Kentucky-Hartford Postgame Notes

Dec. 29, 2009

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Kentucky is 14-0 while Hartford is 2-10.
Kentucky’s 14-0 start is its best since the 1977-78 squad opened with 14 consecutive wins.
This is the seventh time in school history that the Wildcats have begun a season with at least 14 straight wins.
John Calipari is the only coach to begin his Kentucky career with 14 wins in a row. Adolph Rupp opened his UK career by winning his first 10 games in the 1930-31 season.
This is the eighth time in John Calipari’s collegiate coaching career that he has had a winning streak of at least 14 games.
This was Kentucky’s first men’s basketball game against Hartford. The Wildcats defeated three other “first-time” opponents this season, Sam Houston State, Cleveland State and Long Beach State.
The Wildcats are 5-0 against members of the America East Conference.
Tonight’s attendance is 23,340 the third-highest of the season.
Kentucky returns to action Saturday, Jan. 2, at home vs. Louisville. The 3:30 p.m. game will be televised by CBS.

Kentucky used the starting lineup of John Wall, Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins for the first time this season.
It is Harris’ first start of the season, the 54 th of his career.
Eric Bledsoe sat out the game in order to rest an injured ankle. Bledsoe started the first 13 games of the season.
Kentucky jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Hartford got on the scoreboard at the 17:35 mark. The Wildcats led the game from start to finish.
UK led by as many as 29 points in the first half at 57-28.
Kentucky rolled to a 57-31 halftime lead, a season high for points in the opening period. The previous high was 56 against Drexel.
UK had 19 assists on its 22 baskets in the first half. The assist/turnover ratio is 19/3, the best first half of the season in that category.
Wall led the passing parade with 11 assists, his third double-figure assist game of the season.
Cousins had 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

UK began the second half with a 14-0 blitzkrieg, increasing the advantage to 71-31, before Hartford got its first points of the half with 15:29 on the clock.
The Wildcats reached 100 points at the 2:46 mark on a three-pointer by Mark Krebs.
John Wall got his 16 th assist, breaking the UK single-game record, with 4:38 to go on a jumper by Perry Stevenson. The old record was 15 by Travis Ford vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 8, 1993.

Kentucky had a season-high 104 points, the second time this season that the Wildcats have eclipsed the century mark.
Kentucky shot a season-best 60.3 percent from the field, making 41 of 68 shots. It is the ninth time in 14 games that the Cats have hit at least 50 percent from the field.
UK made 14 three-pointers, most since sinking 16 treys vs. Tulane in the 2001-02 season.
UK had a season-high 30 assists and a season-low seven turnovers.
Once again, UK took advantage of its height, dominating rebounding 41-24 and points in the paint, 46-16.
UK limited Hartford to 37.9 percent from the field, 22 of 58. It is the ninth time in 14 games that the opponent has made less than 40 percent of its shots.

DeMarcus Cousins totaled 19 points and 12 rebounds. It is his seventh double-double of the season, his third in a row.
Darius Miller pumped in a season-high 14 points, including a career-high four three-pointers.
John Wall notched a school-record 16 assists, breaking the mark of 15 by Travis Ford vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 8, 1993. Ironically, Wall’s nine points is the first time all season he has not scored in double figures.
Darnell Dodson had 19 points, six three-pointers and eight rebounds – all highs for his UK career.
Daniel Orton’s 10 points is his second time in double figures this season.

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