Kentucky Basketball brushes Colgate: Final score, 3 takeaways and postgame cheers

The Kentucky Wildcats rolled it Colgate Raiders in Lexington on Wednesday night by a score of 78-67.

The Cats got off to a flying start as they took a commanding 17-0 lead. The Raiders didn’t blink though and responded with an 11-0 run of their own. Kentucky looked like they were just going through the motions as they took a 38-36 lead into the half. Mark Pope probably put in them, right?

After halftime, Colgate took a three-point lead early in the half before Kentucky finally woke up and realized they might actually have to play in this one. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Cats recovered their punch from deep and continued to pound the Raiders as the game wore on.

Kentucky is now 9-1 in Pope’s inaugural season with two massive wins. This wasn’t one, but it’s another W nonetheless.

Next, the Cats will take on the rival Louisville Cardinals in Lexington Saturday afternoon.

Here are three things to know from the Cats’ win over the Raiders.

Still no Butler

Lamont Butler missed last Saturday’s game vs Gonzaga Bulldogs due to what was considered a minor ankle injury, but he missed his second straight game tonight.

Butler rolled his ankle late against Clemson Tigers last Tuesday, but he was able to finish the game. He also warmed up before the big game against the Zags, but he wasn’t able to give it a shot. The good news is that the damage looks minor, but two consecutive absences are starting to raise some eyebrows.

The bad news is that the Cats really miss Butler’s presence. Butler provides veteran stability at the point guard spot on both sides of the ball. He’s a lockdown defender, arguably Kentucky’s best, and he’s capable of getting Kentucky a basket when they need it badly.

Butler’s ability to run the show and drive downhill at will along with his elite defense are hard to replicate. Pope will be happy to have his point guard back, especially with Kerr Kriisa missing significant time.

Brea wakes up

Koby Brea has slowed down a bit after his fiery start to the season, scoring in double figures just once in the past four games. Brea has shown an inability to create open shots against some of the better teams on Kentucky’s schedule, but sometimes just the threat of having him on the court can go a long way.

After a brief hibernation, Kentucky’s sharpshooters have awakened. Brea is the best three-point shooter in the country, and he lived up to that billing in this one. The Dayton transfer is known for his shooting ability, but he’s also 6’7, so you’d expect to see him do more than that when he’s on the court.

Brea isn’t a great defender, but his length helps. He has been a solid rebounder, but seems timid when he gets inside the arc on the offensive end. To put it simply, he’s not exactly one-dimensional, but when his shot isn’t falling, it’s really hard to keep him on the floor.

With Butler and Kriisa missing this one, and maybe more, Brea stepping up would be a big development. He was lights out in this game with 17 points on five three-pointers and reminded us all why he is dangerous. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

Freshman Struggles

The freshmen — Travis Perry, Trent Noah and Collin Chandler — have played sparingly this season. The majority of their minutes have come against the really bad teams, with Chandler getting a few minutes here or there against the better teams just to give some guys a breather.

It’s clear that none of these three players are ready to contribute right now. All three are still getting used to the speed and physicality of the college game, but that’s okay, because sometimes that’s just what you get with freshmen. The Cats aren’t overly dependent on these three as they have been in years past, so their slow progression is fine, and maybe even welcome.

But right now, it’s tough when you’re down with your starting and backup point guards and you need minutes from somebody. It’s still way too early to properly judge these guys, so let’s see what they look like when they get to live – whether that’s this year or in a few years.

Now the Cats get the Cardinals and Pat Kelsey in his first season in Louisville. The cards haven’t looked that great to date, but the rivalry always sparks something in BBN.

Let’s hope for a fun one. Go Cats!