2nd Half Thoughts: Indiana_Kentucky

( The Jasper Denial @ the 1:37 mark of the 2nd half)

19:01: Fast break Kentucky, Perry to Bradley. Score. Sweet. Indiana Timeout. 32-26 Kentucky.

18:33: Air Ball Bradley? What's up?

18:01: Jasper denied, but Kentucky got back on transition D - got the ball off the boards.

16:57: Kentucky fast break - missed opportunity. Turnover Perry.

16:23: Morris rebounds - where's the foul??? 34-30 Kentucky.

15:56: TV Timeout. They highlighted the Jasper dish to Perry for the Jam. Jasper is going to be a great point guard - can't imagine what he'll be like if he stays four years at Kentucky. That's Jasper's third assist of the game; Bradley has 4 -- that's good to see out Kentucky's guards.

Crawford is quiet today. Maybe he'll emerge before the game is done.

15:42: Morris gave a gift to Indiana with a basket interference. It was a three-point shot. Count the trey. It was bouncing out too. 34-33 Kentucky.

14:42: After a breakdown in D, Jasper dished it to Morris. Score. 36-35 Kentucky. Again, Kentucky has gotten away from feeding Morris down low, but they are pushing the ball up the court more.

13:58: Michael Porter subs Jasper. Shot clock violation.

13:12: What a heads up play by Morris to bat the ball to his teammate for the turnover.

12:38: Four point swing for Indiana. Another breakdown on D and another poor inbounds pass which leads to another turnover and a score. 39-36 Indiana. 13 Turnovers for Kentucky already. On their way to twenty again.

11:38: Where's the foul on Bradley from the dish by Morris?

11:14: Kentucky Fast Break: Jasper DISH and the MONSTER JAM by Perry!!! 42-39 Kentucky. I can see Kentucky getting better on the fast break offense right before my eyes.

10:31: Crawford for the layup … and ONE. 44-39 Kentucky. Swish.

9:46: Crawford long three ball. Not good.

8:57: Great transition D by Bradley. Great hustle.

8:19: Perry denied, but got his own rebound and dished it to Crawford for the score. Sweet. 47-41 Kentucky.

TV Timeout: Indiana has made 2 of 19 three point tries. They've shot the three ball nineteen times man. Kentucky's not any better, but they've only shot it nine times. You know, when the three ain't sinking, when it's still a close game, you gotta go for high percentage shots which Kentucky is getting off of fast breaks and by pushing the ball up the court. Shooting percentage so far: Indiana 31% - Kentucky 44 percent. Again, Indiana has 16 more shot attempts over Kentucky.

7:10: Bradley for three ... man that three ball ain't sinking for neither team.

6:24: Just as I speak, Indiana's Roderick Wilmont drops two-straight Three Balls. Game tied 47-47. Crazy man. It's crazy!

5:58: Morris baseline. Turnaround shot … Swish and Foul! And Good. Kentucky 50-47. Feed Morris. Let's not forget to feed Morris this late in the game.

TV Timeout: Free Throw Stats: Indiana 3-5 -- Kentucky 9-14.

4:48: Bradley drive to the basket. Foul. That's what I want to see when the jumper ain't there. Bradley makes both. 52-47 Kentucky.

3:50: Crawford with the ball at the top of the key, drives, denied, Morris goes up mad with the ball. Foul. That's what I'm talking about. Show me that you're not going to let the Hoosiers push us around at Rupp! Timeout.

Morris with a double double, 15 pts, 10 grabs. Nice. Bobby Perry is just one rebound away from a double-double also.

3:25: Three ball ain't sinkin for Indiana, but offensive rebounds are. Steal by Crawford - fast break. Good for two.

2:30: Perry jumper - GOOD!!! 57-52 Kentucky.

2:00: Bradley turnover. Ouch this late in the game.

1:37: Jasper turnover. Not again. WHAT A BLOCK BY JASPER!!! WHAT A BLOCK BY JASPER!!! He may be making freshman mistakes, but this kid ain't giving up!!! Someone please put the Jasper block up on YouTube. I want the Jasper Denial. That just might be one of the sweetest blocks I've ever seen in my lifetime. 57-54 Kentucky.

1:25: Wow, that rebound should have been Kentucky's. Perry's hurt. Here comes Sheray. Kentucky lead is three; Kentucky just needs to take care of the ball, and fight for the easy basket. FEED MORRIS, and MORRIS should look to draw the foul. Morris is 4-5 from the line. Bradley is 6-6 from the line also.

Here we go. Indiana inbounds.

1:00: Long three ball no good for Indiana. Rebound by Sheray. Ironic justice. 54-57 Kentucky.

Remember, this Indiana team lost to Duke 51-54 earlier this season.

:32 -- Nice look for Meeks, but Morris was double-teamed should have went up strong for the basket and draw the foul. Three point lead for Kentucky with :28 seconds left.

:09 -- GREAT PERIMETER D BY KENTUCKY! The three ball has hurt Indiana today. Meeks at the Foul line. One and One. Good. And Good. Sweet. Kentucky 59-54.

:05 -- Tip by Jasper - GAME OVER. Great motivating win for Kentucky. Good for those kids. Kentucky 59-54.

Morris 16 pts 10 grabs; Perry 11 pts, 10 grabs; Bradley with 10 pts, 5 dishes; Crawford added 9 pts; Jasper with just 2 pts and 5 turnovers, but you can tell his presence on the court and his hustle makes this team a better one. He and Bradley combined for 10 assists. That's just awesome. Tubby Smith has to be pleased with the effort and close win against a rival team.

Kentucky with 17 turnovers - still a problem - Indiana 11 steals. Two things that helped Kentucky: Indiana 31% shooting (credit Kentucky's D) in which Indiana attemped 25 three point shots, only made four. Second, Kentucky shot well (45% and got to the line twice as much as Indiana, 14/20 FT's, and if Kentucky had connected on their three ball, they would have blown out Indiana.

Indiana 22 of 72 FGs. Kentucky 22 of 49 FGs.

Indiana with 23 more attempts. Although some of this reflects poor put backs and fouls, 22 offensive rebounds for Indiana vs Kentucky's 10 tell some of the story. Kentucky was dominant on the defensive glass with 29 rebounds. Kentucky would have been in big trouble if Indiana had connected on just a third of their three point attempts, but I give credit to Kentucky's D, for the most part, they didn't allow Indiana hardly any consistent good looks from three.

Good hard fought win for the Wildcats against a team that held Duke, at Duke, to pretty much the same, but I wouldn't stop carrying the b-ball everywhere around with me anytime soon if I were Kentucky.