In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 80-57 win over South Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Rupp Arena. Each staff member will share his three main takeaways from the game...

JEFF DRUMMOND:

1. Lamont Butler's return to action meant a lot to Kentucky, even if his numbers did not jump off the stat page and grab you. His presence really changes everything on both ends of the floor for the Wildcats. He remains their most valuable player.

2. You could tell UK really emphasized defense in the days following the Ole Miss loss. The Cats took a lot more pride in their effort on that end of the floor, and having Butler back to harass the opposing point guard for an entire possession is a big part of that improvement. Holding anyone to 32.8% and 57 points is a nice step forward for this team.

3. One of the "tells" for this team seems to be how assertive and aggressive Koby Brea is when the game starts. He was terrific today. Dialed in. Even made some key defensive plays. The Cats need that version of Brea the rest of the season.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

1. South Carolina created an ugly game in the first half. The refs also let a lot of physical play go. In the matchup between Kentucky's skill on offense and South Carolina's toughness on defense, the difference was glaring. This is a team that's difficult to score against because they defend well but the physicality also seemed to throw UK off when they had more open looks.

2. When Collin Murray-Boyles was on the bench South Carolina could not generate enough offense. It was about a tie game during his minutes in the first half but when he picked up that second foul Kentucky started to capitalize because the Gamecocks struggled to score without him. It was surprising that Lamont Paris let him sit for so long since this is a winless SEC on the road in Rupp and he's their only viable offensive option.

3. UK became much stronger with the ball as the game wore on. In the first half of the first half Kentucky had four turnovers. They went a very long stretch of time well into the second half without committing another. That's responding to what's thrown at you and adjusting on the fly.

DAVID SISK:

1. The talk of the town was whether Lamont Butler would finally play. Then the health of Jaxson Robinson entered the chat. Butler needs the reps before the upcoming Tennessee game. He was obviously rusty, but the playing time was valuable. I’m more concerned about Robinson. Kentucky needs his shooting going forward, so a right wrist injury is the last thing they need. Andrew Carr also played 14 minutes and put on the back brace as soon as he went to the bench. There is still some gray area on the injury front.

2. Butler does add juice to the team. They had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the country with him, and have barely broken even with him. UK had 19 assists to 9 turnovers against a team that does challenge defensively. He also helps bring more pressure at the front of the defense although South Carolina isn’t exactly Alabama.

3. Today was all about getting back into a good place before Tennessee comes to town. The team was a little fragile offensively early on. They got more confident as the game progressed. They also obviously needed to break a two-game losing streak. The Volunteers will be seething after losing to the Cats in Knoxville. UK is .500 in the league with eight games left. They don’t need to drop a third home game.

TRAVIS GRAF:

1. This was a good spot for a “get right” game for the Cats. South Carolina has a putrid record but they’ve played some really good teams close in conference play. I thought the defense did better at tagging today and played with confidence on that end of the court. Big confidence boost heading into the Tennessee game.

2. Having Lamont Butler back might not be a bigger deal for anyone more than it is for Koby Brea. The offense struggled to generate looks for Brea whenever he was out, and he really benefits from the advantage creation that Butler provides.

3. I liked the minutes distribution today. Normally Amari Williams would have more but Brandon Garrison had a great scoring game. It’s clear that the rotation is tighter with a team that’s starting to get their health back.