Kentucky vs. Missouri: Takeaways

Kentucky moved to 2-0 in the SEC with a 90-77 home win over a cagey Missouri Tiger team.  Kentucky was never really in danger of losing but as predicted in the preview the game was closer than it should have been.  You never take winning for granted and any time you score 90 points you did a lot of things right.  Let’s dive into some takeaways.

Rob Bounces Back

There is no denying that Rob struggled against Florida scoring just 6 points (a couple of big FTs though) and 4 TO.  Last night we saw Good Rob as he scored 23 (on just 7 shots) in just 19 minutes, he also added 2 assists and 2 rebounds.  A couple of ticky-tack fouls probably kept him from scoring 30 but regardless, that version of Rob makes Kentucky nearly unbeatable.  Post-game Missouri HC Dennis Gates called him “the best iso player in the country” and he’s probably right.

The best thing about Rob, despite his undeniable talent, is his attitude.  A lot of rumors were spread about Rob in the offseason (spread by our own fans) but as Cal said last night he’s a worker.  Rob and Cal have been perfect for each other and it’s really cool to see both guys get the best out of each other.

Tre Is The Hero We Need

Once again Kentucky needed Tre Mitchell to provide leadership and a physical presence with Adou still out.  Once again he delivered on the stat sheet (20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) while providing the steady leadership this team needs.  He routinely got into physical battles off the ball with Missouri (who were playing aggressive) while playing all 40 minutes.

After the game against Florida, it came out that Tre intentionally riled up the Florida students so they would focus on him and not his teammates.  Last night at home he didn’t need to do that but did put himself in a situation where Missouri had to battle him which allowed the young kids to shine in their roles.  Tre has become a Mother Bear who fiercely protects her cubs and it’s exactly what this team needed.

Learning How To Suffer

Everyone knows that sports aren’t always fun.  Over the weekend Kentucky had to weather a storm on the road.  Last night they had to grind out a 2^nd half over an opponent that knew they were overmatched but had to muck up the game to stay close.  Missouri is not very talented but do have a decent coach with a couple of savvy guards and they were able to slow the game to a crawl.  The final half became a war of attrition as the Tigers went foul hunting on offense and played super handsy on the defensive end.  Young teams tend to get impatient, but Kentucky did not.  The Cats held Mizzou to just one FG in the final 10 minutes.  They also continued to stay patient and run good stuff on offense and hit their FTs (27/32 on the night).

It was a different test but one this team needed to pass.  Better teams will probably try a similar strategy (A&M this weekend) so it’ll be important to clean some things up.  The game not really being in doubt after the first 5 minutes is encouraging though.

What Does It Mean

Winning comfortably when you don’t play particularly well should not be overlooked.  Kentucky still isn’t healthy (need Adou back) but are finding ways to rebound and defend enough to win.  They also haven’t shot particularly well in the SEC yet, despite getting good looks.  7/23 from 3 isn’t bad but it’s also not the ceiling for this team.  Despite that, they’ve scored 87 and 90 points in the conference.  One of these days they are going to shoot well, and they might score 120.

Kentucky will now head to College Station to take on a desperate (and solid) A&M team.  We’ll have a preview out later in the week looking at the Aggies but for now we’ll enjoy the win.