The Hallelujah
* Malik Monk, destroyer of worlds. 30 points in the second half was great, but as much as that he played in a different way. He drove to the basket. That little wrinkle, that one small-but-not-really-small thing, may end up saving Kentucky's season. That may be the tweak. I think it shocked Cal and I think you're now going to see more of Monk the Attacker.
* Bam continuing to improve. Bam had a huge role in holding us in that game when we played terribly in the first half. His rebounding is starting to become what we all thought it would be from game one. But maybe it's better late than never.
* The defense in the last 15:00 of the game. That sloughing D was another new wrinkle, and one of the more interesting things Cal has done from the bench all year. We forced Florida into a deluge of bad shots and may have won the SEC because of it.
The Amen
* Back on top in the SEC. Rightfully.
* Dominique Hawkins continuing to perform. He actually led the team in minutes with 37, and he was giving it all he had in the final minutes. He was right in the middle of so many of Monks' highlights.
* The rebounding war. After getting obliterated at Florida, Kentucky got on the glass early and held off a Florida team that's relentless at times.
* The turnaround after getting down in the second half. The Cats were staring at a 7-point deficit in the second half. Briscoe had just fouled on a three and we'd given up a 5-point possession. The mood in the Lavender house: gloomy. But then Monk realized he was Monk, and the world suddenly brightened. Kentucky has usually struggled this year when teams have grabbed control of the game. See UCLA, Kansas, Louisville, Florida down there. But we started to throw haymakers, and it was veteran Florida in the last few minutes who looked shaken.
* Derek Willis' effort. Willis is a guy who's obviously known for big shots, but today he did a bunch of little things to help us win. Got on the glass, played strong defense in the first half...I really liked his game, and he embodied what a good role player must do on a team hoping to make a run to Phoenix.
The Praise Chorus
* Cal smiling when we had the game wrapped up. It's been a rough SEC schedule, even as we're on our way to a pretty gaudy record. But to see Cal hugging Monk, Deandre Liggins style, was one of the brightest spots in a game that had quite a few of them.
* Malik Monk, destroyer of worlds. 30 points in the second half was great, but as much as that he played in a different way. He drove to the basket. That little wrinkle, that one small-but-not-really-small thing, may end up saving Kentucky's season. That may be the tweak. I think it shocked Cal and I think you're now going to see more of Monk the Attacker.
* Bam continuing to improve. Bam had a huge role in holding us in that game when we played terribly in the first half. His rebounding is starting to become what we all thought it would be from game one. But maybe it's better late than never.
* The defense in the last 15:00 of the game. That sloughing D was another new wrinkle, and one of the more interesting things Cal has done from the bench all year. We forced Florida into a deluge of bad shots and may have won the SEC because of it.
The Amen
* Back on top in the SEC. Rightfully.
* Dominique Hawkins continuing to perform. He actually led the team in minutes with 37, and he was giving it all he had in the final minutes. He was right in the middle of so many of Monks' highlights.
* The rebounding war. After getting obliterated at Florida, Kentucky got on the glass early and held off a Florida team that's relentless at times.
* The turnaround after getting down in the second half. The Cats were staring at a 7-point deficit in the second half. Briscoe had just fouled on a three and we'd given up a 5-point possession. The mood in the Lavender house: gloomy. But then Monk realized he was Monk, and the world suddenly brightened. Kentucky has usually struggled this year when teams have grabbed control of the game. See UCLA, Kansas, Louisville, Florida down there. But we started to throw haymakers, and it was veteran Florida in the last few minutes who looked shaken.
* Derek Willis' effort. Willis is a guy who's obviously known for big shots, but today he did a bunch of little things to help us win. Got on the glass, played strong defense in the first half...I really liked his game, and he embodied what a good role player must do on a team hoping to make a run to Phoenix.
The Praise Chorus
* Cal smiling when we had the game wrapped up. It's been a rough SEC schedule, even as we're on our way to a pretty gaudy record. But to see Cal hugging Monk, Deandre Liggins style, was one of the brightest spots in a game that had quite a few of them.
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