Cal's Cats disappointed by less-intense 2nd half

LEXINGTON, Ky. – John Calipari tried to feign disappointment after his No. 1 University of Kentucky basketball team opened the season with a 40-point rout of Grand Canyon on Friday night, saying the Wildcats let off the gas and got pushed around in the second half.

"It got physical," he said, "so we ran from the physicality."

The thing is, Kentucky (1-0) never led by fewer than 23 points after the 4:35 mark in the first half, outrebounded the Antelopes 51-21 and held them to 31.3 percent shooting, thanks in part to 10 blocked shots. The Cats rebounded two-thirds of their own missed shots.

But maybe Calipari was disappointed that the lead didn't get to 30 until the final eight minutes.

"The second half we kind of let go of the rope a little bit and didn't play as physical or determined," junior Willie Cauley-Stein said. "Once it gets harder, then dudes are going to find out it's real – the whole game – especially if you come out flat and you get hit in the mouth first. It's going to be a rough game after that.

"So you gotta come out first and throw the first couple blows to let them know you're there and you're gonna fight the rest of the game."

Today's opponent, Buffalo, won't likely land many haymakers on Kentucky, but Tuesday's foe, fifth-ranked Kansas, certainly can. And the totality of the Cats' opening grind – six games in the season's first 11 days – could provide an early test of this team's fitness and focus.

"It's going to be a grueling few games," Calipari said.

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The two-platoon system, in which no one played more than 24 minutes Friday, should help with that. But there is also the matter, even as Calipari has his most veteran team yet at Kentucky, of four freshmen playing significant roles.

"If you're young, it makes it worse, because you're not used to that," Cauley-Stein said. "You're not used to having to play at a level that Coach wants you to play all the time. It just comes with the experience of playing the college-level game. As you get older, you realize what Coach is saying, and it'll just come."

No one expects the Bulls (1-0), even with former Duke star Bobby Hurley coaching them, to take any air out of the massive expectations for this team full of former McDonald's All Americans. But the Cats wouldn't mind deflating the hype just a little.

"The whole talk about going 45-0 or something, I mean, it's not realistic," Cauley-Stein said. "People put it on us so then there's that expectation on us, so if we do lose a game, they're like, 'Well, should have been 45-0.' I mean, nobody on our team would even think that.

"It's kind of annoying when people say that. Why even put that on a young group?"

Perhaps that's why Calipari is suddenly playing the part of party pooper after 40-point wins.

"Our coaches don't let us" get overconfident, Cauley-Stein said. "Like the little plays. Now we can be up by that much, but they're still killing you on little plays. That doesn't change the game that much, because we're up by so much, but in a close game that's a whole game-changer."

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.