By: Kyle Arensdorf

[email protected]

Texas is a similar team to the Cats in many ways. They possess the size and the length to compete with UK like no one else in the country does.

What wasn’t as easy to predict was just how identical the Longhorns would be to the Cats.

UK has dominated its early matchups this season by out-rebounding the competition and not allowing teams to score second-chance baskets.

But at halftime Friday the script was flipped on the Cats, who were held to only eight field goals in the first half and lost the rebounding battle 11-27.

“It’s something we emphasize in practice every day,” Texas senior forward Jonathan Holmes said of his team’s ability to crush the Cats on the glass.

“It’s just something that’s part of our culture: crashing the boards and trying to out-rebound every team we play.”

After the hard-nosed, back-and-forth 12-point UK victory in Rupp Arena Friday, Texas head coach Rick Barnes wondered if he’d ever coached anything like it.

“I don’t know if I have ever coached a game where the size and the strength – physicality was what it was,” Barnes said.

UK head coach John Calipari and Barnes, who have been great friends for years, were both enamored by the size and different issues both teams presented.

“(Barnes) looked at me (after the game) and said, that was a big boys’ game,” Calipari said in his press conference after the game. “It certainly was a big boys’ game.”

Despite the 26-26 first half gridlock, the Cats came out of the locker room with a new intensity and jumped on top of Texas by 10 in less than four minutes while not allowing a Longhorn bucket.

The main facilitator in UK’s momentum seizing run was junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein, who finished the game with a career-high 21 points (13 in the second half), 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.

“Willie Cauley-Stein was terrific,” Barnes said. “I mean, he was really the difference in the game. I wish he was on my team.”

Cauley-Stein’s career night wasn’t lost on Calipari either, who told sophomore forward Marcus Lee he wouldn’t be subbing him in for Cauley-Stein in the second half because of how well the junior was playing.

“He was ridiculous tonight,” Calipari said. “At halftime he played so well, I called he and Marcus in, and I said, Marcus, you’re his backup today.”

Cauley-Stein put an exclamation point on his performance and a seal on the game with an alley-oop dunk with 47 seconds left in the game.