State-Journal.com - UK still has work to do

Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, right, shoots over Georgia's Trey Thompkins during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/ James Crisp)

LEXINGTON – If the Kentucky Wildcats don’t come out of the fog they played through Saturday in a 76-68 win over the Georgia Bulldogs, UK won’t even make it through next week undefeated, let alone through the end of this season.

And if the Wildcats don’t make significant improvements in their perimeter shooting and, to a lesser extent, their hustle on the boards and on defense, they won’t be playing any games this season in Indianapolis.

To fill in the blanks, Kentucky has its toughest road game of the season this Tuesday at Florida (9 p.m. on ESPN), and Indianapolis is the site of the Final Four.

The Wildcats played disinterested most of the way Saturday in escaping an upset bid by Georgia. UK improved to 16-0 in winning its SEC opener, while a much-improved Georgia team fell to 8-6 and 0-1.

The Bulldogs were coming off a nice win over rival Georgia Tech earlier this week and came into Rupp with confidence. Kentucky was coming off the 71-62 win over rival Louisville and came into Rupp Saturday brimming with overconfidence, as if to say, “we’ll work only as hard as we need to escape with a victory.”

Thank freshman center DeMarcus Cousins for the fact that this was not loss No. 1 for the Wildcats. Cousins overcame – all together now – first-half foul trouble and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in 25 minutes. Most of that damage came after halftime.

“When DeMarcus is playing like that, we look forward to feeding him the ball,” said UK junior forward Patrick Patterson. “They just couldn’t stop him. Whenever he gets the ball down low, he’s either going to get the basket or draw the foul.”

Patterson added 17 points and six rebounds for Kentucky – numbers he seems to be able to pile up in his sleep. Speaking of sleep, if Patterson would crash the boards, as he’s capable, his numbers would be more like 21 points and 10 boards.

Patterson’s low post defense left something to be desired, too. He was on Georgia’s 6-10 sophomore forward Trey Thompkins much of the night and Thompkins finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

UK coach John Calipari was critical of Patterson after this game, as he has been the past couple of weeks. When asked why Cousins, not Patterson, was the go-to guy for the Wildcats Saturday, Calipari said, “Because he’s getting it done.

“I want to win,” Calipari added. “Nothing else matters to me. I want to win a ballgame. Patrick had a tough time with Thompkins. (Thompkins) didn’t seem at all intimidated...he went right at Patrick.”

Patterson did not brush off Calipari’s recent criticism.

“I agree with him,” Patterson said.

That’s nice. A positive response on the court might be a good thing. Just a thought.

Cousins, obviously, needs no urging. He plays every play like it might be his last, which often leads to foul trouble, but otherwise leads to important rebounds and points. Cousins played with maturity against Georgia, which is remarkable given that the UK big man was hammered virtually all game long. The Bulldogs were whistled for 25 fouls (to 15 for Kentucky), but could have been called for 40 had the officials working the game called it accurately.

Georgia outrebounded the Wildcats, 36-33. Pretty much no excuse for that, though the Bulldogs have the toughest front line UK has faced outside of Connecticut.

The Bulldogs lost only because they turned the ball over 26 times.

Kentucky shot just 43.3 percent from the field on 26-of-60. That isn’t dreadful, I realize, but the Wildcats were only 2-of-14 from 3-point range. This marks the second straight game UK has shot poorly from the outside, and if perimeter shooting doesn’t become a consistent strong point, Kentucky will be lucky to reach the final 16, let alone Final Four.

Sophomore Darius Miller made one basket in two attempts Saturday and finished with five points in 15 minutes. Darnell Dodson was scoreless in 11 minutes on 0-of-3 from the field.

There are at least 10 to 15 teams in the country that can beat the Wildcats if Miller and Dodson shoot like that. And both of them don’t have to knock down shots for UK to win the national title. Just one of them will do. Either one. Dodson’s name did not come up post-game, but Miller’s did.

“There’s always something that shows me, I better get him out,” Calipari said when asked about Miller. “Because I’m not going to guess that he’ll play through it.”

The closest Calipari came to naming Dodson was to say that Kentucky’s bench did not contribute much in this game.

However, there was one notable exception, and when Calipari quizzed the media, asking them to name that alternative, he got a chorus of “DeAndre Liggins,” referring to UK’s sophomore swing man, who has been superb since escaping Calipari’s dog house a few games back.

Liggins played 14 minutes against Georgia and had just six points and three steals, but he gave the Wildcats what they are lacking right now in some spots and what Calipari demands: Liggins played with a passion matched only by Cousins, and freshmen guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe.

“The tentativeness, the softness, the, ‘I got screened,’ ‘I didn’t hear’...I’m sorry, it’s too late for that now.” Calipari said. “Man, we’re midway through the season. You have to go out there and fight and compete. If you’re not, I have to play somebody else.

“DeAndre was probably the difference in the game,” Calipari added, exaggerating only slightly. “He tied up a ball for a jump ball, and he made a layup when we were dying. He did some really good things.”

Kentucky, again, needs more of that kind of passion. If the Wildcats do not get it, enjoy being undefeated while you can – like for two more days.