UK Gets Lesson in DDM 101 Against Campbellsville

Kentucky 74
Campbellsville 38

Exhibition at Rupp Arena

"If they had 58 possessions, we guarded about 10 of them the way we wanted," was John Calipari's response to how Kentucky played. "We had a problem with the other 48."

Kentucky cruised to a 74-38 victory over in-state NAIA foe Campbellsville last night, but it was evident that the Cats have a ways to go.

Calipari pointed out that it is still very early. "We're just twelve days in and we're not ready," explained the UK coach.

Campbellsville, on the other hand, has been preparing for the Kentucky game for weeks. Tigers' head coach Keith Adkins pointed out after the game that NAIA schools are not under the same regulations for practice and his team has been practicing for several weeks.

Kentucky took a commanding 36-11 lead into the halftime lockerroom after holding the Tigers to 12.0% (3-25) shooting in the first half. Campbellsville showed some impressive gritty play in the second half and forced Kentucky into some sloppy play. The Cats pulled away during the last segment of the game, but the first 16 minutes of the second half were basically even on the scoreboard.

Darnell Dodson led Kentucky with a game-high 19 points on 7-14 shooting. He was 2-6 from the 3-point line and added 6 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins was a force down low in adding 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Perry Stevenson came off the bench to contribute 11 points in only 6 minutes of action.

"I was really happy for Perry Stevenson," Calipari stated.

In fact, Calipari explained after the game that Stevenson and Mark Krebs were the only two Wildcats that were running the offense effectively. He added that Stevenson did not play in the first half because he had not earned the playing time in practice. After his performance in the game, Calipari stated that Stevenson will likely "break into the rotation."

Campbellsville was led in scoring by Joe Robinson and Shawn Savage with 9 points apiece. The Tigers were overwhelmed by Kentucky's size, length and athleticism but they had a respectable performance and proved that they will be a nice team at the NAIA level.

This was Kentucky's 13th consecutive exhibition victory and they are 42-4 all-time in such games. The Rupp Arena attendance was 21,384.

Kentucky returns to action Friday when they play an exhibition against Clarion at Rupp Arena. The game will be televised at 7 p.m. by Fox Sports South.