JEFF DRUMMOND:

1. I don't think that's what anyone was expecting when Kentucky raced out to a 17-0 lead tonight. But maybe it's good that the Cats found themselves in a competitive game five minutes into the second half, reminding them they haven't quite "made it" after a pair of Top 10 wins over Duke and Gonzaga. Classic letdown sandwiched between Gonzaga and Louisville?

2. I'm still not sure what's going on with the Cats' 3-point shooting. They missed so many open looks in the first half that could have turned this into the blowout it was expected to be. They finally got going a little bit in the second half, but this was the fifth consecutive game of hitting under 33% from the arc. Everyone not named Koby Brea (5-for-8) went 5-for-23. Need that to come around sooner than later.

3. A big one awaits Saturday as Louisville comes to town for the first meeting between the Cats and Cards with Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey. With so many transfers on the roster and only two guys with Kentucky roots, I'm eager to see what the intensity will be like at Rupp Arena.

DAVID SISK:

1. Kentucky probably wasn’t the most motivated version of themselves we will ever see. I know I wasn’t. We call this a trap game. A 2-8 Colgate (not the toothpaste) was between Clemson, Gonzaga, and Louisville. It’s only human that they might put it in cruise control after taking a 17-0 lead. I was actually complaining about playing mid-majors after getting spoiled with those two games last week.

2. The 3 giveth, and the 3 taketh away. Kentucky is going to shoot a ton of trifectas no matter the effectiveness. When they are not falling, it is easy to struggle. They were 4-18 when they fell behind in the second half, and then they nailed four in a row to get some breathing room. From there they hit six of their next 13. Maybe we should all have Mark Pope’s patience with the long ball.

3. Defense has been UK’s calling card. When they were behind, Colgate was shooting 55%. When the Cats took a 69-51 lead, the opponent’s shooting percentage dropped to 35%. It ended at 41%. That is still a good number, but the quality of the competition has to be taken into account as well. I expect them to come out with their hair on fire on the defensive end against Louisville.

JUSTIN ROWLAND

1. I'm trying not to overreact because it hasn't been awful, but for a few games now the three-point shooting has just not been what we expected or initially saw from this team. The good news is they've survived and had good outcomes in spite of that for the most part, so they don't have to rely on it completely. But for them to be the best version of themselves we still imagine, this has to be a down stretch.

2. This was a game of runs. Kentucky raced out to a 17-0 lead and it looked like it could get very ugly for a team that hasn't won much this year. But then Colgate went on to knock down eight three pointers over the remainder of the first half and continued the scoring early into the second to build a surprising 45-42 lead. From there, Kentucky dominated. It was a game in three parts, so to speak.

3. This is not cause for concern. In the big picture, it's surprising the game was as close as it turned out to be. At least for as long as it was. But it's not surprising for any team to have down games like this. This team has shown that it knows how to win. We've seen the blowouts. Until they start losing more games, cutting out one closer than expected isn't a worry.