I’d like to say that was nice and Kentucky got a feel-good win after the Gonzaga win and before the rivalry matchup against Louisville. Instead, I’ll be honest and tell you that a 9-1 start to the season was the goal for the evening and that’s how the game ended. There were some pretty high highs and equally low lows that got us to the finish line at Rupp Arena with a final score of 78-67 in favor of the good guys.

How did it all come together for the Cats? What needs to be improved before this weekend’s domestic battle? KSR took the best lessons from the late night win.

A 17-0 start for the Cats…

Kentucky seemed to be on another planet in terms of talent, Colgate struggled to get pretty much anything going early while the Cats essentially got whatever and wherever they wanted. This led to a 17-0 lead to start the game, with the Raiders not making their first field goal until 13:20. It was exactly what you wanted to see after the team promised that, like every other game on the schedule, this would be the biggest and most important of the season up to that point. No hangover returning from Seattle and no looking ahead at the idiots in red on I-64 – at least for the first six minutes or so.

…leads to a three-point deficit in the second half

Then the “strange energy,” as Pope described it, began. The world champions we saw early in the game disappeared as Colgate responded with an 11-0 run to cut the number to five, then another 17-7 run after bringing the number back to 12 which led to a stunning lead of 38:36 at the break. The punches didn’t let up anytime soon – and the rest of the game, all things considered – as the Raiders began the second half with a 9-4 run and took a three-point lead with 17:30 to go the game. Oops.

Their final lead would come with 15:51 left, with Kentucky using a 12-0 run with four straight 3-pointers to finally gain some breathing room. Just when you thought the Cats were ready to fend off the sleepy effort and drive down the stretch, Colgate responded again with a 12-5 run to end the game and wipe out the spread.

Thank God for Koby Brea – Mr. 1,000

The team made four 3-pointers in the first half. All four came from Brea, who finished the day 5-for-8 from deep and increased his season-long shooting percentage to 56.1 percent on 5.7 attempts per game. He finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting and added five rebounds in 33 minutes. With this performance, he surpassed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring and now has 1,013 points as a collegiate hooper.

Outside of the Dayton transfer, however, Kentucky’s shooting was on the verge of further disaster, having shot 27.1 percent from distance over the last four games. The rest of the Wildcats shot 0-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half before starting 0-3 as a group to open the second half. That 12-0 stretch of four consecutive goals saved the day – two from Jaxson Robinson, one from Trent Noah and one from Otega Oweh. Brea and Oweh would add another pair to give the team a 10-31 night while shooting 32.3 percent from three.

This is the first game with 10 players and 30 attempts since Jackson State.

Trent Noah wins the Next Man Up Award

Among the unexpected contributors, Travis Perry got the first positive point from the bench and was used at 15:41 in the first half thanks to injury problems in the backcourt. That led to a quick 0-4 start with three missed shots from three in seven minutes – unfortunately not his day. He was part of the momentum shift that led to the 17-point cushion disappearing at halftime.

Add Trent Noah, who played the final three minutes before halftime, followed by another eight minutes in the second. That point on the field also included a bold three-pointer from the left wing right in front of Mark Pope’s eyes as his head coach told him to shoot the ball inside.

“I’m screaming, ‘Hit it, throw it in the mail!'” Pope said. “He shoots the three of them. That’s why I know he’ll be a great player. He really gave us a boost.”

When you feel it, you feel it! He finished the game with three points, one rebound and one assist in a solid 11 minutes off the bench.

Kentucky needs Lamont Butler back

Jaxson Robinson had no problem taking over as the team’s starting point guard. He played with pace and composure to set the tone in a 17-0 start before everyone got sloppy. All told, he finished the game with 11 points on 4-14 shooting and 2-11 from three shots with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 34 minutes – misses, but a well-rounded performance elsewhere.

However, it was clear that the Cats were missing the straw to stir the drink at both ends. They were without Butler in Seattle, but his absence was keenly felt in Lexington, especially as the Raiders gained some momentum on offense. It’s so valuable to have a guy you trust who can get up 94 feet and take over when the intensity goes down. The perfect espresso shot in a sleepy midweek battle against mediocre competition that you can’t look past.

Louisville narrowly escaped UTEP at home on Wednesday and is also severely shorthanded, but with Butler back in the lineup, Kentucky’s chances on Saturday are still a lot better.

Kerr Kriisa is “high as a kite” (and six weeks until return)

Speaking of injuries, Pope expects Kerr Kriisa to be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery on a broken foot. He joked that we’d be back for another update in 10 days, but the odds in Las Vegas are that he’ll be back playing for the Cats by the end of January.

But we all expected that. What we didn’t do was Coach Pope said Kriisa decided to FaceTime him after his surgery when he was “high as a kite.”

“He went through a long list of all the people he loved so much,” he said. “And my instinct was that I need to find a way to broadcast this on Instagram Live so we can all enjoy this moment.”

This is exactly the right thing.

Five scored in double figures

We know Brea and Robinson ranked 17th and 11th, but three other Wildcats finished in double figures, bringing the team total to five as well. This is the sixth time in 10 games that at least five players have reached double figures in points.

Otega Oweh and Amari Williams each scored 15 points, the former shooting 6-for-13 overall and 2-for-5 from three to go with five rebounds and four assists, while the latter shot 6-for-8 while contributing eight rebounds, two assists and a block. Then there’s Andrew Carr, who is going for 11 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and the 13th of his career.

A big size advantage

The Raiders, 6-11 and 270-pound center Jeff Woodward, have been missing some depth since November due to an injury. This gave them a pair of strikers with 6:6 and 6:9 who started in advance. Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ starting point guard was 6-6 on Wednesday, with 6-11 and 7-0 players in the frontcourt.

The result? A 46-35 win in the rebounding battle, meaning Kentucky has won or drawn in all but one game this season. The Cats also annihilated the competition in the paint, scoring 40 points compared to just 24 inside.

Kentucky is 9-1 for the first time since 2017-18

The goal was a win and the Cats did just that – albeit in sloppy fashion. That moves Kentucky to 9-1 this year for the first time since 2017-18, with that group losing its 11th game right after that. Should they beat Louisville and Ohio State, the Cats’ 11-1 start would be their best since 2014-15 – quite an accomplishment if they can do it over the next 10 days.

The last time Great Britain were 11-1 after 12 games? 2011-12.

Ready for Louisville

We got through that game only to look forward to the Cardinals’ arrival in town on Saturday, a chance for Pope to get his first win over the in-state rival as a head coach. He knows what’s at stake.

“I am well aware of the beauty of this rivalry,” he said.

The Wildcats talked about being part of La Familia’s TBT win over The Ville at Freedom Hall this summer and how it prepared them for this match. Now they can experience the rivalry for themselves – even if it required a sleepy victory over a toothpaste brand.