What we know now...

We found out some things about our team today, and they're worth discussing while we bask in the glow of our early Christmas present... beating Carolina. Let's jump right in with a top ten.

1.) John Wall can't be stopped except by himself. As Clark Kellogg said while calling the game, "If you're trying to stop him while you're back pedaling, it's over." The only time Wall was stopped today was when he made a bad choice, not when the defense did something to stop him. Fortunately, Wall didn't make very bad moves today.

2.) Kentucky isn't nearly as good when Wall isn't on the floor. When Wall went to the locker room in the second half, the Cats looked rough, and that's putting it nicely. Wall is a freshman that plays like an NBA All-Star but Bledsoe is a freshman that plays like a freshman. While Wall was away, Bledsoe made several silly turnovers and fouls that only helped UNC continue to inch closer to the Cats on the scoreboard. He'll need to be more composed in the other big games coming up, like UConn, Louisville, and the entire SEC schedule, because Wall will not be able to play 40 minutes every game... I don't think.

3.) Like Wall, Patrick Patterson is nearly unstoppable, too, but he's still not getting enough touches. We have to find ways to get him the ball as often as possible.

4.) Cousins is feast or famine. The kid dominates some games, and then he has games like today where he just can't get it going. Orton looked good though, so its nice to know we don't lose much when we go to the bench for DeMarcus. Like all freshman (except for perhaps Wall) Cousins, Bledsoe, and Orton will have ups and downs during their growing process and that is only to be expected.

5.) The Cats have a great will to win. It doesn't matter what team they're playing, this team digs in on defense and makes good choices when the game is on the line at the end. It's also good to see Wall and Bledsoe and others step to the line and hit clutch free throws.

6.) Calipari knows what he's doing. In a dominating stretch in the first half of play, Kentucky showed a sneek peak of how good this team can be when its clicking on all cylinders. Of course, it wasn't sustained for the entire game, but we saw enough to know what Cal is trying to do. When Kentucky was down 9 to 2 early in the game, and the Cats looked lost, Cal refused to call a time out but instead directed traffic from the sideline. Before we knew it, Rupp was rocking and the Cats were up double digits. Nice job, Coach.

7.) Ramon Harris can contribute to this team. Yes, the roster is full of NBA players and young McDonald's All Americans, but Ramon plays defense as well as anyone on the court. He's also a great rebounder that can score when in the right position. It's nice to see Ramon finding his role and embracing it within Cal's system.

8.) Liggins is still in the doghouse.

9.) Kentucky's interior defense is tough. Countless shots by UNC's big men were sent back the way they came and missed Carolina shots were consistently gobbled up by the Wildcats off the board. With Patrick, Cousins, Orton and even Stevenson, the Cats are long, strong, and athletic. It will be tough for any team to be beat us in the paint this year.

10.) We still have a long way to go. Despite the flashes of brilliance we saw today, we also saw 21 turnovers, some horrid second half shooting, and some boneheaded play by our freshmen down the stretch. Yet, like we mentioned before, this team knows how to win close games, and that's a great thing, maybe the best of things, for a young team to grasp so early in the season. After the game, Cal said this team still has a long way to go, but he said he loves his team and they're will to win. We do too, Cal.

The Cats are back, baby.