The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Battle of Seattle on Saturday night by a score of 90-89.

Kentucky played terribly from the start. There was no insult. There was no defense. The Cats were sloppy and seemed like a completely inferior team. The Zags took a 50-34 lead at halftime.

After the break, the battle in Seattle really got going. The Zags extended their lead to 17 in the second half, but the Cats were undeterred. A 16-2 run put Kentucky within striking distance as the lead slowly dwindled to two. Between the first and second half it actually looked like there were four different teams. Andrew Carr in particular was outstanding.

And at the end of the second half we were tied and went into extra time! Kentucky took a commanding 86-79 lead, but in no time it was a one-point game. And the Cats won a huge victory!

The Cats next face the Colgate Raiders on Wednesday night in Lexington.

Butler didn’t play

It’s amazing what a difference one player can make. Of course, Butler’s absence wasn’t the only reason for the outcome of this game, but he was definitely missed.

Kerr Kriisa started, but he shared lead guard duties and the rotation was expanded. Jaxson Robinson played someone and Collin Chandler and Travis Perry both got minutes. Robinson made the difference.

The loss of Butler’s defense, his ability to initiate the offense, and his downhill demeanor were sorely missed. Kriisa wasn’t terrible offensively, but he was defensively. Kentucky simply had no answer for Butler’s absence until Robison came to life.

Luckily it didn’t matter. If anything, Kentucky deserves special credit for this win in the eyes of the March Madness selection committee.

A story of two halves

In the first half, I really wasn’t sure which was worse between this team’s offense and defense.

The pick-and-roll defense had become a nightmare reminiscent of “he who shall not be named.” No adjustments were made to try out Zone or much else. Kerr, Amari Williams and Koby Brea were mistreated. This team’s rebounding and toughness were virtually non-existent.

On the offensive side, the game initiated by the middle was brutal to watch. Williams and Brandon Garrison turned the ball over at an alarming rate, and handing the ball off to Andrew Carr at the three-point line was like watching a baby deer try to get up.

Three-point shooting was abysmal. It felt like they could barely get easy buckets, and when they were wide open it was one rock after another.

This team looked completely different in the second half. They fought every possession, they defended and recovered. They actually ran some offense, mostly through Carr, and the entire game turned around. What seemed like a bust and a lost cause suddenly became a real battle in Seattle.

Pope is to be commended for his ability to adapt and change the entire game on the fly. The result wasn’t in Kentucky’s favor and it would be nice to see some better starts, but you can never discount this team.

Garrison is a monster

Brandon Garrison wasn’t perfect this year, but he was a McDonald’s All-American who put up decent numbers in his first season at Oklahoma State. The greatest thing is its engine that never stops.

He has a good outside shot and is as long as possible. He changes shots, rebounds and points at the right time. He still has a long way to go, but his ceiling is through the roof.

Jaxson Robinson saves the day

After a disastrous first half, Jaxson Robinson appeared in the second half and second half for the Cats and finished the game with 18 points on 7/15 shooting after starting 1/8. He also contributed five assists while receiving increased minutes as a point guard.

It took a while, but we finally got the full Jaxson Robinson experience in what was arguably Kentucky’s biggest win of the season in terms of analytics (Gonzaga is No. 2 in NET and Duke is No. 4).

Now let’s celebrate!

CATS!!