Payback Time: Rocky Top Flattened as Kentucky Routs Tennessee

The Wildcats gave their fans a sweet Valentine’s Day gift with an 83-58 beat down of the Volunteers at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

In their best performance in over a month, the Kentucky Basketball team avenged an earlier 82-80 loss in Knoxville in convincing fashion. After spotting the visitors an early 5-0 lead, Kentucky dominated their border rivals in nearly every aspect of the game. Let’s look at the how the Wildcats turned the tables on the not-so-big Orange.

Kentucky Got it Done Down Low

In their first match-up a few weeks ago, Tennessee enjoyed a big 42-28 advantage on points in the paint. That was almost unfathomable given Kentucky’s size advantage over the Vols up front.

However, it proved to be a precursor to the next several games that produced sub-par efforts by the Cats in this area. Tuesday night saw a big-time reversal, as the Wildcats outscored their opponent 32-18 inside. That was a very welcome turnaround.

Early Sharp Shooting From Deep

Kentucky’s accuracy from behind the arc in the first half was a major factor.  The Cats were 10 of 18 from long range in the first 20 minutes, an excellent 56%. That helped lead Kentucky to a 47-32 halftime lead. They cooled off in the second half, finishing 11 of 25 (44%). The damage had already been done. Derek Willis came off the bench to nail all four of his three-point attempts in the first half. The Senior from Bullitt County, KY finished with 16 points.

Malik Monk also made four threes in the first half and led the Cats in the game with 20 points. But that wasn’t his biggest stat of the night.

He CAN Rebound After All!!

Monk has been roundly criticized for his lack of board work the past few games. Tonight he snared a season high, eight rebounds. Overall, Kentucky won the battle of the boards 43-35. Bam Adebayo paced the Cats with 12 rebounds.

A Very Good Zero

De’Aaron Fox came back from an off-day at Alabama on Saturday to tally 13 points and six assists.  The best stat of the night just might be that he had zero turnovers in 32 minutes of play. That kind of point guard play is what it takes to make a deep run in March. It might even make Kentucky fans overlook his new hair style. Maybe.

 Second Half Defense/Points Off Turnovers

Kentucky’s poor defense after halftime has been a recent troubling trend.  They have allowed opponents to shoot over 54% from the field in the second half in the past four games. They improved in that regard tonight. The Vols shot 47% after the half, essentially the same as their 46% mark in the first twenty. It was a fairly balanced effort by the Wildcats, winning the second half 46-36 after achieving that 15 point edge at halftime.

Another lopsided edge for Kentucky was points off turnovers, winning that area 17-4. That was another big turnaround from the prior outing versus Tennessee, when the Vols had a 19-14 edge. If the Wildcats can hold their opponents under double figures in this category, they are going to have a lot more games that look like this the rest of the season.

If Mama’s Happy….

The lopsided margin allowed John Calipari a luxury he had not enjoyed in recent weeks. He was able to put his son Brad, a freshman guard, in the game with a 1:30 remaining. One could assume that the smile of Ellen Calipari’s face probably went a long way to ensuring  the head coach a happy Valentine’s evening.

Next: Kentucky Basketball's Top 10 Three-Point Shots of All Time

What’s Next For Kentucky Basketball?

The Wildcats travel to Athens on Saturday for a rematch with the Georgia. The Cats defeated the Bulldogs in overtime 90-81 earlier in the season in Lexington. In that game they were fortunate to get a late Monk turnaround jumper to force a tie at the end of regulation. Hopefully Kentucky will continue the sharp play they showed tonight and not need late game heroics this weekend.