Kentucky vs. Buffalo Recap: Freshmen Save the Day for Wildcats

Kentucky: 71. Buffalo: 52. Well, that was about as unpleasant as a 19-point win could be.

The No. 1 team in the nation is not supposed to trail by five heading into halftime against Buffalo.

Now, let's get this straight: Buffalo is no slouch. The Bulls played tough and were very clearly unafraid of Kentucky. The Wildcats may have been looking past them to Kansas on Tuesday, which was a mistake. The combination of that plus the early afternoon kickoff may have led to the sluggish start.

Andrew Harrison seemed to be over-dribbling at the start of the game, and both he and Aaron Harrison were forcing things a bit too much. That's forgivable, as those two are expected to create most of the offense from their platoon, but they didn't have the energy to go with the decision-making.

Buffalo stayed close by hitting long jumpers in the first half, but to be fair, it's not like the jumpers were really well-contested. The Wildcats were not getting in the Bulls' faces as well as they have shown in the past.

Thankfully, the "White platoon" came in and brought the energy. Tyler Ulis again demonstrated great presence of mind to recognize when his man went too far under the screen and knocked down a three, one of his four on the night.

Kentucky went cold to close out the first half, which is what led to Buffalo's lead at halftime. They didn't score in the final 4:19.

The Harrisons combined for zero assists in the first half. Not only that, but Kentucky took 14 threes in the first half, despite getting into the bonus just 5:30 into the game. That is a clear indication that they were not being aggressive enough. Even with open looks, 14 threes in the first half is too many threes.

Also, you know, this happened.

The White platoon started the second half for the second game in a row, and Trey Lyles led things off with a three, followed by a massive dunk after a steal and then a five-second call on Buffalo. It was a really, really great start for Kentucky after that awful half.

Lyles was the best player on the floor for much of the game, but is still prone to freshman mistakes. It's important to remember this is just his second collegiate game. We should be patient, but he's showing a ton of promise right now.

After going basket-less in his first three halves at Kentucky, Devin Booker finally got in on the action. He went 3-for-4 in the second, all on shots inside the arc. John Calipari smartly started calling plays for him, and he responded by knocking down some really big shots for the Cats that helped put the game away.

Buffalo would only score 14 points in the second half as Kentucky ratcheted up their defense. The Bulls hit a jumper with 10:44 to go in the game and wouldn't make another basket until three seconds left, with the game already in hand.

James Crisp/Associated Press

Items of note

• It was a great game for the freshmen, as Lyles, Ulis and Booker combined for 34 of Kentucky's 71 points. However, this game will not go in Karl-Anthony Towns' mixtape, as he managed only three points in 10 minutes before fouling out.
• Calipari was forced to mix and match his platoons due to Towns' foul trouble, but don't expect him to make a habit of that. At the same time, I liked when he switched Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson. I think Johnson fits better with the Blue platoon and vice versa with Cauley-Stein.
• Ulis is a godsend defensively. Andrew Harrison is susceptible to quick guards, especially when he's not playing with energy, so to have Ulis to sic on them and bug them is so crucial to Kentucky's success.
• Very similar to last year, Kentucky is having some trouble making easy layups. When they play more talented teams, they're going to need to avoid missed opportunities. 
• Zero fast-break points and zero ally-oops in the first half. Eight fast break points and at least three oops by my count in the second. Two great indicators of success for Kentucky. If they're out and running and taking advantage of lobs, they're probably winning.

• Defensively the Wildcats are switching too much, in my opinion. While they have an abundance of athletes, it's still a disadvantage when Johnson ends up guarding Buffalo's point guard. I'd like to see Kentucky fight through screens more.
• Energy is going to be something to watch with this team. Even if they're not playing well, the Harrison twins set the tone, and the tone today was lackadaisical. I did like that Alex Poythress was going all-out the whole time, though.
• This game was a great example of how teams are going to be worn down by the waves of talent Kentucky throws at them. The Wildcats ran more in the second half partially because Buffalo was starting to wear down and didn't have the legs to really keep up the same frenetic pace. 

This was a great test for Kentucky heading into its game against Kansas on Tuesday. I like they way the Wildcats responded to adversity and bounced back offensively and defensively after a dismal first half. This was exactly the kind of game that John Calipari was hoping for.

Now we just have to wait and see if they can carry over what they learned or if this game was a microcosm of issues the Cats will deal with all season long.

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