LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Both sides applied the familiar sports adage about not getting too high nor too low about what can happen in a long season to Kentucky's 87-52 victory at Vanderbilt.
UK coach John Calipari tried to temper any runaway enthusiasm generated by the program's biggest margin of victory at Vanderbilt in 23 years (and second biggest since 1952).
"My team is halfway up the mountain," Calipari said. "We can't afford to revert back to how we've been playing."
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew acknowledged how a 45-15 halftime deficit made him feel embarrassed and angry. But he saw hope in a much more competitive second half.
"They could have quit in the second half," he said of his players. "And they didn't. I'm proud."
Next up for Kentucky is Saturday's game at Florida. The Gators showed signs of growth in beating Ole Miss, 90-86, in overtime on Wednesday.
Florida had lost its previous five games this season decided by five points or less, a reason ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had the Gators among the first four teams out of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
"Hopefully, we're in a better place now," Florida coach Mike White said after the game. "There were a lot of smiles in the locker room."
KeVaughn Allen's example of personal improvement factored in Florida's victory. A player who had long been expected to be more productive, his three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation sent the game into overtime. He scored 11 of his 20 points in the final four minutes of the second half and overtime.
White attributed Allen's clutch play to "growth." The Florida coach then explained. "Because he hasn't always been that confident. He's a senior midway through his final year, and he wants it more offensively."
As for Kentucky-Vanderbilt, Calipari and Drew noted how their teams crushed _ or got crushed by _ the opposition.
"We defended, we rebounded and we were willing passers," Calipari said. "That's why this was what it was. We defended like crazy."
Vandy became the fifth UK opponent in the last six games to make less than 40 percent of its shots.
Calipari tried to put a seventh straight victory into perspective. He reminded reporters that the focus should be on individual and team improvement. A victory in January, no matter the margin, is almost inconsequential.
Not for the first time, Calipari said conference tournaments, including the Southeastern Conference tournament, get in the way of big-picture preparation for the NCAA Tournament. "I hate 'em," he said of conference tournaments. Incidentally, the SEC Tournament will be March 13-17 in Nashville, Tenn.
"Everything is geared toward growth," Calipari said. "That's why you can't get crazy with results. It's growth. Are we getting better?"
Calipari conceded that Kentucky met that objective at Vanderbilt.
"We got better," he said.
But the UK coach said he'd like to see Jemarl Baker and Immanuel Quickley not play tentatively. Nick Richards and Keldon Johnson can be more consistent.
Meanwhile, Drew lamented his team's 20 turnovers. "We can't win games when we turn it over 20 times," he said.
Drew seemed to concede that Kentucky's players were simply better.
"Guys are playing hard," he said. "We're playing guys who are faster ... . They're bigger. They're longer."
