Cats Close Out Hoosiers

Now that's how you finish a game! Absolutely going away! I love it! Indiana should be glad there wasn't another 5 minutes on the clock, or the Cats might have housed 'em by 30! Yeah!

*end sarcasm

So I was again stuck watching this one through the wonders of my DVR, which means that I missed a real large piece of the first half while a team that shall not be named finished up their win over Pitt. The four-letter network was kind enough to put Kentucky on t"The Tres" and also on standard definition, but that doesn't help a brother when he has holiday obligations and has to time-shift the game to Sunday morning.

Usually under such circumstances I will try to avoid seeing the score or listening on XM Radio if I am away from home. I will even pre-empt conversations with people who know me as UK fan by saying, "Don't tell me about the game, I'm watching it later."

However, by the time I got to viewing this one, I was aware that Kentucky had beaten the Hoosiers by 19. I tell you: it makes for a very strange perception of things. I wasn't necessarily surprised by the score being close at half, but watching the second frame unfold was pretty bizarre. I just found myself waiting.....and waiting....and waiting some more for UK to (finally) put Tom Crean's team on blast.

Obviously, the explosion came very very late. And you know, it really wasn't even much of an explosion. More like a small salvo. A cannonade, perhaps. UK just continued to execute down the stretch, make its share of free throws and force IU into some poor sets and low percentage looks on their end. Kentucky seemed pretty peppy in the final 5 minutes while the boys from Bloomington appeared exhausted. And by the time you add it all up, it was a 81-62 Big Blue victory that looked really good scrolling across the bottom of the sports channel feeds all evening.

True, it was a good day for a couple of upperclassmen in DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson. I'm continuing to be stirred by the play of Liggins in particular, who's added (or at least upgraded) a fairly reliable three-point shot to his repertoire this season, and still always manages to scrap and scrape and leave his left ventricle out on the Rupp Arena floor defensively. Back in the Billy Gillispie days (what was that? 15 years ago?) I was more frustrated by Mr. Liggins than anything. But he dribble-drives it pretty good, and doesn't mind doing the dirty work of taking charges, getting after 50-50 balls, and setting solid picks for his more celebrated teammates.

And since I don't have a whole lot of analysis to offer on the win, and since he put up 19 points and 9 boards--we're concluding this post by giving DeAndre the Blue Grass Chemical Player of the Game award for Saturday's win. DeAndre gets a refurbished 55-gal steel drum, spray-painted in any color that he chooses. As long as it's black.

GO CATS!