Kentucky fought off the UNC-Greensboro Spartans in a contest that lived up to its billing as a stern test for the still growing Wildcats. However, the Cats showed tremendous resolve in the second half and played some of their best basketball of the season. Here are my five takeaways from the victory.
Dogged Defense: The final ten minutes of the game were the best this Kentucky team has played all season on defense. They held the Spartans to 3-of-16 shooting down the stretch, which is impressive, but it is the way they played that stands ascendant in my eyes. The Cats looked hungry; they seemed as if they wanted to go out and suffocate the visitors during the closing stretch. That is the dog mentality that Coach Cal demands from his teams, and if the Cats play with this ravenous intensity going forward, they will be a dangerous, dangerous team.
The Rock Known As Reid: Stanford graduate transfer Reid Travis has been one of the Cats most consistent players this season, and today he established himself as the Cats’ capstone. He buoyed the team early, scoring ten points in the first half, on his way to a team-high 22. However, he shined best when UNCG extended their lead to five, by hitting a 3 to cut the score to 47-45 and then converting an old-fashioned 3-point play with the score standing at 55-50. Without either of those plays, Kentucky does not win this game.
Hagans Hits His Stride: Ashton Hagans has looked out of sorts on the court majority of the season. Today he looked like the defensive stopper he was advertised to be coming out of high school. Hagans drew the assignment of guarding the Spartans’ sensational Spanish-born guard Francis Alonso. The senior torched the Cats early for 22 points during the games first 23:48; he did not score once during the final 16:12, and majority of that was Hagans becoming his shadow. The freshman also had an incredible drive the entire way down the court that led to an and-1 that swing momentum firmly in UK’s favor.
Herro Plays Hero Ball: The Cats’ sharpshooter started slow, but ignited late to put a tense ballgame out of reach by scoring ten of Kentucky’s final 12 points, including a pair of back-breaking triples. Herro started the season slowly but is finally beginning to emerge as one of the Cats; go to scorers at just the right time.
The Rebounding Avalanche Continued: Kentucky entered the game leading the NCAA in rebounding margin at +16.9 boards a contest. The Cats matched their average by pounding the Spartans on the glass 46-30. They outclassed the Spartans by a +12 advantage, 26-16 in the second half alone.
