KENTUCKY 85, PENN STATE 47
Nov. 19, 2011
Mohegun Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.
Kentucky coach John Calipari wasn’t sure how his team would respond when the No. 2-ranked Cats faced Penn State on Saturday. It was a noon start. It was the first game after a marquee matchup with Kansas at Madison Square Garden. It was the latter stage of an extended road trip.
Turns out, the coach worried for no reason as Kentucky blistered Penn State 85-47 to hand the Nittany Lions their first loss of the season. UK roared out to a 47-15 halftime lead and never looked back.
“When we created a gap, I was worried about us getting sloppy, and we truly didn’t get sloppy,” Calipar said. “They continued to get better. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re playing against ourselves. Let’s get better. How do we do this? If you let up during a game, or it’s a noon game and I don’t feel like playing, or a team you think you can beat, then we’re not quite as good as everybody thinks.”
Doron Lamb paced Kentucky with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Freshman Kyle Wiltjer, who played sparingly against Kansas earlier in the week, was next with 19 points. He also had three assists and two rebounds.
TURNING POINT. Recalling Calipari’s greatest fear, this game turned on whether Kentucky was ready to play. It took only a few minutes for the drama to end as Kentucky jumped ahead early. By halftime, Penn State had made just 6-of-37 shots, a dismal 16.2 percent. Included was a 1-for-15 effort from three-point range. “I think we did a good job of guarding and some of the shots they missed,” Calipari said. “But I’m going to tell you why you miss, because all the sudden you’ve got arms and teeth and feet flying at you. A shot that you think is open all the sudden isn’t so open.”
DID YOU NOTICE? Freshman point guard Marquis Teague was on the receiving end of Calipari’s ranting yet again? Despite building a 47-15 haftime advantage, the Kentucky coach seemed to constantly be in Teague’s ear. The point guard finished with nine points and two assists, but three turnovers. “What I told him after the game is, ‘I want people looking at you saying, I want him to be my point guard.’ Right now, there’s no one saying that. By the end of the year, I want people saying I want him to run my team. So I’ve just got to keep coaching. He’s a great kid and he listens, but I’m not settling for anything less than he’s capable of doing to run our team.”
GAME BALL.Doron Lamb is a no-brainer. As freshman Marquis Teague continues to struggle early in his career, Lamb is not only filling in admirably as the back-up point guard, he’s showing he can be the go-to player to carry the load. Lamb’s 26 points included a perfect 7-for7 on free throws.
UNSUNG HERO. Kyle Wiltjer, of course. The freshman forward barely scratches the surface in New York but then returns four days later in Connecticut to pour in 19 points in 28 minutes. He even gave UK fans what that wanted with a couple of old-school hook shots.
CALIPARI TALK.
"For a noon game and this such a young game, I really wanted to figure out how we would play at noon. I’m pretty well pleased with how they played. We really competed, especially defensively."
WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN? We learned one thing about Kentucky from this game and we will have a second answer by the end of the weekend. First question, could a young Kentucky squad come down from the summit of beating Kansas at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to handle business against a retooled Penn State club the next time out in a half-full arena that adjoins a casino in southern Connecticut? Clearly, yes. The second question is how UK handles the two games in two days rigors that resemble postseason tournament play?
