JUSTIN ROWLAND:

Texas A&M isn't ranked but don't be fooled. That's a really good team Kentucky beat today. A good team that's playing with a ton of confidence. It was kind of weird to see a John Calipari team launch that many 3-pointers, but with Oscar Tshiebwe out so much of the first half and A&M shutting down so much inside the arc, they had to do that. Guys stepped up when Kentucky needed someone to step up. I thought they used Jacob Toppin really effectively, and Antonio Reeves (23 points, 5 3-pointers) had one of his best games as a Cat. The lineup everyone was talking about proved to be the right one, and this finally looks like Kentucky basketball.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

Two big takeaways from this game today: First, Kentucky held up well against Texas A&M's expected physical style of play. It was a rough college basketball game with a lot of elbows, hip-checks, and bruises along the way, but the Cats did not back down. They were able to win despite Oscar battling foul trouble and a bit of an "off" day (by his standards) because guys like Lance Ware and Jacob Toppin answered the call from a physical standpoint. The other thing that can't be overstated in today's college basketball is the 3-point shot. The Cats were plus-24 from beyond the arc today, helping mitigate A&M's 49% field-goal shooting and 16-of-16 effort at the free-throw line. The 32 attempts were the most by one of John Calipari's UK teams in 11 years. Twenty-three from Antonio Reeves -- including five triples -- was huge.

DAVID SISK:

This was a feel-good, hard earned win for Kentucky. The Cats seem to have an identity and a lineup now, and that has rallied them to three wins in a row. Texas A&M collapsed into the lane early, and swarmed Oscar Tshiebwe on every touch. That led to the most three-point attempts since 2011 against Chattanooga. The second half turned into another rock fight similar to Tennessee. The Cats are fine with that. Tshiebwe had seven points, and Jacob Toppin had 17 points. Antonio Reeves took over. Could he be the perimeter player that can carry them in a tight game? He did today with 23 points and five made trifectas. This was also a game in which Frederick and Cason Wallace were not at their best. They were a combined 7-of-25 from the field and 3-for-17 from deep. Calipari stuck with Wallace despite that and seems to have made his decision at point guard. It appears this team is starting to take shape. It is beginning to become obvious for all what this team has to do to take the next step. Make open shots. Lots of other things have fallen into place in the past three games.