By Kyle Arensdorf

With a blowout win against a top-5 opponent less than a week before facing a team that was knocked out of the first round of the NIT a season ago, a “letdown game” is expected.

In the Cats’ case Friday in Rupp Arena, it was a “letdown half.”

Against the Cats, Boston University managed as many field goals in the first half (11) as No. 5 Kansas did in the entirety of its matchup with UK Tuesday, but fell flat in the second half.

“In the second half we didn’t get enough stops,” Boston head coach Joe Jones said. “It was just one of those things where I felt like if we got some stops we might have been able to keep it closer.”

On Nov. 16, Buffalo proved that UK wasn’t as invincible as fans and pundits presumed and took a five-point lead on UK into halftime.

“I used the Buffalo game as motivation and as confidence because I thought Buffalo came in and really fought and scrapped and weren’t intimidated,” Jones said. “I liked what I saw from them and I think we were more like a Buffalo than we were like a Kansas.”

The Cats were able to get there feet under them in their Buffalo matchup as well as their matchup Friday, soaring to a 19-point victory and a 24-point victory, respectively.

“In the first half, they pushed and we didn’t push back,” head coach John Calipari said. “We were like ‘Why are you pushing, don’t you know who I am?’”

Whether it’s a matter of bad defense or simple complacency, the sloppy first halves aren’t of much concern to Calipari.

“We all expect this team to be world beaters every night out and let me say it folks, ‘they’re not gonna be,” Calipari said. “There are (going to be) games that I am going to have to drag them across the finish line. They’re normal 19-,18-, 20-year-old kids.”

Friday also saw a slight deviation from Calipari’s platoon system, although probably just for the night.

Junior forward Alex Poythress left the arena before the game with an unspecified illness, leaving an opening in the traditional starting platoon.

Sophomore guard Dominique Hawkins, who usually comes in late in games along with sophomore forward Derek Willis, got the start in the first platoon and made the most out of his extended minutes.

“I’m blessed to be able to start for the No. 1 team in the nation,” Hawkins said. “It was a crazy feeling. I felt like I was dreaming.”

Hawkins was instrumental in preventing Boston from taking a lead on the Cats in the first half with his stifling on-the-ball defense.

“(Calipari) always tells me that my strong ability (is to) pressure the ball,” Hawkins said. “I’m so good at it that it frustrates the ball handler, and when that happens, I think I’m helping the team out.”

Hawkins put an exclamation point on the night with an alley-oop dunk off of a lob from freshman guard Devin Booker with just more than two minutes left in the Cats’ 89-65 victory.

After close calls that turned out not to be in the second half against Buffalo and Boston, Calipari reminded his team that the intensity of incoming teams will not let up.

“Every team is going to come in like Buffalo did, like Boston did, like these next games,” he said. “Wait until you see the Providence team. Wait until you see Texas. These teams are coming into this building with one thought – we’re winning.”