College basketball round up part 2: Kentucky- We are the champions

2005 was the last time the Cats were crowned as the SEC regular season champs. It's been way, way too long. It felt good to see things back in order. The Cats beat their last regular season opponent at Rupp, the Florida Gators, 74-66. It was a well rounded game in which Coach Calipari played 11 different players and 5 of those players scored in double digits.

Darius Miller and Eric Bledsoe both tied as co-leading scorers with 14 a piece. John Wall was 2 assists away from a double-double with 11 points and 8 assists. Patterson had 13 points and Dodson had 10.

The Cats led the Gators by 18 points nearing the end of the first half when Florida made a run and cut the lead to 10 at the half. Kentucky came out flat in the second half but never lost the lead all day. Daniel Orton had 4 blocks while Patterson and Cousins combined for 4 more. This staunch defense was crucial in keeping the lead throughout the game.

For Kentucky to do well in the tournament they need to continue to improve their overall game play. They need to put two halves together and put teams away when they have a chance. Today it looked like Coach Cal was seeing what he could get out of some of his other players besides the Big 3. Miller, Bledsoe, and Dodson all answered the call on the offensive end of things while Orton was a beast on defense. That is two games in a row that Dodson has played well. That bodes well for the Cats as the NCAA beckons. It is good to have some other players step up and put up some big numbers just in case our best have an off night.

The Cats again looked much improved from the 3 point line. The middle penetration was complimented by dishes to players open for 3 and they hit. The Cats hit 8-18 and were 44% from beyond the arc. Dodson was 2-2, Miller was 3-5, Wall was 1-4, Bledsoe was 1-2 and Patterson was 1-2 with his traditional one three per game.

The Cats have a #1 seed in the SEC tournament and are a lock for a #1 seed in the NCAA. It would be nice to win their first SEC tournament since 2004, compete for the #1 seed overall and then win their first national title since 1998. With this team anything is possible.