Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, in Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational, may have cringed when watching Terrence Jones dominate the floor in Kentucky’s first-round win over Oklahoma.Better yet, what if UK coach John Caliapri had not won the much-publicized and over-scrutinized recruiting battle for Jones? Thinking of a scenario without Jones after Monday night is scary enough to turn a paradise like Hawaii into a nightmare for Coach Cal.In perhaps the Cats’ sloppiest game of the young season – a humid, sweat-filled gym, tougher competition and Brandon Knight’s first off game may be the reasons for that – Jones was the difference from beginning, middle to end in Kentucky 76-64 win over Oklahoma.Jones’ stat line was eye-popping: 29 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals. His 29 points were two shy of Jamal Mashburn’s freshman single-game record of 31.”He’s alright,” Calipari said with an overwhelming tone of sarcastic modesty as Jones smiled just a few feet away at the postgame news conference. Yeah, not bad for an overlooked, 6-foot-8, versatile forward who, at No. 13 in the 2010 Rivals.com player rankings, may have been undersold, and is playing out of position as the lone legitimate post presence on a team short of big men.”I felt last year, when we recruited him, I thought Terrence Jones was the best player in the country in his class,” Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said after falling to Jones and Kentucky. “I know there were some other guys that got some accolades, but I just didn’t see anyone that could have an impact on a game like he could. He certainly did that this afternoon.”Jones left his fingerprints on just about every part of UK’s opening-round tournament win. He started the game with smooth floaters and jump hooks, widened the UK margin with authoritative, blow-by dunks, and finished the game with seven of nine points down the stretch, including a key assist and block.When Oklahoma rallied from an 18-point deficit, it was Jones’ versatility that iced the game. With Oklahoma trailing by 11 with just under five minutes to go, Jones ripped down a rebound, raced the length of the floor and whipped a no-look pass between two defenders to a streaking Josh Harrellson for a layup.It was a play exemplified by top-rated point guards, not 6-8 forwards.”He truly is a point forward,” Capel said. “He can really pass the ball with his left. He can affect the game defensively. I loved him. I didn’t love him this afternoon, but when we recruited him I loved him. That was my whole pitch to him. I thought he was the best player in the country. Regardless of who anyone else was talking about or where anyone else was ranked, I didn’t think anyone could do all the things that he could do.”Minutes later, Jones blocked a 3-point shot that would have cut the UK lead to three points before running the length of the floor for a game-sealing dunk.”It was just me and DeAnde’s (Liggins) day to bring a lot of energy,” Jones said. “Last game Brandon and Darius (Miller) brought most of the energy on both ends and brought the team up. I would just say today was me and DeAndre’s day to.”Liggins deserves much of the praise as well for his unremitting defense and energy. Liggins charted 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, countless floor burns and one sore shoulder (he said after the game that he should be OK to go Tuesday). But Kentucky doesn’t hold off Oklahoma and won’t stay in the top 25 very long without the play of Jones. He’s taken what would have been be a good Kentucky team and made it an elite team. And make no mistake about it, with Jones playing as well as anyone in the country right now, young or not, this is one of the top 10 teams in the country.”Probably a week ago, I was watching him, just staring at him in a meeting, and I said, ‘You know I love coaching you and I love you,’ ” Calipari recalled saying. “And I said, “But it’s going to be hard, kid, because I’m going to have to be right on you because you have the ability to dominate games. ” ‘I don’t care that you’re 18. I’ve had other 18 year olds that have your ability and your size and your length and they dominated the games. But that’s hard.’ He’s not used to playing this hard. He’s not used to competing. As the game gets more physical, that’s when we’ll find out if he’s ready to be that guy.”So far, Jones (averaging 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds) is that guy. On a team with mega recruits like Knight and Doron Lamb and veterans like Miller and Liggins, it’s Jones who has proven to be most valuable.When the offense went stagnant in the second half against Oklahoma, it was Jones that stepped up and led UK to the finish line. And when Enes Kanter was ruled ineligible a couple of weeks ago, it was Jones who embraced his role as the enforcer in the paint. Now, as the rest of the nation starts to take notice of the way Jones has started the 2010 season, he’ll have to face his most intriguing test yet. If No. 13/11 Washington takes care of business against Virginia late Monday night/early Tuesday morning, Jones will face the team he originally committed to before Kentucky.”With this tournament, I’m ready to play whoever wins,” Jones said. “I do have a lot of friends on that team and me and Coach Romar are good friends. He’s a great coach, but I’m respecting both (Washington and Virginia).”Jones may be playing like the best freshman in the country “today,” Calipari said, but tomorrow could bring a whole different challenge if Jones’ original college choice is next on the schedule.  The battle for quite possibly the best player in the 2010 class may be long over, but the intriguing early season storyline of Terrence Jones is about to get even better. Stay tuned Tuesday night.