Dec. 21--UCLA's Kevon Looney displayed the brashness of a freshman after this historic beatdown by Kentucky, saying: "We'd like another stab at it."
"Not right now," UCLA coach Steve Alford responded to the, well, loony suggestion.
Kentucky led 16-0 after four minutes and 24-0 by the time Alford burned his third timeout. The Wildcats took a 41-7 lead into halftime -- the fewest points UCLA ever had scored in a half -- and eased to an 83-44 victory at the United Center in the second game of the CBS Sports Classic.
"That's the best team I have coached against in my 24 years," Alford said. "Doesn't excuse a 41-7 half, though."
Kentucky's performance was masterful, especially on defense: UCLA shot 3-for-37 in the first half -- seriously, 3-for-37 -- and earned just four trips to the foul line the entire game.
The lead ballooned to 28-2 -- and Kentucky coach John Calipari was blissfully unaware.
"I didn't know what the score was," he said. "To be honest, I couldn't find it in the arena. Which is fine, because the best way to coach is if you're just looking at your team."
What a luxury for a coach, but this is the mega-team he has built.
No one played more than 23 minutes Saturday because Kentucky has two teams that could win the Southeastern Conference, and perhaps get to the Final Four.
"If your son had pro potential, would you be OK with him playing 20 minutes (per game)?" Calipari asked the media. "(Our) parents accept and trust that we have their sons' backs."
Marian Catholic product Tyler Ulis excelled in his homecoming, hitting 3 of 5 shots with six assists and even seven rebounds in 18 minutes. And to remind everyone: Ulis is about as tall as your grandma, though he's listed at 5-foot-9.
"It was fun getting a big win like that," he said.
Calipari warned against predictions of an undefeated season, saying of his players: "They're not machines."
No, machines break. On this day, at least before halftime, the Wildcats were flawless.
