The critics have been silenced

Kentucky 68, North Carolina 66

(Photo Courtesy of the CatsPause)

In the first half, the Cats showed their full potential for maybe the first time this year as they blew the Tar Heels out of the gym and broke away with a 19 point lead. John Wall amazed everyone in front of a record setting Rupp Arena crowd of 24,465 fans and Patrick Patterson led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds. The Cats improved to 8-0 for the first time since the 1992-93 season and it was the first monumental victory in the Calipari era. After the Cats rallied on a 28-2 first half run, Wall was cramping and had to leave the game for an IV shot, Bledsoe was still favoring his ankle and only played 17 minutes, Demarcus Cousins was again in foul trouble, and the Tar Heels were just too good to fall down flat on their face. They came back, but the Cats made key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. The young Cats finally had the opportunity against a top 10 team to prove that they were as good as their #4 ranking indicated, and they did just that!

Savor the victory while you can, Big Blue Nation, because in just a few days the Cats will face UConn at Madison Square Garden in the SEC/Big East Invitational. It will be the first true neutral site game of the year. A game in which I believe will be more difficult to win than UNC at Rupp. Yes, there will be a lot of Kentucky fans making the trip up to New York, but it won't be the same atmosphere that helped the Cats beat UNC in front of a record frenzy crowd at Rupp. The players responded very well to the crowd and played off of their intensity yesterday. They need to play with that same intensity Wednesday night in a building that UConn is very familiar with playing in. If the Cats play with the intensity, desire, and passion that they exhibited against the Tar Heels, they cannot be beat. They must keep this same intensity on Wednesday night and going into SEC play. After UConn, the Cats will have their first true road game of the season at Indiana, which will surely be another great learning experience for this young team. It's always great to win while still learning, and with 21 turnovers committed against UNC, there is still a lot to learn. However, this team has a will to win, and that's what they do: win. It's scary to think how good they can be in March.