Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Ole Miss

Kentucky defeated the Rebels of Ole Miss tonight 85-75 to move to 21-1, 6-1 on the season. In a game that was never really in doubt, Kentucky fans saw a return to form by John Wall and another monstrous effort from DeMarcus Cousins. Let us look a little deeper. Shall we?

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John Wall- The freshman from Raleigh played a game more typical of what the country expects from him this evening, scoring 17 points on 60% shooting from the floor (including 2-3 from beyond the arc) and dishing out 7 assists. I think most expected a strong performance from Wall after the minor controversy following his comments after the Vanderbilt game last Saturday, and that is what they received. Was there any doubt that John would make everyone forget about what was essentially a non-issue? Not in my mind. Nice to have you back, John.

DeMarcus Cousins- Just another day at the office for your friend and mine, the phenom from Mobile: 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocked shots. The staggering part of that line requires closer examination. 9 of those 13 rebounds were collected on offense. There is no one in the country that cleans the offensive glass like DeMarcus Cousins. No one. In addition, Cousins collected only 3 personal fouls and seemed to keep his prodigious temper in check. If you have the number 2 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, who are you taking? DeMarcus Cousins or Evan Turner?

Team Effort- Despite a 10 point margin of victory that should have been much greater, the Wildcats put together a true team-driven effort tonight. Darnell Dodson was outstanding offensively (14 points on 4-5 shooting, 2-2 at the line), and DeAndre Liggins played yet another great floor game by making a handful of hustle plays that were invaluable (in addition to 5 points and 5 rebounds). Darius Miller showed some aggression, even if he wasn't hitting his shots. Daniel Orton delivered a key basket late to stem an Ole Miss run. Patrick Patterson reeled off a 6 point run on his own in the second half. Nearly every player that saw the floor contributed something to the victory, and that is a pleasant thought. These players will be called upon to contribute for the rest of the season with tough games against Tennessee (twice) and at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State remaining.

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Turnovers- Kentucky committed 17 turnovers tonight. Jimmy Dykes made an excellent point during the broadcast, one he has made in the past, that a team must control "live ball" turnovers. The Wildcats committed too many of those tonight. I have not seen how many points Ole Miss converted from Kentucky turnovers, but I imagine it is not a pretty number. It seemed that every time Kentucky threw the ball away, the Rebels made an easy lay-up at the other end. It allowed them to stay in this game for the duration. Had Kentucky valued the ball better, this would have been a blowout.

Closing Out the Game- Kentucky had a first half lead of 18 points, and a second half lead of 15 or so at one point. The final margin of victory was only 10. This is an issue that has been discussed to death by everyone remotely interested in college basketball, but...Kentucky cannot seem to put the proverbial nail in the coffin. Ole Miss cut the lead to 3 at one point in the second half, when the game should have been over before the half. Turnovers and some fine displays of "matador" defense are the probable culprits. When will Kentucky learn to put these games out of reach? (I do admit much trimming of the margin of victory came during garbage time.)

Offensive Rebounding by Ole Miss- Bear with me for a moment. Yes, Kentucky was +11 on the boards as a whole tonight. Yes, they grabbed 14 offensive rebounds of their own. They also allowed the Rebels to come up with 11 offensive rebounds of their own, many of which resulted in second-chance points. Cut that number in half and this is a completely different game. Make no mistake, Kentucky is a fine rebounding team; I just would have liked to have seen them keep Ole Miss off the offensive glass more effectively.

This was a quality victory. Ole Miss is a top 50 RPI team, and they have beaten some good teams this season (Kansas State, particularly, comes to mind.) They desperately needed this game, and they did their best to take it, even playing on tired legs. While every Kentucky fan always desires a dominant performance resulting in a 20+ point victory, that is not always reality. We should be satisfied with this win, and be focused on the future. Had you told me in November that Kentucky would be 21-1 at this point, I would have been very pleased- and I am very pleased. Thanks for reading, and Go Big Blue!