Kentucky outruns Kansas in MSG: What we learned

The Cats got their biggest win of the year Tuesday night and early into Wednesday morning, beating Kansas 75-65 in the inaugural Champions Classic. Of course, it was just the second real game of the season and Kentucky’s top-flight talent won out in the end. It wasn’t pretty, except for bits and pieces of brilliance, but it’s still early with so much more to learn about this team.

With that being said, Kentucky displayed what they were made of and their flaws and all on the biggest stage. The big stage probved to be a burden for the first half with the youth of this Kentucky squad glaring as a weakness as they turned the ball over with ease. But as they have done in two of their first three contests, Kentucky used the second half to beat down an inferior team. Here’s what we learned about John Calipari’s team last night:

- Marquis Teague shows flashes of brilliance, but also shows times where he looks like a high school point guard still. Teague’s upside is as high as any that Calipari has had, but he also comes in very unpolished and needs a lot of refinement. He needs Calipari’s coaching perhaps more than Brandon Knight and John Wall did as Teague had a reputation of not being very coachable in high school and AAU ball. His first half was brutal and this team will need him to improve greatly on his decision making as they get deeper into the season.

- Kentucky’s bread and butter continues to be their defense and pressure on their opponent. They got many deflections and steals off the pressure they put on Kansas last night, and their ability to block shots is uncanny. Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis protect the rim as good as any duo in college basketball. Without Kentucky’s defense, they are not in the game last night. Their defense translated from Marist to Kansas, so this is something they are going to go to fairly often when they need baskets or want to put a team away.

- Terrence Jones is the leader of this basketball team right now. He has to be there go-to guy when they need a basket. He was last night. As Kentucky struggled through the first half, Jones worked his way into the paint and knocked down a couple shots to help the Cats get going while the freshman struggled mightily. He is going to be relied on to be that type of guy often this year, but the pressure will not be as much as it was last season where he was the ONLY scoring option for the early part of the season.

- Anthony Davis is pretty good at that alley-oop play. They should do that more.

- If Doron Lamb continues to play the way he played last night, he will not only help lead this team to great things down the road, but will make himself a first round draft pick next year. He was the player of the game last night and really was the main reason Kentucky was able to have that huge spurt in the second half. His shot looks in mid-season form and the sky is the limit for him this year. He adds an element of swagger and toughness that can go a long way as he leads by example for this young team. He definitely put on a show back home.

- Where was Darius Miller last night? He only got things going once the game was already in hand. He didn’t score a point in the first half and never looked to get into the flow of the game. He has as much talent as anyone on this team, but as a senior, he needs to show it and force his hand with this team. He got beat on defense often when he first entered the game, and he didn’t look prepared to play last night. He did grab a couple of rebounds and made a few nice passes, but his game has to elevate down the road. He’s got to be a leader, but he hasn’t played like it to this point.

- Eloy Vargas got minutes of Kyle Wiltjer last night. Calipari opted for a little more size and experience over skill when they needed an extra man. Vargas played well and did exactly what he needs to do when he gets in the game. He will surprise some people with his improvements in his game, as long as he gets a chance to show them. Luckily for he and Wiltjer, not every game will be as big or tough as the Kansas game last night and both should see their minutes increase in the near future.

- Calipari still thinks that many teams could beat Kentucky. He may be right, but there are not 100 teams that are better than Kentucky. There may not be three teams better than Kentucky. Could they slip up and lose a few games this year that they should win? Possibly. But this team is a skilled and talented as any team in the country. This is probably Calipari’s most talented team that he’s ever had. Their only weaknesses are youth and depth, and both of those problems should lessen as the season goes on. This team is good and can be great.

- Dick Vitale does not like watching college basketball players have fun. Every time Terrence Jones or Doron Lamb threw up their three goggles, Vitale was complaining that they did not need to be doing that. Give me a break, Dick. You are old and need to realize the game is not played the same way it was 40 years ago. The players are different, culture is different, and Dickie V is the same. And while we are at it, now that Coach K beat his record, can we send Bob Knight packing as far as him being an analyst. He was brutal last night in the Duke and Michigan State game. Barf.

So now, Kentucky comes back home to take on Penn State on Saturday. It’s a game where Kentucky should flex their muscles and not have a problem with the Nittany Lions. Calipari and company will look to see if his team took lessons from their game against Kansas and apply it in their next contest. One thing is for sure though, Davis will dunk the basketball when he’s fifteen feet or closer in, three goggles will be worn, and Calipari won’t think his team is any good.