RECAP: Kentucky's best shooting night sparks blowout of Utah

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- John Calipari all but promised it was coming.

The Kentucky team that shot so well during its summer exhibition trip to the Bahamas had yet to make another appearance prior to Saturday's game against Utah, but Calipari remained adamant that this is the best shooting team he's had since taking the job.

It finally clicked for the No. 19 Wildcats, who shot 59 percent from the field and knocked down a dozen 3-pointers in an 88-61 romp over the Utes at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky (8-2) got 24 points from freshman wing Keldon Johnson, who went 8-of-9 from the field and sank six of his seven shots from long range. Fellow freshman wing Tyler Herro followed with 17 points for the Cats, including a pair of 3-pointers after going 0-for-6 in UK's lost last Saturday to Seton Hall.

"I’m shooting the ball with confidence," Johnson said. "My teammates just kept telling me to keep shooting, don’t think about it, and just let it go. After I hit the first shot, I knew it was going to be a good day."

"There were clean passes and clean catches and clean shots, which means we had willing passers," Calipari said. "... The second thing is, we had better spacing, and the third thing is (Utah) played mostly zone, so we had a chance to get more flow."

It proved to be a tough defensive challenge, said Utah head coach Larry Krystowiak.

"You kind of have to pick your poison," he said of scheming against the Cats when they shoot that kind of percentage from the perimeter.

Kentucky put two other players in double figures, grad transfer forward Reid Travis (16) and freshman guard Immanuel Quickley (12).

The Cats also got a boost from redshirt freshman guard Jemarl Baker, who made his first appearance at Rupp Arena and made both of his 3-point attempts in the final three minutes of the game.

Utah (4-5) got 22 points from freshman guard Both Gach, who went 8-of-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from the 3-point line, but the rest of the Utes combined to shoot only 36 percent. The visitors also hurt their cause with 18 turnovers leading to 34 points for UK.

*****

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" section, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

THE GOOD:

Perimeter Shooting. UK looked like the team that made 50 percent of its 3s in the Bahamas and had fans so excited going into the season. The Cats were plus-15 from the arc today after averaging almost minus-10 against opponents this season.

THE BAD:

In something of an oddity, the Cats were outrebounded 31-23. UK entered the game as the national leader in rebounding margin, so it was a bit shocking to see those numbers in the final stat line. However, a big portion of UK's rebounding edge comes on the offensive glass, and there weren't as many of those opportunities with the 59-percent shooting effort.

THE UGLY:

Keldon Johnson's mismatched neapolitan high-tops. But we're going to let it slide if he produces 24-point scoring nights.

GAME BALL:

Keldon Johnson, Kentucky -- The freshman from South Hill, Va., had his second-highest scoring night of the season, falling just three points shy of his career high 27 against Tennessee State. But this may have been an even better performance. He only needed nine attempts in this efficient showing, compared to 15 in the other game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Career points for UK redshirt freshman Jemarl Baker, who tallied six points.

6 - Turnovers by the Cats, a season low. It marked the first time UK has not had double-figure turnovers on the season.

7 - Assists for UK freshman point guard Ashton Hagans, a career high. His previous high was four on three occasions.

10-2 - Kentucky's all-time lead in the series against Utah, including eight consecutive wins.

34 - The magic number for the Cats -- points in the paint and points off turnovers.

2013 - The last time UK shot at least 59 percent from the field and 57 percent from the 3-point line at Rupp Arena. It came on Feb. 5th, 2013, against South Carolina

21,922 - Attendance at Rupp Arena.

QUOTABLE:

"I told him, you're in the game to score baskets. How 'bout that? And he went in the game and scored baskets, and our fans went crazy. I'm happy for him. I would have put him in earlier except that I forgot he was (healthy) on the bench." -- UK head coach John Calipari on Jemarl Baker

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action next Saturday against North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic at the United Center in Chicago. The No. 12 Tar Heels (7-2) are playing No. 4 Gonzaga tonight leading up to their matchup with the Cats.