Quick review: UK/Ole Miss

Kentucky came into tonight in a unfamiliar position as the underdog, but still needing a quality win in the worst way. You knew it wasn't going to be easy, you knew it wasn't going to be pretty. The one thing you didn't know is how this Jekyll and Hyde Kentucky team would respond. Would it be the team that showed up at Auburn, or would it be the one we saw in just about every other game this season. 

Ole Miss comes in with the best start in school history at 17-2 (6-0) and looking to show the SEC they are legit. In fourty minutes we would find out...

FIRST HALF:

Kentucky opens the game with Poythress fouling Marshall Henderson on a three point attempt, and looking shaky on the offensive end as Alex quickly picks up his second with 17:44 to go in the first. At the first media timeout Ole Miss led 7-6. Kentucky looked to be settling down and playing some decent defense as Nerlens Noel recorded his 84th block of the season.   Still some senseless turnovers for the Cats, but I'll write that up to being nervous about playing in front of Morgan Freeman. With 14:43 left in the first, Julius Mays goes to the bench with his second foul. Kentucky racking up fouls very quickly as they pick up their 6th team foul with 14:20 to go till halftime. Kentucky in danger as Ryan Harrow picks up his second foul with an offensive foul putting Ole Miss in the bonus for the rest of the half. In typical Ole Miss fashion, the student section has to warned about throwing things onto the court. 

With 7:48 left in the half, it's all square at 19 a piece and the rate of foul calls have seemed to slow down, but not until everyone on the bench including Rod Strickland tallied at least two. Archie Goodwin continues to drive the lane when there is no play to be made, that has to stop. On a good note Jarrod Polson and John Hood have played solid minutes out of necessity due to the foul trouble. Cal with some great play calling by playing zone when Henderson goes to the bench for a breather. Another black mark on the first half for Kentucky is Nerlens Noel going 1-6 from the freethrow line, that has got to improve going forward.  It's not just Noel, the whole team has to improve. Watching them shoot freethrows is painful. 

Kentucky heads to half time down one 38-37 thanks in large part to Kyle Wiltjer three threes and leads the team in scoring with 17pts at the half. 

Wiltjer: 17pts 3reb 2ast

Noel: 2pts 6rebs 5blks

Poythress: 3pts 1reb

Harrow: 3pts 2rebs

Mays: 0pts 4rebs

Hood: 0pts 3rebs

Polson: 2pts 2rebs 1ast

Goodwin: 10pts 1reb 1ast

That was one of the stranger halves of basketball I have seen in a while with 26 fouls being called. Common theme in the first half? Putrid freethrow shooting as Kentucky goes 10-20 from the line. Kentucky has got to get other guys involved in the second half offensively. They need to look for Noel a little more down low and Poythress has got to produce something, anything for them to have a chance to pull of the upset in Oxford. 

SECOND HALF:

At the first timeout of the second half Kentuck led 51-46 behind the hot shooting of Kyle Wiltjer with two threes in this half tying his career high of 24pts.  With15:49 left, Kentucky leads 53-46 as Wiltjer sets a new career high of 26 on a dunk. Noel leaves with his third foul with 15:20 to go and that fast Ole Miss scores at the basket. With 14:31 remaining timeout is called and Kentucky leads 59-50. Alex Poythress playing "like a man" as Jimmy Dykes said in the second half and Kentucky needed it to say the least. 

With 11:27 left in the game, Kentucky stormed out to a 71-56 lead scoring 31 points in the second half. The biggest reason for that was the "manly" play by Alex Poythress, rebounding, defending and scoring was great. Kentucky shot 72% in the second half alone. Noel picked up his fourth foul with 9:48 to go opening up the inside for Ole Miss. At the 7:32 mark, Kentucky's lead was cut from 17 to 11 during the absence of Noel who's came back after the timeout with four fouls. Noel playing with four fouls really limited his defense as Ole Miss went at him time and time again, scoring more times than not.

 Keeping true to form, Kentucky completely melted down late in the second half,  having their once 17oint lead trimmed to one. Missing an obscene amount of freethrows and losing composure was their biggest problem, not to mention a six minute scoring drought. 

Noel sets a new career high, 9 blocks tonight and the Cats needed every single one them. Kentucky seemed to recover from their mental meltdown, with1:05 left they led the game 86-74. Kentucky needed a signature win, they earned it. Marshall Henderson wanted to show Kentucky "who the real national champ is", he failed. Kentucky needed this game in the worst way and they played like it. Finally Kentucky showed heart, fight, effort and a will to win. As it turns out, kentukcy didn't need Nerlens Noel on offense, he done it all on defense setting a school record with 12 blocks. 

Impressive game from Kentucky tonight.  Maybe this is the game where they finally turn things around winning this one 87-74 handing Ole Miss their first conference loss, getting their first win over a ranked team and getting their first win in Oxford since 2007. 

Up next is Texas A&M who if you remember has a guy by the name Elston Turner who lit Kentucky up for a million points in Rupp Arena.