TRAVIS GRAF:

1. Kentucky needs to be able to show it can score against a strong team when it can’t run in transition. The offense was stagnant, to say the least, and the looks weren’t great. The ball movement has stalled at times in the last few games and the lack of a good goalscorer for the team remains a big problem in my opinion.

2. If you build your offense around the 3-point shot, you’ll hardly ever win a Power Five game, even though you only hit a handful of 20+ attempts. Pope has to find new ways to create looks from these guys, but the defense is starting to take some of their key plays away from them.

3. The offense was the reason the game was so bad tonight, but the defense was also pathetic. That’s what scares me about this team’s future in SEC play, as they lack athleticism and rim protection. The guards have been hunted all night and there is no one in the last line of defense who can consistently deflect the shots.

DAVID SISK:

1. A 20-point loss to Ohio State today wasn’t what we expected. Once again, the Wildcats fell behind eight balls early. Although they didn’t get off to a great start, the Buckeyes took control in the second half of the first half and led by nine at halftime. But for the first time this season, they had no response in the second half to stay competitive. It seems to me that the substitution patterns stopped some of the early flow. Some shortening of the bank could be a solution.

2. If you only shoot 18% from 3-point range, you’re better off scoring more than 24 paint points. I repeat myself. We thought it would be a free-flowing offense with threes and runs, but there were games where the shots weren’t falling and the transition game was nowhere to be found. Today there were only 11 fast break points in total.

3. Kentucky had no answers for Bruce Thornton. It’s just difficult to keep up with the other team’s play and pace. The Buckeyes put the ball in his hands at the middle ball screen and scored while running out the clock. One reason Ohio State was plus-12 in points in the paint was because Thornton and the other guards finished in the paint. In fact, they shot 66.8% from two-point range. Kentucky needs to strengthen its defense heading into SEC play.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

1. It will be interesting to hear how Blue Blue Nation reacts to the first real “egg” of the Mark Pope era in Kentucky. I think Pope built enough goodwill with exciting games and wins over elite teams like Duke and Gonzaga to give him a small edge in this game, but that was about as bad as a top-five team against one fighting, unranked opponents. Remember, this OSU team lost by 38 to Auburn and by 14 to Texas A&M. Red flag in SEC game?

2. Is it time to ask yourself if this isn’t a good 3-point shooting team? In the final seven games of a month, Kentucky has only exceeded the 32.3% mark once, and that was last week’s win over Louisville (11 of 21). Not only do the Cats fail to make them, they also have trouble getting rid of them in the first place. Pope says he wants to shoot 30-35 per game. Against Ohio State they only got 22, which is just four. This team needs to have the trey in its arsenal. Without them, it has neither the athleticism nor the playmaking ability to consistently score against P5 teams.

3. I thought they had a few players step up tonight and really missed the boost of energy that a healthy Kerr might have given Kriisa. I’m not going to bully anyone, but Ohio State seemed ready for one of those “Everybody’s Super Bowl” games while the UK side didn’t have the same intensity.