JUSTIN ROWLAND:

Arkansas is now under .500 but they played good basketball today. Some will say that was just Kentucky not playing any defense and fair enough, but I did get the sense that the Hogs played at a pretty high level based on what they're capable of. I even expected that. They're a program with pride, some talent, and a good coach. In the end, Rob Dillingham was really impossible to defend in the second half in stretches. UK survived less than best efforts from Reed, Wagner, Mitchell, and Thiero. Several guys deserve shoutouts but this was a solid win by outlasting the other side.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

Kentucky showed some real toughness today to battle back from nine points down with eight minutes to go. Arkansas played one of its better offensive games of the season, and at one point it looked like the Cats were completely disinterested in offering any defensive resistance, but when the Wildcats had to get stops, they came up with enough to win. DJ Wagner started strong and had one of his best shooting days (19 points, 4/5 from 3) of the season. Loved the way Rob Dillingham, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Aaron Bradshaw played off the UK bench today. Bradshaw's 12 points in the first half were big. Glad to see him have a nice moment after struggling of late and losing some minutes in the rotation. Dillingham's playmaking down the stretch was huge (three big lob assists), and Ivisic (12 points, 9 rebounds) is showing signs of getting more comfortable with the physical nature of the game. Bottom line: it's a game the Cats had to win, and they found a way to get it done.

TRAVIS GRAF:

This Kentucky team is growing up. They would’ve dropped this game a couple of weeks back with the huge run Arkansas went on. How about the five freshmen in there for the final stretch? I thought DJ Wagner would have a big game coming in and he didn’t disappoint. All of the backcourt pieces had a major impact. Big Z has got to be the guy moving forward at the 5 spot, and Justin Edwards has been terrific when he focuses on playing the 4. The only negative was the lack of defensive impact on the perimeter with the inability to stop straight-line drives for an extended period of time. Arkansas is going to be a good team in foul-heavy contests.

DAVID SISK:

That was the prototypical Kentucky game this season. It felt like they were never going to get any stops, but they still scored more. That’s 117 and 111 in the last two home games. Over the past three games, they are averaging 106 while giving up 95. That’s probably what it’s going to be the rest of the year. We have all wondered about lineups. It looks like it’s going to be up to feel for Calipari. Zvonimir Ivisic went up to 20 minutes played today while Aaron Bradshaw played 12, and Ugonna Onyenso dropped to eight. I wonder if Cal is going to hitch to Z’s wagon as he plans for the March run. It just feels like Calipari is doing a lot of mixing and matching this late in the season. Vanderbilt should be a win, and then Tennessee could loom large with a double-bye on the line.