By Kyle Arensdorf

[email protected]

UK basketball used a combination of defense and free throws to tie UK’s best record (19-0) under head coach John Calipari on Saturday in their 58-43 win over a physical South Carolina team.

With 12 games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Cats will head into the post season with plenty of momentum, more than likely unscathed.

When a team is rolling like this, the only thing you can do is nitpick a few of their issues that have the potential to derail them along the way.

And one rather large question mark has been the road play of UK’s starting point guard Andrew Harrison.

Harrison stepped up in a big way during UK’s tournament run last season and entered this season with the same energy.

But then the road games started, and his struggles became a glaring hindrance to the first platoon.

Harrison’s most egregious no-show came in the Cats first road test against Louisville, scoring only three points and committing six turnovers.

It also marked the third time all season freshman guard Tyler Ulis played more minutes than Harrison.

Ulis capitalized on his extra time by scoring a season-high 14 points with zero turnovers, and has continued to capitalize on his opportunities when Harrison stumbles in road games.

Ulis has averaged over three points more per road game than Harrison in four contests (34 to Harrison’s 21), has only two turnovers to Harrison’s 11, and has one less assist.

Those differences may seem minute, but Ulis averages more than three minutes less than Harrison, yet still outperforms him.

Up until this point the discrepancy between the two point guards is moot – Ulis has been a worthy substitute for Harrison and the Cats continue to roll over opponents.

But when the SEC and NCAA tournaments begin, the stakes rise and the pressure ramps up.

And trusting a freshman to step up on the road under that kind of pressure, no matter how impressive he’s been in the regular season, is always risky business.