JEFF DRUMMOND:

John Calipari has been preaching that, if the Wildcats can get just 10% better on the defensive end of the floor, it could start changing their fortunes as March Madness rapidly approaches. Kentucky did that (and more) tonight against a solid Ole Miss squad, holding the Rebels to 38% from the field, blocking 12 shots, and recording eight steals. Ugonna Onyenso was huge with a Rupp Arena record 10 rejections. Considering the long lineage of UK shot-blockers and opposing giants like Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson who have played in this arena, that was a memorable performance. The offense was hit-and-miss tonight. Fifteen turnovers hurt the Cats. I'd still like to see Calipari finally give in and start his most efficient players in each half, but the bottom line tonight is they desperately needed a good win in front of the home fans.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

This was just the kind of win you wanted to see from this team. It's never going to be the best defense of the Calipari era, but they really played hard on that end of the court and the numbers reflected that. Kentucky had a lot of rim protection tonight and that took away a lot of the easy baskets that have plagued them at times. You just can't take things for granted that you typically would when a team has lost three straight games at home. I came in tonight needing to see it to believe it, but they didn't just go back to trading baskets tonight. They showed some toughness, like a team that was tired of losing and willing to buy all in.

TRAVIS GRAF:

This was a good win for Kentucky over a potential tournament team. It was sloppy at times offensively, but I thought Kentucky played pretty solid defensively. There was a point in the second half where Kentucky couldn’t build on their lead but lucked out with Ole Miss missing a lot of shots in the same time span. Justin Edwards continues to make strides and that’s huge for this team going forward. The rotation seemed smoother today with less random subs than usual. Also, with extended minutes, I’m not sure there’s a better shot blocker in the country than Ugonna Onyenso. Kentucky started both halves slow, and I believe it’s time to not just talk about changing the starting lineup, but actually do it.

DAVID SISK:

Sports can be really weird. We’ve all been screaming for Kentucky to play defense, and that’s just what we got tonight. Kentucky held Ole Miss to just 63 points tonight in a 12-point victory. They were also stingy as they allowed 40.6% shooting and only 18.2% from three-point range. The offense is sexier, and this team will score. But those types of defensive numbers are what is needed when the Cats go to Auburn Saturday, and later in Knoxville. Justin Edwards and Ugonna Onyenso played to their strengths. That could be huge for the future. Am I the only one who wonders what this team could look like if everybody starts playing to their ceiling at the same time? I guess we’ll never be satisfied, but the Cats stopped the bleeding tonight. Hopefully, that breeds confidence as they head to the plains.