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Kentucky Wildcats – Georgia Bulldogs Postgame Notes‏

By Jason Marcum

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Jan 25, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard James Young (1) shoots the ball against Georgia Bulldogs forward Nemanja Djurisic (42) in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Georgia Bulldogs 79-54. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Team Records, Notes

  • Kentucky is 15-4, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 10-8, 4-2 in league play.
  • Kentucky leads the series 116-26. The Wildcats lead 57-5 in Lexington, including 32-4 in Rupp Arena.
  • This is the only time the teams will meet during the regular season.
  • The coaching staff of both teams wore sneakers in honor of “Coaches vs. Cancer” weekend to promote awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.
  • Kentucky begins a two-game road swing Tuesday at Louisiana State. Game time is 9 p.m. EST (8 p.m. CST in Baton Rouge) and it will be televised by ESPN.

First-Half Facts

  • Kentucky started Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young, Julius Randle and Willie Cauley-Stein for the 12th-consecutive game.
  • Ahead 12-10, UK went on a 13-0 run for a 25-10 lead. The Wildcats held Georgia scoreless for five and one-half minutes during that stretch.
  • The Bulldogs narrowed the lead to 10 before the Wildcats took a 34-22 advantage into halftime. The Cats had good scoring balance with eight different players tallying in the first half.

Second-Half Story

  • After Kentucky got the first basket of the second half, Georgia went on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 37-31.
  • The Bulldogs got no closer as the Wildcats had runs of 7-0, 5-0, and 12-0 to put the game away.

Team Notes

  • Kentucky has won 21 consecutive home games, including 12 straight SEC home contests.
  • UK is 80-2 in Rupp Arena under Coach Calipari.
  • Defense was the big key for Kentucky today:
    • UK held Georgia to 32.7 percent from the field
    • UK tied a season high with 11 blocked shots
    • UK forced 20 Bulldog turnovers, leading to a 19-6 advantage in second-chance points
  • UK is now 34-0 in the Calipari era when holding the opponent to 55 or fewer points.
  • On the offensive end there was balanced scoring as 11 Cats entered the scoring column and six players scored at least seven points.
  • UK shot 50 percent from the field, the sixth time this season and first against an SEC opponent that the Wildcats have made at least half their shots.
  • UK made 5 of 12 3-pointers today, 41.7 percent.
    • This was the fifth consecutive game that the Wildcats made at least five triples.
  • UK hit 16 of 20 fouls shots today, 80 percent.
    • Over the last three games, the Wildcats have made 80.3 percent at the charity stripe (57 of 71).

    • Individual Notes

    • Willie Cauley-Stein had eight points and was a major contributor to the defensive effort with six blocked shots and a career-high six steals.
    • The six steals tied for the most for a Wildcat in the Calipari era and is the most since Nerlens Noel had six thefts vs. Baylor on Dec. 1, 2012.
    • Aaron Harrison led UK with 15 points. He also had three assists and no turnovers in 30 minutes of action.
    • Once again, Alex Poythress came off the bench to make a strong contribution, totaling 11 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
      • Poythress is averaging 10.7 points in UK’s six SEC games.
    • James Young notched 13 points, including three 3-pointers.
      • It’s his fourth-straight game with multiple 3-pointers.
    • Julius Randle collected 14 points and nine rebounds.
    • Andrew Harrison got seven points and paced the UK distribution with five assists.
    • Derek Willis scored for the first time since Nov. 17 and Jon Hood got his first points since Nov. 19.
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