The Good
* Will and Lighthouse Catch a Game Together. Imagine this: me and Lighthouse sitting there in a gym in Louisville watching my son play JV high school basketball. That actually happened last night at Trinity High, and even though I threatened to meet the refs outside in the parking lot to "talk this over like a man," Lighthouse was the perfect gentleman. (Kidding.) In all seriousness it was a good time and I'd love to do it again. Lighthouse was there to witness my son's first junior varsity basket, and that's sort of special.
* Memorial Magic. The way Kentucky played in Nashville last night reminded you of Kentucky's great teams. They made Vanderbilt quit in the first ten minutes of that game, and that's something we haven't seen a whole lot since 2015. If you're a true title contender you need a game like that, a game where you just fire on all cylinders and throw a knockout punch early in the first half, and that's what we witnessed. Honestly it looked like the 2012 bunch out there.
* Shot Callers. When Kentucky shoots like that they really could cut down the nets in Minneapolis. They were 10-17 from three last night, getting virtually everything they put up there to go. There's just no way you can handle this team at this point if they do that, and you hope that it's a sign of things to come.
* PJ Patterson. Man, how good is PJ Washington playing? To me he's morphed into a kind of Patrick Patterson type right now, scoring from virtually all angles and just mauling people who dare go chest to chest with him. Then he's casually stretching out to the three point line and hitting shots out there. I'm not sure there's anybody playing better in college basketball.
* I Will Always Say it Jemar-l. I thought Jemarl Baker gave us some good minutes last night. His shot is a thing of beauty, and having a guy like that in March is essential. If he could just come in and knock down a three in these games we're going to play against elite opponents that would be undeniably huge.
* IQ Points. Immanuel Quickley was very good off the bench last night. Maybe the best game I've seen him play as a Cat, even getting a very tough and-one--something we haven't seen from him a lot this year, because strength is one of his issues. I also liked his attitude on the bench, celebrating down there as much as anyone. I like this kid and I look forward to having him for another year in Lexington.
* The Nick and the Dead. Nick Richards got after it last night, scoring 14 and blocking 4 shots. It's the defense that impresses you, and it appears that he may be finally coming around on that end. He seems to be jumping at the right time rather than being a step off, and like Baker's shooting that would be huge for this team in March. Have to have guys you can count on coming in off your bench.
The Bad
* My God, What's Wrong with Nick Richards' Fingers?!??! It looked like you took a human being's five fingers and stitched some other guy's fingers onto them at the knuckles. It was truly Frankenstinian and that's something you just can't unsee.
* Vander-built of Straw. Vandy gave up very early in that game. When it was clear we were going to win by as many as we wanted to, they quit playing. That's something you don't see from Vanderbilt's teams a whole lot, especially not in that gym. I think the Tennessee game last week ripped their hearts out.
* Tyler the Creator. He's probably the only one, but Herro is fighting with his shot right now. He's 0-7 from three the last two games, and most of his shots have been clean. Let's hope he can get that ironed out by Saturday, because I feel like it's going to be much tougher in Gainesville.
Rockin' Little Heartbeat
* Jimmy the Entertainer. You know you're watching a blowout when they start playing Jimmy Dykes' country songs right over the air. It was sort of a glorious moment, and dang if Jimmy doesn't have some talent. Now along with "drive the nail" and "violent cuts" and Jimmy's airplane we can add "Rockin' Little Heartbeat," and I'll always remember where I was when I first heard it.
* Will and Lighthouse Catch a Game Together. Imagine this: me and Lighthouse sitting there in a gym in Louisville watching my son play JV high school basketball. That actually happened last night at Trinity High, and even though I threatened to meet the refs outside in the parking lot to "talk this over like a man," Lighthouse was the perfect gentleman. (Kidding.) In all seriousness it was a good time and I'd love to do it again. Lighthouse was there to witness my son's first junior varsity basket, and that's sort of special.
* Memorial Magic. The way Kentucky played in Nashville last night reminded you of Kentucky's great teams. They made Vanderbilt quit in the first ten minutes of that game, and that's something we haven't seen a whole lot since 2015. If you're a true title contender you need a game like that, a game where you just fire on all cylinders and throw a knockout punch early in the first half, and that's what we witnessed. Honestly it looked like the 2012 bunch out there.
* Shot Callers. When Kentucky shoots like that they really could cut down the nets in Minneapolis. They were 10-17 from three last night, getting virtually everything they put up there to go. There's just no way you can handle this team at this point if they do that, and you hope that it's a sign of things to come.
* PJ Patterson. Man, how good is PJ Washington playing? To me he's morphed into a kind of Patrick Patterson type right now, scoring from virtually all angles and just mauling people who dare go chest to chest with him. Then he's casually stretching out to the three point line and hitting shots out there. I'm not sure there's anybody playing better in college basketball.
* I Will Always Say it Jemar-l. I thought Jemarl Baker gave us some good minutes last night. His shot is a thing of beauty, and having a guy like that in March is essential. If he could just come in and knock down a three in these games we're going to play against elite opponents that would be undeniably huge.
* IQ Points. Immanuel Quickley was very good off the bench last night. Maybe the best game I've seen him play as a Cat, even getting a very tough and-one--something we haven't seen from him a lot this year, because strength is one of his issues. I also liked his attitude on the bench, celebrating down there as much as anyone. I like this kid and I look forward to having him for another year in Lexington.
* The Nick and the Dead. Nick Richards got after it last night, scoring 14 and blocking 4 shots. It's the defense that impresses you, and it appears that he may be finally coming around on that end. He seems to be jumping at the right time rather than being a step off, and like Baker's shooting that would be huge for this team in March. Have to have guys you can count on coming in off your bench.
The Bad
* My God, What's Wrong with Nick Richards' Fingers?!??! It looked like you took a human being's five fingers and stitched some other guy's fingers onto them at the knuckles. It was truly Frankenstinian and that's something you just can't unsee.
* Vander-built of Straw. Vandy gave up very early in that game. When it was clear we were going to win by as many as we wanted to, they quit playing. That's something you don't see from Vanderbilt's teams a whole lot, especially not in that gym. I think the Tennessee game last week ripped their hearts out.
* Tyler the Creator. He's probably the only one, but Herro is fighting with his shot right now. He's 0-7 from three the last two games, and most of his shots have been clean. Let's hope he can get that ironed out by Saturday, because I feel like it's going to be much tougher in Gainesville.
Rockin' Little Heartbeat
* Jimmy the Entertainer. You know you're watching a blowout when they start playing Jimmy Dykes' country songs right over the air. It was sort of a glorious moment, and dang if Jimmy doesn't have some talent. Now along with "drive the nail" and "violent cuts" and Jimmy's airplane we can add "Rockin' Little Heartbeat," and I'll always remember where I was when I first heard it.
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