KENTUCKY 86, LAMAR 64
Dec. 28, 2011
Rupp Arena; Lexington, Ky.

Darius Miller (left) and Anthony Davis converged to block a shot by a Lamar player in Wednesday night's game at Rupp Arena. (247Sports Photo by Jeff Drummond)

SUMMARY
If ever there were a game where Kentucky was ripe for an out-of-nowhere upset the post-Christmas holiday, pre-Louisville outing would have seemed to be it. Although far from flawless, the Cats averted such a letdown heading into their New Year's Eve showdown with their state rival.

Darius Miler's hot shooting and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's active second half pushed the Cats to an 86-64 victory in Rupp Arena, their 43rd consecutive home victory.

Miller made 4-of-6 three-pointers on his way to 15 points, while Kidd-Gilchrist bounced bad from early foul trouble to finish with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Mike James had a game-high 29 points for Lamar.

CALIPARI TALK
on his frustrations over lack of effort and toughness
“You can’t hide here. This is Kentucky. There isn’t a rock big enough, no cracks big enough. You’re out there. And either you’re going to perform or you’re not and there are no excuses why you’re not….I’m not going to baby anybody.”

OPPOSING VIEW
“Here’s what they’re facing: they play Louisville on Saturday. I don’t care what you tell kids, they’re looking forward to that game, especially with the Internet. You can’t shut kids off. We were hoping that would play into our favor. It’s natural for kids to kind of overlook (lesser opponents) but that’s just part of dealing with kids and coaching.” – Lamar coach Pat Knight, on whether Kentucky appeared to take the Cardinals too easily

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"It has been different and difficult. Not being able to go out and play with my team like I wanted to after a tough game like Indiana is hard to take." -- Kentucky forward Terrence Jones, on what the past few weeks have been like for him

GAME BALL
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may not be the most athletic player on Kentucky’s loaded roster, the purest shooter, crispest passer or flashiest distributor but the freshman forward is quickly proving to be the Cats’ most indispensable player. Despite finding himself in early foul trouble for the third consecutive game Kidd-Gilchrist scored seven points early in the second half to help keep Lamar at bay and grabbed all six of his rebounds after the break in once again doing all the little things that championship squads need done. Kidd-Gilchrist made 5-of-6 shots, 8-of-10 free throws, dished out four assists and once again earned coach John Calipari’s praise for being one of the few Cats who provides consistent effort.

DID YOU NOTICE?
Terrence Jones returned to the court for the first time in three games, scoring nine points and adding six rebounds in 27 minutes of action. It was a mixed bag of sorts for the sophomore forward who was terrible against Indiana, got injured in the opening minutes against Chattanooga and missed both the Samford and Loyola (Md.) games with his dislocated finger. Jones showed flashes of his versatility but appeared to either be overly concerned with the injury or still in a decent amount of pain, shying away form contact and occasionally looking down and shaking his left hand. On one particular play he blew past his defender on the left side – his dominant side – of the lane but finished with a right-handed lay-in, suggesting he isn’t completely healthy just yet.

UNSUNG HERO
By now it must sounds like a broken record but it is absolutely essential that Darius Miller begins knocking down outside jumpers on a consistent basis if this Kentucky team is going to reach its potential. The senior guard had his second positive three-point shooting effort in the past three games, hitting his first three triples on the way to a 4-of-6 night from beyond the arc. Although he missed all three of his attempts against Loyola (Md.) in the previous game Miller’s strong showing brought him to 7-of-15 in the past three games.

KEY NUMBER
29 – Lamar guard Mike James entered the game averaging 13.3 points on the season but left as the latest opponent to come into Rupp Arena and turn in a career game. Call it the Rupp Effect. Or the other side of the “Kentucky Effect’ that John Calipari so often talks about. James’ 29 points was easily the highest total by a UK opponent this season, besting the 22 points Tyshawn Taylor scored for Kansas against the Cats in Madison Square Garden. James made 13-of-29 shots and had 17 points in the second half.

FINAL THOUGHT
The Cats vanquished the Cardinals with relative ease but no one is likely to remember this de-feathering with the other Cardinals coming to town just days later. What stood out most in the ho-hum victory was just how aggravated and frustrated coach John Calipari seemed to be after the game, a disposition that has become more the rule than the exception. Either Calipari is playing possum with the media and fan base or he has some serious concerns about the long-term prospects of this team as it is presently constituted.

NEXT
Kentucky (12-1) enters the annual Commonwealth feud with Louisville riding a four-game winning streak. Tip is set for noon at Saturday, Dec. 31 at Rupp Arena.