Kentucky put together an all-around performance in the second round of the NCAA Tourney in a 90-60 victory over Wake Forest. The Wildcats held the Demon Deacons to 33 percent shooting in advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

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Defense- The Cats played great defense on Thursday against ETSU, but they stepped it up a notch against stiffer competition tonight. Wake shot just 32.8 percent from the field, and hit only two three-point field goals. It started with Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Liggins guarding Deacons point guard Ish Smith. Smith had trouble getting into the lane and only hit one of his nine shots. I've been on Bledsoe all year because of his defense. Tonight he stepped up and took care of business on that end of the court. The Cats had six blocks, getting contributions from DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Patrick Patterson, and Perry Stevenson with great defense in the post.

Darius Miller- Where did #1 come from? Miller had his best game of the season, pouring in 16 points in the first half in route to 20 for the game. The sophomore was aggressive from the outset, driving to the hoop on several occasions in the first half, leading to 6 of 7 made field goals. He set the tone for the Cats on the offensive end. He also pulled down 9 rebounds. It just goes to show that a little confidence and aggressiveness can go a long way.

DeMarcus Cousins- From what I understand, Wake's Chas McFarland wouldn't shake Cousins' hand before the tip, which was a mistake on his part. Cousins was spectacular. He and Patterson played a huge part in getting three early fouls on Al-Farouq Aminu. Cousins finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds, and he only picked up two fouls. He just went about his business and wasn't drawn into any of the mind games that McFarland was trying to play. Cousins has got a bad rap all year about his attitude, and you have to be proud of the big guy after tonight.

Eric Bledsoe's Dunk- WOW! That's all.


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Free Throws- The Cats hit only one of their first seven free throws, and finished 7 of 17. Cousins was just 1 for 7. Without Miller's 5 for 5 performance, Kentucky would have just been 2 for 12. You have to hope that free throws don't haunt the Cats in a tight game.

John Wall's Early Turnovers- Early in the first half, Wall was a little sketchy in his decision making. He had four turnovers in the first ten minutes of the game. Two of those were cross court passes that were easily stolen. He needs to be a bit more careful as the Cats move on.\


The Cats put on one heck of a performance against Wake. It's hard to pick out anything that was really a thumbs down. Kentucky put it all together for the second straight game, capped off by a three from Mark Krebs. Their next game in the Sweet Sixteen will be an interesting match up against either Cornell or Wisconsin. Both teams are good three-point shooting teams, and can really slow the game down. It will all come down to defense and solid play in the post.