The alarms went off and Kentucky promptly answered.Yes, you crazy Cat fans, that loss to South Carolina on Tuesday wasn’t the end of the world after all. No, this team is going to be OK. With an easy 85-72 victory over No. 21 Vanderbilt – a team that has owned UK over the past few years – the Cats are back on top of the Southeastern Conference standings.Head coach John Calipari went into Saturday’s game waning to see how his team would respond. Well, he learned a little bit, although maybe not as much as he would have liked, because 58 total foul calls disturbed the rhythm of a top-25 showdown.So, instead of giving you the traditional after-game post, I thought I’d offer a few snapshots from Saturday’s game and what we learned from the bounce-back Cats.1.) They’re resilient – Many of the problems that plagued Kentucky in its loss to South Carolina, the first defeat of the year, were solved against the Commodores. After getting outrebounded on the boards in Columbia, S.C., UK crushed Vandy on the glass 41-22, including 18 offensive rebounds.The Cats also responded with a balanced all-around effort. DeMarcus Cousins once again led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but Darnell Dodson (16 points), John Wall (13), Eric Bledsoe (13) and Patrick Patterson (12) all responded with double-digit performances. Sophomore guard DeAndre Liggins (more on him later) posted one of the best games of his career with nine points and four rebounds.Also, four days removed from a subpar perimeter performance, Kentucky hit 12-of-23 shots from behind the 3-point line. “We wanted to come out and prove something,” Wall said. “We had a tough game at South Carolina but they played great, too. We know that every team we play is going to play well. We wanted to come out here and show people that we were not going to back down and that one loss was not going to keep us down. I think we did that. We got a tough win against one of the top teams of the SEC.”Patterson, a game removed from possibly his worst performance in a Wildcat uniform, responded to a minority of fans’ criticism by nailing a career-high three 3-pointers. While he’s still not quite the Patterson of old, Calipari said he’s getting closer and will continue to work with him before practice.”He wasn’t the reason we didn’t beat South Carolina,” Calipari said. “It wasn’t Patrick Patterson. Now he didn’t play great, but we had eight other guys that didn’t and I didn’t coach great. We all got beat.”But Saturday they at least responded. “I’m asking a lot of these guys,” Calipair said. “I am. I was mad after the South Carolina game. I’m asking a lot of a bunch of young guys who have never been together on a team and never played this style, are trying to learn from a coach who gets vocal and emotional. … They play like if they lose, they’re going to go to the electric chair.”Big Blue Nation was reminded Saturday with a resilient performance that indeed no, UK is not going to the electric chair. At 20-1, this is still one of the best teams in the nation.”We’re 20-1,” Calipari said. “How about that? How about that? 20-1. That’s ridiculous.”2.) Cousins is a “beast” – John Wall is the most talented player on Kentucky. He has the most raw skills, possesses the best long-term potential and is the biggest reason UK will be one of the favorites to cut down the nets in April.But nobody is playing better in the entire country right now than DeMarcus Cousins.Fresh off a dominating 27-point, 11-rebound performance against South Carolina, Cousins did it again. The freshman forward tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, his 12th double-double of the year, in just 24 minutes of play. “He’s a beast,” Calipari said. Cousins was the focus of yet another brutally physical game. He took elbows to the head, forearms to the back and said he even took a shot to the chin. A national announcer said Cousins is the most fouled player in the nation.”I totally agree,” Cousins said. “I’m used to it now.”Yet with double teams galore, Cousins still did work, notching four “and ones” on the evening and outplaying Vandy’s senior leader A.J. Ogilvy.”You’ve got to foul him to keep him away from the glass and then you’ve got to try to foul him if he’s trying to score and now he’s making free throws. He’s a beast. How about 24 minutes and he gets 21 points and 10 rebounds? That’s so stupid. It’s ridiculous.”Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings made Cousins the focus of Vanderbilt’s defensive game plan, but as has been the case lately, it hardly mattered.”A lot has been made about John Wall and deservedly so because he’s a terrific player, but Cousins, even though he’s at a different position, is just as much of a factor right now for their team. He’s really becoming very quickly the dominant inside and maybe the dominant inside player in our league.”He may be becoming the best player in the league, inside or on the perimeter. Instead of the offense running through Wall, it’s now running through Cousins.The part to pay attention to in the coming weeks is how Wall handles the change in direction — and the change of attention. For the first time all season, it was Cousins, not Wall, who was mobbed by the most media members after the game.Does Wall notice? Does he care? Keep an eye on how the superstar handles himself over the next few weeks as he battles adversity for really the first time in his career.
3.) Liggins gluing it together – Commentators and analysts often talk about “glue guys,” players that do the little things and make the good teams special.DeAndre Liggins is becoming that guy, albeit a bit surprisingly.After riding the pine the first nine games of the season, Liggins has emerged as one of Calipari’s go-to players off the bench. The sophomore guard played a season-high 25 minutes on Saturday.He likely totaled a season-high in court burns diving after loose balls on the floor. It’s become the embodiment of UK’s energy player. “I just try to come in and give energy off the bench,” Liggins said. “That’s why coach likes me and that’s why I played some valuable minutes today.”It’s surprising when one considers how deep in the doghouse Liggins was at the beginning of the year. No one knows exactly why Liggins couldn’t get off the bench, but it’s becoming more and more clear that it’s going to be hard to put him back there.”I just need to keep my confidence up,” Liggins said. “That’s the biggest part with me. I get down on myself a lot. I’ve got to stay free-minded, don’t think a lot, don’t play timid and just play my game.”Stallings praised Liggins for his defensive intensity, but Liggins’ nine-point, four-rebound effort was just as valuable. “The big shot I thought was DeAndre’s (in the second half) because we were teetering a little bit on not knowing what we were doing,” Calipari said. “That just took the wind out of their sails. That was a courage shot. They’re making their little run so you’ve got to beat them back.”