Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Georgia Edition

Kentucky completed the season sweep of the Georgia Bulldogs with an 80-68 victory in Athens and a definite improvement over their effort last Saturday in Knoxville, while locking up at least a share of another SEC Title.

Thumbs Up


John Wall- The stuff that dreams are made of; the likely SEC Player of the Year (and possible National Player of the Year) was transcendent. Wall served up 24 points, 6 assists against 3 turnovers, and a sackful of eye popping moves, with aplomb. He was 8-10 from the field, 3-5 from behind the arc and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. It simply does not get any better than that. On a night where Evan Turner didn't play, did Wall nudge himself ahead in the race for the honor of best college basketball player in the land? He certainly didn't hurt his chances.

Patrick Patterson- The spine of this Wildcat team continued his streak of outstanding play, contributing 17 points on 7-11 shooting and 10 rebounds to the Kentucky cause. His step back three pointer in the first half was a thing of beauty, and illustrated why he will be a likely lottery pick in June. It is hard to fathom that Patrick's career as a Kentucky Wildcat is coming to a close. I have absolutely loved watching him play. Mr. Patterson, it has been a pleasure and an honor, sir.

The Bench- As Joe Dean noted, the 'Cats benefited from a productive night from their reserves. The non-starters poured in 24 points, 11 of which came from the hot hand of Darnell Dodson. The sophomore from Greenbelt, Maryland hit a couple of cold-blooded three pointers; Kentucky will need much more of that in the coming weeks. Daniel Orton also impressed with a Patterson-like jumper from the baseline.

Blocks- The Wildcats were, to put it bluntly, nasty in the paint, throwing back a healthy 14 Bulldog shots. Georgia, despite their size, recorded none. Perhaps this team relies too much on the block to erase their defensive shortcomings in other areas. On a night like this, how can one complain?

Thumbs Down

Rebounding- In an atypical outing, the 'Cats were shamed on the boards,with Georgia holding a 35-26 edge on the glass. Kentucky also allowed 16 offensive rebounds. That is far too many. To be fair, Georgia is also a strong rebounding team, and they put some size on the court. Fortunately, it was not a factor this evening. Any other night a statistic like that would indicate a loss or a very close game. It is a testament to what shooting 54% from the field can do for a team.

First Half- Many of Kentucky's mistakes came during the first half of play. Georgia was collecting offensive rebounds at will, and scoring with ease in the paint. Kentucky shot the ball rather well, and still only led by a slim margin of 2 at the break. Whatever John Calipari said at halftime did the trick. The Wildcats exited the locker room with a head of steam and never looked back. Georgia never got within 10 points after Kentucky's game-establishing run to begin the second half.

This game, or at least the second half, was a comforting sight for Kentucky fans after the ragged loss at Tennessee last weekend. Kentucky won at least a share of its 44th regular season conference title; they also won a game in an opposing gym that had bested every other SEC East team. They finished 6-2 on the road in conference play, with a chance to close the regular season at 28-2, 14-2 with a win over the Florida Gators on Sunday at Rupp Arena. That, my friends, is impressive. As always, thanks for reading. Go 'Cats!