For Cats, It's One More to the Final Four

Kentucky outlasted Cornell Thursday night, pulling away for a seventeen point differential in the end, 62-45.

Gotta be brief, but I first want to give the Big Red some credit for having a great season and keeping the game competitive. I certainly could have done without their 7-footer trying to throw a saddle on DeMarcus and riding him to the ground, but for the most part I thought the Ivy Leaguers played clean, hard-nosed basketball and did their school proud.

As per my policy, I am leaving the refs out of it.

The way Kentucky put the "D" on Cornell in this Sweet 16 matchup, they really just had no chance. Funny thing is, with UK's defense, there are times when you almost want to talk about them like a separate unit. As in football--where the offense and defense are made up of 11 different players, with different coordinators for each side of the ball.

I submit that at times, the Cats can put on a defensive performance worthy of it's own nickname. No, I am not going to try to put a witty tag on them myself...the point is, like when Cornell was still sitting on 16 points for the entire first half-- you know they were up against a college basketball version of the Wrecking Crew, or the Purple People Eaters. A game-altering, championship level defense. Media darling Ryan Wittman was turned into a complete non-factor when UK cranked it up.

And honestly, I felt like the team did not play anywhere near its best game offensively. John Wall looked pretty bad early in the game, IMO. The guys were only 2 for 16 from three. Tons of missed free throws. And still a seventeen point win? Yikes.

So now it's a Saturday matchup vs. the second-seeded Mountaineers of West (By God) Virginia...Robert Huggins and his Beasts of the Big East are all that remains between Kentucky and a trip to the Final Four.