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Kentucky Escapes With A Win, But What Did We Learn In The Process?

By Jacob Rude

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The Kentucky Wildcats needed overtime to take care of the Ole Miss Rebels, which should serve as a wake-up call that coasting through the SEC is not an option.

All the pundits and experts (ourselves included) talked about after Kentucky finished up their non-conference schedule was how the road was set for them to run the table. 40-0 was no longer a possibility, but a probability.

In walked the Ole Miss Rebels.

John Calipari’s crew needed just one game to come crashing back to Earth. Led by a heroic effort from Stefan Moody, who fought cramps all night long and still ended up with 25 points, the Rebels forced overtime and gave the Kentucky faithful in attendance and watching around the world the scare of the season.

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In the end, Kentucky regrouped and made just enough plays late to hang on for the victory, but we learned some important notes about this Wildcat crew.

1. Willie Cauley-Stein makes winning plays

For most the night, Cauley-Stein was a non-factor. Despite finishing with 12 rebounds, 7 points, and 4 blocks, he wasn’t making impact plays. In fact, the Rebels nearly out-rebounded Kentucky, losing the battle 34-32.

However, with the game on the line in overtime, WCS came up big. First, we saw him swat away a shot attempt by Ole Miss, who had been scoring seemingly at will to start the overtime period. His rejection ignited the defense. On the other end, with Kentucky in big need of a basket, Devin Booker’s airball was rebounded by Cauley-Stein and put up and back in, knotting the game back up at 83 apiece.

Finally, with a chance to stretch the game to a two-possession affair, Andrew Harrison’s long jumper missed and the ball went bouncing across the court, only to have Cauley-Stein chase it down, grab the rebound, and ensure another possession for Kentucky.

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Being one of the few upperclassmen on the team, Cauley-Stein is expected to make these types of plays, but last night was something late for the Wildcats.

2. Defense wins championships

We knew that Kentucky had a fantastic defense, but their defense saved them on this night. Trailing by one with under a minute to go, the Wildcats missed the go-ahead jumper and, with roughly 40 seconds remaining, would have to get a big stop defensively on the other end.

However, Kentucky didn’t wait to set up a half-court defense, instead trapping Ole Miss in the back court. Freshman Trey Lyles cut into the passing lane got the biggest steal of the season, eventually leading to a foul and two free throws for Harrison.

For a young team like Kentucky to defend so well is both incredibly impressive and vital to their success. It’s well-known that their offense can let them down at times, but when they’re defense can create easy offensive baskets, they’re dangerous every game.

3. Kentucky isn’t invincible, and they nearly learned the hard way

Admittedly, we ourselves wrote about how primed the Wildcats were primed for a perfect season, at least throughout conference play. However, this will serve as a big coaching moment for John Calipari. For much of the night, his squad looked unmotivated and unenergized, and they were at home!

Calipari loves these types of games, though. Many may recall the loss his Kentucky team had in Indiana in 2010 with Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones and company. That squad would lose one more game that season and eventually win a national title.

All I know is that I would not want to be Texas A&M, who the Wildcats come up against next. I expect a much more motivated and efficient Kentucky team, and that spells bad news for any opponent.

Next: Arkansas Razorbacks Three Thoughts On Victory at Georgia

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