Last night Bruce "Coppertone" Pearl was looking for his welcome back party. Instead all he found besides pending NCAA punishment, was a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky was slow out of the gate to start , but then settled into what would turn out to be one of the most complete games the Cats have played all year.They played great defense, shot the ball well from the floor (45%) and rebounded the ball at both ends of the floor. Another great stat is the free throw shooting, Kentucky shot a blistering 81.5% from the line. But all of this wasn't the real story of the game.
The real story is that a couple of "upperclassman" finally stepped up with some production. DeAndre Liggins was the star of the night setting a career high with 19 points, going 7-8 from the charity stripe and 2-2 from behind the three point line. His defense was stellar to say the least. Liggins hounded Tennessee star Scotty Hopson all night and held him well below his season average. It was obvious that Liggins got into Hopson's head, because late in the second half Hopson got frustrated and shoved Liggins to the floor and picking up his 4th foul of the night.
The other great story of the night was the emergence of the one known as "Jorts" (Josh Harrellson). Jorts hadn't done much since his 23 point 14 rebound effort against Louisville. But he came up big for the Cats Tuesday night scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. What didn't show up on the stat sheet was the great defensive job Jorts done making opponents adjust shots, and his all around energy on the court.
I know I'm not the only one who loved the play late in the second half when Jorts went up for a layup scored got knocked to the floor, and came up screaming like a a wild man. It's great to see these kids having this much fun and showing that kind of passion for the game.
Terrence Jones didn't perform particularly well, but he still ended with a double double. Terrence shot 6-6 from the free throw line and went 2-9 from the field to get 10 points and 11 boards. For those of you keeping track that is his 8th double double of the season.
There was also a visit from former Kentucky PG John Wall. He got to do what he said he couldn't wait for and that was being the "Y" during the second half timeout. It's always good to see former players come back and show support for the program.
Another great story was Coppertone Bruce exchanging words with a couple of fans in the stands. He even went as far as to try and have Campus Police throw the hecklers out. But when security came over and asked UT fans if there was any profanity used, they said no. So they told Coppertone to get a grip and that a couple of college kids should be the least of his worries with the NCAA breathing down his spray tanned neck.
All in all we saw a little of what this team could be if everyone puts forth a little effort and plays to their potential. And maybe, just maybe last night they found the elusive "killer instinct" this team has been missing all year.
Kentucky goes on the road again Saturday where they are 1-4 when they visit Nashville and Memorial Gym to take on an always dangerous Vanderbilt team. Let's just hope the kind of play we saw last night can carry over so the Cats can get a much needed road win in the SEC!
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