NASSAU, Bahamas _Kentucky embarrassed Arizona State on Monday in the Atlantis Showcase in the Bahamas. UK put on a show. Arizona State made the case for how not to play the Cats in Kentucky's 115-69 victory.
On Sunday, ASU coach Bobby Hurley said his team had to limit turnovers and not indulge in poor shot selection. Each would fuel Kentucky's devastating transition game.
Arizona State turned the ball over 13 times, especially early, and made 34.2 percent of their shots from the field.
With its fast break in high gear, Kentucky made history by scoring 100 points for a third straight game. That hadn't happened for a UK team since Joe B. Hall's national champions of 1977-78.
Four straight? That last happened in 1970-71 when Kentucky hit the century mark in five straight games (Feb.15, 20, 22 and 27, plus March 1).
UK point guard De'Aaron Fox made personal history. He posted only the second triple-double in Kentucky men's basketball history by scoring 14 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and getting credit for 10 assists. Chris Mills had the only previous triple-double in UK history (19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Austin Peay on Dec. 27, 1988).
Five other UK players scored in double figures. Malik Monk led with 23 points. Isaiah Briscoe added 20 points and seven assists. Bam Adebayo had 12, Wenyen Gabriel had 10 and Derek Willis had 11 coming off the bench.
Hurley, the former Duke point guard star, knew this was possible. When asked Sunday if Kentucky's size was cause for concern, he chuckled and said, "There's a lot of concern. You can start there if you'd like."
Arizona State, 4-3, scored 100 points in its last game, a 127-110 carnival victory over The Citadel. When asked the difference in defensive intensity he expected from Kentucky, Hurley said, "It's going to be night and day. ... They're going to push you to work the ball. Push you to be patient. Push you to make plays out there. It's not easy playing against a team that plays as hard as they play, and they have the athletes and size and quickness."
Kentucky led 58-30 at intermission, and the first half didn't seem that close. It marked the fifth straight game UK scored 50 or more points in the first half.
The Cats made more than half their shots (23-43), dominated the rebounding (30-14), shared the ball (18 assists on 23 baskets) and repeatedly reduced Arizona State's offense to low-percentage from 3-point range in the first half. Almost half of the Sun Devils' shots were from three-point range (17 of 35) in the first half.
So UK's 28-8 advantage in points from the paint was no surprise. Arizona State also fueled UK's transition offense with turnovers (11 in the half). The Cats enjoyed edges of 18-5 in points of turnovers and 13-0 in points from the fast-break.
The half was practically a highlight reel for Kentucky. Briscoe immediately showed there would be no lingering affects from what UK coach John Calipari had called the "butt bruise" that sidelined the team's leader the last two games. He scored seven of his nine first-half points before the second television timeout.
Briscoe even hit his only 3-point shot. He came into the game 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Fox, who had made only one of 14 3-point shots earlier this season, made his only attempt from beyond the arc. It came with 1.7 seconds left in the half and set the halftime score.
Kentucky's superiority was never more in evidence than a one-minute stretch late in the half in which the Cats scored four baskets. Monk answered Calipari's call to not be overly dependent on the 3-pointer, by shot-faking, then driving to a sweet pull-up.
Then Monk scored on the fast-break, eluding a defender with a precise layup off the glass.
Briscoe scored on the break thanks to a Euro step. Then Fox scored on a putback (Calipari had said the guards need to rebound).
Only Sunday, for the benefit of the UK fans at practice, Calipari told Hawkins to make an outside shot. Hawkins, who came into the game zero-for-seven from beyond the arc, hit a 3-pointer with 1:50 left.
The half was not without need for improvement. Wenyen Gabriel being late on a close-out resulted in an Arizona State 3-pointer and Willis started in Gabriel's place in the second half.
The second half was more of the same with one notable exception. About midway through, Monk had to jump so high and awkwardly for a fast-break pass that he lost his balance.
As Monk fell to the floor, he caught the pass with one hand and re-directed it to Bam Adebayo for a dunk.
The dunk held no competitive meaning. It increased UK's lead to 83-40.
But it spoke volumes about Kentucky's unusual combination of skill, athleticism, depth, chemistry and other components of basketball greatness.
As the teams retreated back downcourt after Monk's pass from the horizontal, UK assistant coach Tony Barbee seemed to suppress a smile as he shook his head.
