Who Let the ‘Cats Out? UK Runs Past Wake Forest, 90-60

Patrick Semansky - Associated Press

It had been about four months since a team tried to run with UK for an extended period. Not since UConn and UNC learned the hard way in the first halves of their matchups with the ‘Cats that a running game with UK is not the best idea in the world. When I heard quotes from Wake Forest saying that they would not be discouraged by past UK opponents from getting into a up and down game, I have to say, I got excited.

I was talking to one of my buddies about the very prospect and he was even more excited than I was. He challenged me, saying that if UK beat Wake by 15 or more points, I should title my recap post “Who Let the ‘Cats Out?”. I agreed and I’m a man of my word, so there you have it.

Early in the game, Wake lived up to their word. Ishmael Smith pushed it whenever he could and the Deacons kept up. They grabbed a 6-0 lead, but UK battled back and it was nip and tuck, tied a 19 with 11:50 left in the half. Then, DeMarcus Cousins hit a little fade away and gave UK the lead for the rest of the game.

Many will point to Darius Miller as THE big first half difference maker, and deservedly so. He was tremendous. However, the player’s whose performance most encouraged me and really put UK in a position to make this one a laugher was DeMarcus Cousins.

Big Cuz dealt with more shenanigans from Chas McFarland and company than he has all season. It started before the tip, when Wake’s resident goon refused to shake hands with Cousins. When the whistle blew, it didn’t stop. The Deacons kept beating on Cousins, trying to goad him into responding. Not only did he refuse to respond, but he also kept playing with maximum effort. The results were offensive rebounds and foul after foul being called on Wake, particularly Al-Farouq Aminu, who was whistled for three first half fouls. When he went out, it was pretty much over. UK closed the half on a 15-4 run to nab a 16 point halftime lead.

Based on past performances, a letdown to start the second half was a major concern. You can bet that John Calipari addressed that very subject with his team in the locker room, because UK exploded the lead to 27 points before CBS went to break for the first TV timeout of the half. Looking at three of UK’s past four games, you have to be happy with the way the ‘Cats have addressed their “get a lead, then let up” problem. UK has two 29 point victories over Tennessee and ETSU and a 30 pointer against Wake. I think Cal has his team’s full attention.

I also think the ‘Cats are also realizing it’s more fun to keep the foot on the gas and destroy teams. “Jive Buggin” John Wall, “Crank the Mustard” Eric Bledsoe, and “Boogie” DeMarcus Cousins get to dance more that way. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you must watch the below video, you have no choice in the matter.

I’ve watched that at least seven times since yesterday afternoon.

The funny thing about the game last night was that it statistically didn’t turn out to be the run and gun kind of game we all expected. UK averages about 69.7 possessions per game, making them the 64th fastest paced team in the country. Wake averages 69.9. Most of the time, when two teams that play that fast go up against one another, they play in the mid-70′s in terms of total possessions. Last night, UK and Wake played just 68 possessions.

I know it seemed faster than that to me, so what happened? The game started out fast both ways, but eventually, UK started hitting so many shots that Wake had absolutely no chance to run. UK was 18-27 from the field in the first half and off of made shots, you just can’t run. Then, in the second half, with a massive lead, it was in UK’s best interest to bleed the clock a bit more.

Before I wrap this up, let’s talk about the performances of some individual players.

John Wall

Things started a bit rough for the ‘Cats leader. He had a plethora of early turnovers, most of which were completely unforced. Cal took him out about midway through the first half and talked to him man to man. After that, he did his thing. For the second straight game, Wall’s shot was falling (3-6 from three), which makes things easier. Wall finished with 14 points, 7 assists, and 5 turnovers.

DeMarcus Cousins

Like I said, Big Cuz showed up in a big way tonight. He was not deterred by the physical play, absorbing blow after blow and eventually a blatant blow to the head by McFarland. Cousins finished with 19 and 8 in 26 minutes.

Darius Miller

What a game by Darius, one of my personal favorites on this team. You could tell that he was coached up before this game, being told that Wake had no one who could do a thing with him if he played his game. They were right. Darius had 18 first half points on the way to a career high 20 to go with 9 boards.

Eric Bledsoe

Eric had 13 points, 5 assists, and a series of two plays that all but convinced me that he’s headed to the Draft this year. With about 13 minutes left in the game, he faked a jumper, took it to the basket unimpeded and threw down a thunderous dunk. Then, he had a steal in the backcourt, took it to the basket and made a circus layup. Wow.

Patrick Patterson

Patterson was quiet today, other than a thunderous dunk of his own. He had 4 points and 4 rebounds in just 19 minutes, only the second time he has played fewer than 20 minutes all year. Patterson hurt his hand on that big dunk and exited for a while, which concerned me. However, he reentered the game later and appeared to be alright.

That’s it for now, but I’ll be around later tonight with some thoughts about UK’s new status as Tourney favorite.