still isn't 100%, but Jones is coming along at just the right time.

With the win, Kentucky improved to 18-1 overall and 4-0 in SEC play which puts them alone in first place, a 1/2 game ahead of Vanderbilt pending tonight's action.  Kentucky will host Alabama on Saturday in what could prove to be a challenging game.

While not the prettiest performance, the bottom line is when being pressed on the road, Kentucky (17-1, 3-0) again found a way to win.  While there may be a certain amount of physical toughness missing on this team as evidenced by Coach Calipari's comments after the game, there is no question that this team is mentally tough and plays with poise in close games.  When pressed, this team shows a will to win that I wasn't sure it would have, and that is in large part due to Kidd-Gilchrist who has become the vocal leader as well as the guy who just flat out gets it done on the court.

Any road game in the SEC that ends in a W is pretty, no matter how ugly the game is...and to get one at Tennessee is even sweeter.

A few other notes...

-Kentucky is now 2-0 in SEC road games-which equals their win total on the road in league play last year.  While the toughest road games are still to come, one has to be encouraged by this start.

-Despite being plagued by foul trouble, Terrence Jones had another nice game vs. the Vols.  Jones had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, an assist and a steal, all in just 24 minutes of playing time.  That's exactly the kind of things we need to keep seeing from Terrence, and its nice to see the young man rebound from his early woes.

-Kyle Wiltjer had just 5 points, but the three he hit at the 13:27 mark of the second half was a big shot just as the Volunteers had pulled out to an 8 point lead.  I think this kid will do some nice things during his time at Kentucky.

-On a negative note, the Cats had 13 turnovers to just 7 assists, and Marquis Teague continued to puzzle with 5 turnovers.  Teague played much better after Calipari, uh, got his attention to put it nicely midway through the second half, but lets be frank-Kentucky is now 18 games into the season.  Its far more likely that the Teague who turns the ball over 4 or 5 times a game is the Teague we are going to see the rest of the way.  It is certainly frustrating, but the reality is Kentucky doesn't have many other options.

-In other notable SEC action on Saturday, Florida went to South Carolina and whipped the Gamecocks while Vandy hosted and defeated Georgia.  Mississippi State also edged Alabama at home, so UK and Vandy stand alone at 3-0 while Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State are just behind at 2-1. 

-In case you missed it, Louisville finally won a game.  Not sure that I care, but some of you might...

-And in case you missed it part 2, North Carolina got absolutely CRUSHED on the road at Florida State by 33 points on Saturday.  It was the worst loss for UNC under Roy Williams and was sealed after the Seminoles opened the second half on a 30-8 run.  Not sure about you, but that kind of warms my heart.

-UK will host Arkansas on Tuesday and Alabama on Saturday.  Unless he doesn't play, I would expect Anthony Davis to break the school record for blocks in a season against the Razorbacks.  Although Alabama could pose a challenge, UK should win both games this week to move to 5-0 in SEC play.

Go Cats!