JEFF DRUMMOND:

The Cats have to be encouraged when they beat a team by 28 points and feel like they didn't really play anywhere near their potential. Thanks to big efforts from its stars -- Oscar Tshiebwe (20 points, 16 rebounds) and TyTy Washington (15 points, 6 rebounds) -- Kentucky was never threatened in this one, but it felt a little strange seeing Central Michigan play them almost even in the second half. Part of that, I'm sure, is John Calipari not wanting to hammer his former player and assistant coach, Tony Barbee. Calipari rolled a lot of reserves in and out of the rotation and gave guys like Dontaie Allen and Bryce Hopkins some extended looks to show what they could do. Illness is still limiting what the Cats can do as Davion Mintz missed another game and Keion Brooks exited after giving it a shot in the first half. Another factor was the cold perimeter shooting. It's a little surprising to see a team with so many good shooters go 7-for-26 from deep, including a combined 2-for-12 effort from a couple of guys (Allen and Kellan Grady) who are almost career 50% guys.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

Slow starts had never been a real reason for concern in a season so young but we had mentioned this team's tendency to start quiet out of the gate. Tonight was very different in that regard. Kentucky played as well as a team could play out of the gate, hitting all but one of its first dozen shots. You got what you expect to get from the known quantities, and TyTy Washington had another positive game to build on. Kentucky really cooled down in the second half but just as slow starts weren't a concern don't overanalyze tonight's finish. I think this team could have handled a couple more tough OOC games and they are ranked correctly in the top 10.

TRAVIS GRAF:

Tonight was another laid-back win for the Cats and their fans. They got out to a scorching hot start, but definitely downshifted a little as the game went on, coasting to a comfortable victory. This was a game where Kentucky got to work some kinks out against a zone, experiment with lineups, and try different things. Oscar Tshiebwe has got to be a top-five big man in the country. The Cats have missed someone like him in the middle the last few years. This team is definitely much easier on the eyes than the last couple of teams Cal has had in Lexington.