I didn't see this game because I was stuck in meetings while it was being played. But as soon as I got the chance, I checked my phone and I was very happy to see "UK 92 UTA 44 F" flash up on my screen. I think the score by quarters gives you a good sense of what happened:
1st: Kentucky 23, Tex-Arlington 7
2d: Kentucky 32, Tex-Arlington 5 (UK led 55-12 at the half)
3d: Tex-Arlington 20, Kentucky 13 (UK led 68-32 with 10 minutes to go)
4th: Kentucky 24, Tex-Arlington 12 (UK wins 92-44)
This was the third night in a row that either UK or U of L had put on an extraordinary performance. Check out these scores:
11/23: Kentucky 86 - 28 Montana St.
11/24: Louisville 87 - 26 Savannah St.
11/25: Kentucky 92 - 44 Tex-Arlington
Tonight the Cardinals play Cleveland State, so we'll see if they can maintain this pace.
It's easy to assume that these performances don't mean very much, because the Cats and Cards are just beating up on weak teams. But look at UK's first six games last year:
UK 89, UNC-Asheville 57
UK 93, N. Kentucky 63
Michigan St. 78, UK 74
UK 87, Robert Morris 49
UK 105, Tex-Arlington 76
UK 68, Cleveland St. 61
Total points scored: UK 516, Opponents 384
So through its first six games last year, UK had outscored its opponents by 132 points, and had lost its only game against a major opponent. This year, UK has outscored its opponents by 221 points (495-274), and beat Kansas by 32 points. That's a big difference. Here's another: last year's Cats were giving up 64 points per game -- this year's Cats have allowed only 45.7 points per game.
In short, the Cats are playing at an extraordinarily high level. According to Matt Jones, the games against Montana State and Tex-Arlington were the first time UK had a victory margin of at least 48 points in back-to-back games since 1954. If they can keep this up, UK fans have some really happy months to look forward to.
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