Kentucky Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from SEC Clash vs. Georgia

Just because John Calipari has assembled a Kentucky team loaded with NBA talent doesn’t mean every single game is going to be an absolute blowout.

The Wildcats did what they had to do against Georgia in the first half Tuesday night and then put it on cruise control the rest of the way for a 69-58 victory at home. Sure, the fact that Kentucky lost the second half by four points could be cause for concern, but there are a lot of teams in the country that would love for it to be a problem when they only win by 11.

Kentucky is well on its way to a No. 1 seed in March, and Georgia is just another notch on its belt. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s victory.

It Was Andrew Harrison’s Night

James Crisp/Associated Press

It wasn’t that long ago that the discussion regarding who should start at point guard was the biggest worry in Lexington.

Having two high-quality floor generals is a nice problem to have, and it was Andrew Harrison who shined Tuesday against Georgia. The sophomore scored 23 points to go along with seven assists and a steal. Most importantly, he only coughed the ball up one time and was in complete control of the tempo and flow for the entire 28 minutes he was on the floor.

It was Harrison’s best game of the season and the type of statement he has been looking to make for most of the year.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN noted that Harrison was critical for the Wildcats in retrospect because Georgia cut the lead down to striking distance in the final minutes:

While Harrison’s performance was important in terms of getting the win against the Bulldogs, it will be more important if it instills some increased confidence in his game moving forward. The point guard discussion for the Wildcats should not be Harrison vs. Tyler Ulis, but rather what each can do for the team.

Harrison is capable of scoring plenty of points and racking up assists when he is on the floor. Perhaps all he needed was one big game to kick-start a strong finish to his second season.

Karl-Anthony Towns Would Put Up Ridiculous Numbers Given More Playing Time

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This is not meant to be the same tired discussion about Calipari’s substitution pattern that fans have been exposed to since October. Rather, it is just an acknowledgment that Karl-Anthony Towns is an incredible talent and could put up Player of the Year numbers if he played 35 minutes a night.

He received 31 minutes Tuesday because Trey Lyles missed another game with illness and responded with a double-double. He scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the free-throw line and hauled in 13 rebounds. He threw in three assists and two blocks just for good measure.

Towns’ talent is no secret, which is why he is the No. 4 pick in DraftExpress’ latest mock draft. When he is on the floor, he controls the boards and scores from the paint, but the thing he does best is protect the rim for the defensive-oriented Wildcats.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

In fact, he is averaging 2.3 blocks per game (and 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds) in the 19.1 minutes of action he sees per night. That’s right, Towns would average almost five swats a game if his numbers were projected to a full 40 minutes. 

He displayed just how lethal he can be when he is on the floor for almost a full game during Tuesday’s victory.

Give Georgia Some Credit

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Kentucky was in complete control of Tuesday’s game with a 15-point lead at the intermission, but Georgia battled back to within five points with just less than two minutes remaining. 

The natural reaction when discussing undefeated Kentucky would be panic since it is rarely ever challenged, but Georgia deserves some credit for the way it played Tuesday. ESPN’s Goodman offered that type of praise for the Bulldogs during the contest:

Goodman wasn’t the only one to notice the Bulldogs’ effort level. The Student Section also praised Georgia:

Here’s the thing with the SEC, though. Many fans and commentators see this as a one-team league and assume that if Kentucky is challenged it is because the Wildcats played poorly and not because the other team played well. That could come back to haunt the league come Selection Sunday, but Georgia coach Mark Fox rallied against that mindset, via Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal:

For one night, Georgia deserves some credit for a moral victory, even if it was Kentucky who came away with the actual victory.

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