LeMasters of their domain

Throwback week is sitting well with the Kentucky Wildcats, who looked like the Cats of old in demolishing a gimpy Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday. I like the old school uniforms a lot. I like the 40-point feel-good (for UK fans) 80-40 drubbing of an SEC opponent even more.

Nevermind that Ole Miss was playing with a heavy heart, missing its leading scorer and rebounder from a 4-9 conference team. Nevermind that the Cats had everything to play for (NCAA hopes) while its opponent had next to nothing (pride, or coaches' jobs). Focus only on the issues at hand: bench performance, defense, scoring prowess, chemistry, Preston LeMaster's shooting form.


Excuse me?

As my partner, Rance, noted, LeMaster's breakout four three-pointer game was the sort of Kentucky moment this team has lacked pretty much all year. A home win over Louisville was probably the closest thing, but that was another "must win" game against a big time opponent. The senior walk-on's spotlight moment was far more organic, and it was the kind of team-oriented occasion that helps bring a group of players closer together.

Several more of those questions were also addressed, most notably how the "disgruntled" Rajon Rondo would play after his career-low 2-point outing in Columbia on Saturday and whether the practice-graded starting five situation would continue to pay dividends. Against the hapless Rebels, the answers to both were dramatic and emphatic.

Rondo -- on his 20th birthday, no less -- entered the game and immediately ran the floor like a champ, dishing out 5 first-half assists and playing his trademark pesky defense. His backcourt mate, Patrick Sparks, even lobbed up a softball for Rondo to flush down. For the game, the supposedly cancerous teammate Rondo doled out a career-best 12 assists to no turnovers and even sank his only two free throws for good measure. Maybe even more importantly, the sophomore reveled in his passing, turning down a couple of fairly open looks to dish the ball off, and assisting on all of the walk-on LeMaster's four treys.

"And the one he missed was from me, too," Rondo said after the game, grinning.


Wins like this one are infectious, and while it's great to see LeMaster shine, and to witness fellow senior Brandon Stockton tally a career-high 9 points as well, this team will still only go as far as Sparks and the trio of talented sophomores takes it. While the contributions of role players such as Bobby Perry (team-high 7 boards) and Lukasz Obrzut (2 of team's 10 blocks) are critical, the continued development of center Randolph Morris (10 points, 5 boards in limited time) and Joe Crawford (team-leading 17 points on 7-11 shooting) is fun to watch, and a great omen for the rest of the year.

Crawford, in particular, has impressed with his willingness to be a team scoring leader. The role is there for the taking, and it benefits both UK and Crawford for him to continue to push the envelope. Crawford is a gifted scorer and should not shy from taking shots. Obviously, if they aren't falling, the situation changes, but this team needs him to approach 15 points a game, and his outside shooting is a great compliment to Sparks outside and Morris inside.


Morris looked great again, scoring on a creative variety of moves and rebounding in similar fashion to Saturday's double-double game. The Cats really area on the verge of having perhaps their best pivot since Nazr and Magloire roamed the paint, and Morris may actually be more talented than any single UK center since the 80s. As the Georgia native progresses and soaks up the messages from his coach and others, he'll only get better. Let's hope he sticks around to show UK fans their faith in him and their second chance was worth it.

But despite all the personal accomplishments on Wednesday, the real winner was the defense. No, Ole Miss does not resemble an NCAA team in scoring ability by any wide stretch. But echoing Coach Smith, any time you hold a team to 22% shooting, especially an SEC team, you're doing your job very well.

Though the Cats' offensive woes this year were glaring, Tubby instituted the new grading system not to get better offense, but to get better defensive pressure. Thus far, the difference from the Florida and Tennessee losses has been dramatic. Better perimeter pressure, better help defense and much improved interior defense from Morris and Co.

If this team is, in fact, righting its ship at the right time, only a return to Tubby-style defense will carry the day. That, and maybe a few more 12-point outings from Preston LeMaster.

Excuse me?