DAVID SISK:

Kentucky leaves this game with as many question marks as the Wildcats entered with on the offensive end. The scoring margin is not indicative of the quality of play. The Cats had 21 points in the first half, and were tied several minutes into the second. John Calipari seems to still be trying to figure out rotations, positions, and what offenses to play around them. It doesn’t look like Damion Collins can play the 4. Cason Wallace also had his worst game in a Kentucky uniform, but I don’t expect that to be a constant. Oscar Tshiebwe still doesn’t look right, and it makes wonder if he still has a lingering ailment. There is also a case to be made for Chris Livingston to get time at the 4. There is even a case to be made to play Tshiebwe on the opposite block to free up driving lanes. Coach Cal has a lot to figure out, but it is early in the year.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

This is the kind of game that Kentucky probably needed early in the season. Bellarmine dictated the game's tempo, and given the way Kentucky's offense has struggled in the halfcourt it was as tough a matchup as this team could have stylistically. They have relied a lot on fast break scoring this season and that was not there, so they had to grind it out in the halfcourt. Wheeler had too many turnovers early and they missed a lot of shots in the first half, but the shooting evened out after halftime and UK eventually cruised to the kind of outcome we expected. It doesn't bother me too much that they still aren't ready to attack a defense like that, given that we already knew they were a work in progress after two early losses. I saw some encouraging things from Fredrick and Reeves and occasionally some of the same concerning issues lingered. They played hard, rebounded hard, and effort was not an issue.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

John Calipari tried to tell us that this was going to be a challenging grind of a game. Now we believe him. Bellarmine has been tested often this season -- playing games against Louisville, Clemson, Duke, and UCLA -- and did not come into Rupp Arena intimidated in the least bit. The Knights are extremely well coached with Scotty Davenport on the bench. Kentucky's first-half offense was a mess (9 of 30 FG, 9 TO) but the defensive effort was outstanding for almost the entire 40 minutes. The Cats held the Knights to 30.4% from the field, and that's going to win just about any game you play in even if the offense has a tough night. I assume that will have Calipari sleeping really well tonight while his fan base tosses and turns due to the inconsistent scoring we've seen early in the season.