LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fans watching Kentucky play Saturday might have rubbed their eyes to make sure it wasn’t a mirage. Or given thanks for arriving at the oasis that was an 82-69 victory over LSU.
Kentucky made 3s, at least for a while. UK limited turnovers. UK shared like it was Thanksgiving and Christmas combined.
Hardly anything went wrong in the first half. Nothing to prevent Kentucky from posting its highest-scoring half of the season.
UK led 49-36 at the break. That topped the 45 points scored in the first half against Morehead State in the season’s opening game.
With its customary solid defense continuing, Kentucky twice led by as many as 16 points.
Kentucky opened the game with a who-are-these-guys flurry. UK made its first three 3-pointers and had hit five at the 11:13 mark.
That might have evoked LSU memories of Alabama making an SEC-record 23 in defeating the Tigers by 30 earlier in the week.
Incidentally, Kentucky was on pace to make 22.2 in the game. The five early 3s (in the first eight attempts) were as many as UK had made in nine previous games.
The sudden sharp-shooting included a 3 by Brandon Boston, who had made only 7 of 43 shots from beyond the arc going into the game.
And Keion Brooks, who had made 1 of 7, hit one, too.
While Kentucky made only two of its next 18 3-point shots, the damage was done.
A Kentucky team that ranked 311th among Division I teams in assist-to-turnover ratio, had more of the former than the latter for only the fifth time (and the third time since Dec. 12). The Cats had 15 assists and nine turnovers.
Brooks equaled a career high of 15 points. Boston continued his productive play at Georgia with a team-high 18 points as Kentucky improved to 5-9 overall and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference.
LSU fell to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. Cameron Thomas, the league’s leading scorer, made only 6 of 20 shots and finished with 18 points. Trendon Watford led LSU with 26 points.
UK’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 13-4 in the first half. The 12 assists were more than Kentucky had in eight previous games. Of the Cats’ first 13 baskets, 10 included credit for an assist (several on lobs converted into dunks).
Being on pace for eight turnovers, if maintained, would have been fewer than UK had in every game except when it only committed two against Vanderbilt.
How intently were the basketball gods favoring Kentucky? Thomas missed two of three free throws when fouled on a 3-point shot. He came into the game having made 52 of 56 free throws against SEC teams.
The beginning of the second half rudely interrupted Kentucky’s party time. With Watford and Thomas leading the way, LSU closed to within 54-49.
That prompted a Kentucky timeout with 15:43 left. UK could not wait for the under-16 television timeout.
Kentucky’s defense saw to it that LSU got no closer. The Tigers went scoreless for four-plus minutes.
Another departure from form came late. For a change, there was no possession-by-possession tenseness. UK led by double digits for about nine of the final 11 minutes. That included the final 5:34.
