It's not puke in a pumpkin orange, but it looks like puke - Tennessee might just get inspired to change their colors.
When you live in Louisville and you get tickets to Lexington for a weeknight game like last night, it makes blogging very difficult. You have to leave straight from work to get a parking spot REMOTELY close to Rupp. You also get home after 11:00pm for 7:00pm games and around 1:00am for 9:00pm games, which makes for a LONG day at work the next morning.
However, when you get to see a game and excitement like there was last night in the House that Blue Built, it is totally worth it.
Here are your points of interest and things we learned last night in Kentucky’s 73-61 win over Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee Volunteers:
1) Kentucky needed that win. You could feel it in the nervous energy of the crowd. You could hear it in the voices and taunts of the fans. But luckily you could also see it in the defense of the upper classmen. While Kentucky could have folded during any of Tennessee’s runs, just like they’ve done in the past when playing on the road, they seized the moment and went on a run of their own.
2) Bruce Pearl is a cry baby. During the game, the fans were as loud and obnoxious towards Pearl (often chanting Brucey is a Cheater) as they've been towards anyone not named Rick Pitino. Couple that in with the Fresh Prince/MC Hammer hair-don't of Scotty Hopson and you have an easy target and an easier target. Tee-shirts inviting Pearl to upcoming cook-outs, signs saying Pearl doesn’t remember where to sit after his extended break from SEC play, and at one point Pearl was seen complaining to a KY State trooper to make a particular fan behind the bench quit taunting him. Poor Bruce cheats and doesn’t like to hear about it – sounds like a coach in Louisville.
3) DeAndre Liggins is the best defender since Rajon Rondo (and could be better than Rondo). You can guarantee that Liggins is going to be matched up against the best ball handler on the opposing team. He's tall enough to defend the 3 and fast enough to break down against most point guards. His length allows him to make up for his speed against quicker players and his hustle makes it seem like he's everywhere. He spends more time on his knees than Karen Sypher when she’s with Rick Pitino.
4) When the upper classmen participate, Kentucky deserves their top 10 ranking. When they don't, they don't. Knight, Lamb, and Jones normally account for 75% of the points and 80% of the defense because teams double team Jones. Teams are forced to guard Harrellson when he’s finishing, which frees up Jones, who is likely the most difficult 1-on-1 matchup in the nation. When Miller and Liggins are driving and shooting the soft running jumpers, Knight and Lamb find themselves more open to fire threes. A team with 5 scoring threats is a tough one to stop – ask Louisville or Notre Dame, two other games where UK’s upper classmen stepped up.
5) DeAndre Liggins had the best quote of the night. When asked in the post game show if he liked doing the 1-on-1 ball chasing drills, where a ball is rolled down the court and players have to jump on it, Liggins said he is not allowed to participate. The reason, while others are being taught to jump on top of the ball instead of sliding to it resulting in scars and court burn, he said "Other guys are worried about how pretty their legs are. I don't care. I have tons of scars and I always win." Personally, I want to know who is worried about the appearance of their legs - but great quote and something we all expected anyways.
It's onto #24 Vandy this Saturday where Kentucky tries to end another losing streak (2 in a row on the road and 4 of the last 5). But either win or lose, the season looks much brighter.
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