In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 73-69 win over Michigan on Sunday in the Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase at 02 Arena in England.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
This game felt very similar to Kentucky's matchup with the other Big Ten club from Michigan, a back and forth affair with neither team really able to extend a lead. Unlike the Michigan State loss, however, the Cats made enough plays down the stretch to grab a much-needed W. A big part of that was owning the glass, 46-33. The Wolverines didn't get many second-chance shots late in the game as they were trying to catch up. Somehow, they hung on despite guards Sahvir Wheeler and Cason Wallace missing four straight free throws in the final 39 seconds. I think John Calipari is going to like the mental toughness required to win a game like this against a quality opponent, although I'm not sure that UK solved many of the issues that have been nagging it all season. Going 9-for-15 from the 3-point arc can mask a lot of issues.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
The questions I had about this team before today are still there. I don't know the best way to navigate and develop the point guard spot. CJ Fredrick has to get on track. Jacob Toppin needs to consistently be a dog. Oscar Tshiebwe has to eventually get to the peak level he was at last year. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but the most important thing is Kentucky was 0/2 in early season tests. Michigan isn't a great team but they have the kind of talent to push Kentucky. They needed this win for confidence they got it. There was good scoring balance and if UK had hit a few more free throws they would have won more comfortably.
TRAVIS GRAF:
Kentucky pulled out a hard fought win in a big game for the first time this year. They came up short in similar scenarios against Michigan State on Gonzaga, but made big plays towards the end of this game and overcame mental lapses and low IQ plays at both ends to pull out the win. Cason Wallace and Sahvir Wheeler made big plays down the stretch to put UK over the top, and a lot of guys contributed. The next two steps for Kentucky are to get CJ Fredrick going and out of his slump. They’ve also got to get better at extending leads in key situations during big games.
