COLUMBIA, Mo. _ Kentucky beating Missouri on Tuesday night was supposed to be about as exciting as a scheduled execution.
But with this Kentucky team, little is routine. Or as associate cach Kenny Payne said Monday, UK's consistency is "all over the board."
Kentucky beat Missouri, 72-62, to retain a share of first place in the Southeastern Conference and set up Saturday's showdown with the other first-place team, Florida.
But along the way, Kentucky's inconsistencies _ surely a product of another season of freshman dependence _ converted Mizzou Arena into a basketball funhouse.
"It's another game for us to figure out who we are," UK Coach John Calipari said Monday.
The figuring will continue for Kentucky, 23-5 overall and 13-2 in the SEC. But this victory surely erased any doubt about what a difference Bam Adebayo can make.
Adebayo, who had been susceptible to what Payne called "dumb fouls," drew fouls rather than commit them. He did not get whistled for a foul until 4:17 remained in the game. And like a dominate big man should, he got to the foul line repeatedly.
The difference was striking. Adebayo recorded his first double-double since the UCLA game on Dec. 3. He scored 22 points and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds. He also matched season highs by shooting 13 free throws and making 10.
Given its topsy-turvy nature, Kentucky needed dominance from Adebayo _ or someone.
Missouri, 7-20 overall and 2-13 in the SEC, stayed close and made the outcome dependent on the final eight minutes.
"They're dangerous because they can make perimeter shots," Calipari said. But Missouri looked like the team ranked last in SEC games in points (67.7), shooting (39.7 percent) and 3-point shooting (30.9 percent). The Tigers made only four of 22 3-point shots.
Adebayo scored arguably the game's biggest basket. With the score tied at 52 and less than eight minutes left, Kentucky went to Adebayo in the post. He scored while drawing Reed Nikko's fifth foul. Kentucky pulled away from there.
De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk joined Adebayo as double-digit scorers. Fox had 13 points and Monk 11.
Kentucky led 31-30 at halftime. The margin would have been greater had the Cats made more than six of 12 free throws.
Kentucky, which hadn't won in the three previous games it trailed at halftime (UCLA, at Tennessee and at Florida), needed a late rally to avoid a deficit at intermission.
The cliche of a trap game surely entered minds.
"It's a long season," Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. " ... The big question is how do you respond on those days you don't feel at your best, and those are the days that all your preparation and all your focus has to really come out and carry you."
Missouri matched its largest first-half lead with 4:28 remaining. Jordan Barnett drove around Mychal Mulder for a layup to put UK behind 28-24.
The Cats outscored Missouri 7-2 the rest of the half. A free throw by Adebayo with 49.9 seconds left set the halftime score.
Missouri's 90-70 loss at Tennessee on Saturday left Coach Kim Anderson lamenting how his team did not "answer the bell" early.
Kentucky seemed guilty of that here. The Cats' shaky start included one basket and two turnovers in the first three-plus minutes.
Barnett made the first half's most memorable play. After blocking Monk's three-point shot, he retrieved the loose ball and ran to a fast-break dunk that featured the full reach-back load-up.
Isaiah Briscoe's bullish drive gave Kentucky its largest first-half lead: 20-15. But when UK went more than five minutes without a basket, Missouri rallied.
