What a game and since it ended at 12:00am EST, this is going to be your quick hitters :
- Cats win 74-67 in a game that was closer than the final score showed. Kentucky was better rested in the second half and it was visible in the cramps and missed shots by the Huskies. A great early season win against a veteran squad on a neutral site.
- Last year Cal said he wished he could bottle up Deandre Liggins and squeeze his hustle into everyone of his players. This year, Cal would need a 5 gallon bucket. Liggins was everywhere tonight and goes 110% the entire time his on the court. His size, athleticism, and leadership showed throughout, including a technical he drew on Washington's Venoy Overton and just walked away without a glance. Bret Dawson of the Courier Journal said it best that if floor burns were a stat, Liggins would lead the country.
- After not receiving credit for his 22 rebound Blue/White game and asking for some recognition, Josh Harrellson deserves to be back on Twitter. Jorts scored 9 points and had 14 rebounds (7 offensive)against Washington and deserves word he gets. Kentucky's weakness will be their interior play but if they can get big minutes and hustle stats from Harrellson, they will out perform their high expectations.
- I expect the Doug Gottlieb radio show to be full of UK fans tomorrow. Before the game, he called out - OK berated - Brandon Knight in comparison to Washington's Isaiah Thomas and UConn's Kemba Walker. Knight came out and scored 24 points on 10-17 shooting. He struggled early with foul trouble and had 8 turnovers, but compared to Thomas' 13 points and 2 turnovers, I'll take it. Gottlieb, you can print this out and eat your words.
- Terrence Jones was all the hype before the game after his 29 point 12 rebound performance against Oklahoma. Package that with his Rick Pitino style UW commitment (he pulled out after about 15 seconds) and you practically had a made for ESPN 30 in 30 movie. Jones didn't disappoint and put up 16 points and 17 rebounds including a few critical free throws with under a minute to play. Jones will be the talk of this team the entire season and you can expect to hear the name Lamar Odom said frequently.
- The Cats play UConn tomorrow at 10:00 on ESPN in the Maui Invitation Championship game. Jim Calhoun's squad pulled off the upset this evening against #2 Michigan State and the small, fast Kemba Walker could give UK issues. Walker has scored 30 in 3 straight games and is, as Jay Bilas frequently stated, the early favorite for Player of the Year. I expect the larger Deandre Liggins to be stuck on Walker like glue and shut him down.
See you kids tomorrow, Go Cats!
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