Matt Jones on Kentucky’s Upset of the Auburn Tigers

KSR host Matt Jones did his postgame monologue following Kentucky’s huge upset over the Auburn Tigers.

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I I tend to be very optimistic even during difficult times that Kentucky can win because it’s more fun that way but like a lot of fans I’ve probably thought a handful of times in the last four years going in a true Row game was going to be very tough if not

Impossible for them to win and what’s been amazing during this four-year period where we’ve talked about our various criticisms and frustrations in those situations Kentucky has won and in all four Tennessee in the co year Tennessee and Arkansas last year and then Auburn this year not only has Kentucky won in all those

Situations they’ve won kind of going away all four times going on the road and just kind of stomping teams and tonight was the latest and I think as important as any of them because with this win I think absent just a complete and total coll laps they’re going to I think

The tournament is now assured they’re uh 18 and seven this is going to be along with the win against Carolina a really big resume victory for Kentucky uh probably takes him up a seed line from maybe 6 to 5th you are in a good position now to potentially avoid

Playing on Thursday in the SEC tournament depending on what you do next week so just a lot of real uh positive things and as far as the game I I I I thought it was an awesome performance and there were basically for me four things that sort

Of stand out I’ll start with the fact that Kentucky got off to a great start that was that was exactly what the cats need to do more often but definitely on the road because it just took the crowd out of the game you that’s a crowd that been camping out

Since their game what Wednesday night they were in there they were la they had game day people who were at the game were tweeting about what an amazing atmosphere it was before the game and then Kentucky comes out scores I think on the first possession and the crowd never really

Got a chance to get into the game I mean they had moments where they kind of lit up but in general what you’re worried about which is if you fall down 10 two and the crowd’s electric the entire time just didn’t happen the crowd just didn’t have a chance to get excited which

Allowed Kentucky to basically control the game from from start to finish and I thought that was it was impressive in how thorough the victory was and not having that crowd which can be the best crowd in the SEC when it’s rolling uh was awesome to keep them out

Of it second thing is I was really really impressed with the play of Ugo and AD do Ugo played 36 minutes tonight 36 minutes he playing 36 out of 40 minutes if you had told me that kid would ever play 36 minutes in a game in his time at Kentucky I wouldn’t have

Believed it and to play 36 minutes not getting foul trouble be able to control the rim as he did 11 boards two blocks seven points that’s awesome and the thing that I think a lot of us were worried about sort of getting out muscled at The Rim

It just didn’t happen and Ugo was a huge part of that not only did he have the blocks but he altered a lot of shots that I thought really really helped and maybe more than anything made Auburn shoot from outside to where they weren’t getting you know clean looks they were

Four for 22 from three in part because they weren’t getting shots at the rim and theier was awesome again he’s becoming a really good Defender he’s probably the only guy on the team that I think is he’s not locked down but getting close on guarding on the on the

Perimeter and and he he really is playing good defense and then you throw in the fact that he scores 14 points and is able to play 32 minutes when you don’t have Trey Mitchell is really huge so that’s the second thing third thing Antonio Reeves I mean if you’ve

Been listening to this show over the last two years but especially this year he’s my favorite player he’s been my favorite player I think he was probably my favorite player on the team last year to be honest I just there something about him I just love I don’t know what

It is I mean obviously I love that he can shoot he’s an historically good shooter but then to watch this year him make his game so much better to where he can take it to the rim he’s always had a good floater but he uses it a lot more

And he’s been a pretty good Defender and tonight had five rebounds he he had 22 points but I actually think his impact was even more than that in terms of when he scored them I counted four times during the game when Auburn was about to make a run

Or was making a run cut it to four cut it to five maybe cut it to seven but the crowd was on their feet and every single time he scored three times with a basket and once getting fouled and completely change the momentum back that’s clutch

And you know we give Bob in Jamestown a hard time for when he called that one postgame show after loss I think it was was one of the non-conference losses I can’t even remember which one it was but but one of the losses and he said something like you know Antonio Reeves

Doesn’t show up in big games and and that was I thought nonsense then it’s everybody brings that up because of the Kansas State game but what I am Mo most impressed with him about is what he is able to do on the road I I looked it up

We’ve played Seven true Road games this year here are the points that he’s had in True Road games 15 19 21 22 22 24 and 30 think about that Billy in seven true Road games the fewest amount of points he’s had is 15 the most is 30 now it was

Against Louisville that was barely a road game but still that’s amazing Corey price put up the stat that in two seasons he’s gone over 20 in a true Road game nine times and no cow player’s ever done that so I actually went further back to look

Because you know a lot of guys don’t stay two years under cow since the year since 2000 Billy how many guys have scored 20 plus points a game on the road over the course of two seasons nine times one maybe two Jody Meeks and Keith bogans and that’s it taan Prince did it

Eight times it’s just like that just doesn’t happen and he does it time and time again in the worst environments that kid goes and the fewest points he’s gotten was 15 he was great tonight and I I mean he’s an all American he should be an

All-American to play the way he does and on a team where On Any Given night Shephard can go off Dillingham can go off Wagner can go off he is the cons I mean his points per game this year here I think he only has one game where he’s

Not in double Figures it’s unbelievable he’s been awesome he deserves to be an allamerican and then the last thing and this is I do think you got to give John caliper a lot of credit for this tonight tonight was an old school caliper win we’ve talked a lot about him needing to

Change his style and he has changed his style somewhat they take a lot more threes all the things we’ve talked about all year but but this was a win the way calip Perry used to win and like to win when he had it like consistently rolling

Here this was a cal a vintage Cal win they only made four threes you tell me before the game they make four threes I say they cannot win they only made four threes but they won because of Defense effort rebounding controlling the pace and making the plays when they need to

They ran that stuff that you’ve heard a lot about floppy action they did that they got to the rim they drew fouls like Cal if you were to draw up a this is how Cal would like to win he’d put this game on right here this is how he likes to

Win and I honestly didn’t think this team could win like this I thought this team could play a lot better than they’ve played most of the year I thought this team still had a ton of OB potential but I really didn’t know if they could win a game like this where

They played like C’s teams of the past did I just didn’t think they were built like that but they did and they did it in the hardest environment that they will play in all season you know Tournament final four included that’s really impressive and you know if they’ won this game by

Hitting 11 threes Dillingham going for 25 I still would have been thrilled and I still think it would have been impressive but in some ways I think it’s more impressive that they want it this way because I really didn’t think they were capable of winning a game like this

And they did so when you look at March and you say all you know we’ve talked about I think they can beat anybody I also think they can lose to anybody but I didn’t think they could win a game like this I thought to beat Auburn it would have to be 8580

But now you can if you can beat Auburn 7059 well now that’s a whole another realm of possibilities so I think this a big victory now you got to back it up you got LSU Wednesday on the road you got Alabama at home win those two and now

All of a sudden you can get one of those top four seeds in a in a in a region and you might not have to play a really good team like a really good team in the second round you win these next two games some of the disappointment of the

Loss at home to Florida or to Gonzaga some of that will go away because you can sit there right now you’re what 18 and seven when two more gets 20 and seven well with VY and Arkansas at home still to come you can have a really good

Record and a record that can get you a seed where maybe a March run is even more probably