Kentucky Wildcats Have First Half e-Rupp-tion

Great stuff from ESPN's Andy Katz:

The early part of the game lived up to the hype. North Carolina jumped out early, with its size and experience (yes even though the Tar Heels are young too) to a 9-2 lead. And then Kentucky freshman John Wall -- and let’s not fool ourselves the top pick in the June NBA draft -- took over for a 16-0 run that included two game-changing plays. Wall flushed a dunk and then came down with a reverse, contorted layup in traffic.

Wall fed Darius Miller for 3s, pushed tempo, and ensured the Wildcats got back in the game and elevated the crowd.

Had Larry Drew II not made a soft baseline jumper the Wildcats may have gone on a Kansas-like run (36-0? No, I kid on that one, this is hardly Alcorn). It was spinning out of control for Carolina during a 28-2 UK run over a few-minute span.

Complete article from ESPN.com

My halftime thoughts:

- If there were any questions about the Kentucky Wildcats, they have been answered
- John Wall is unbelievably good
- Kentucky is knocking down outside jumpers, which was supposedly their only weak spot
- There has been talk of UK being overrated; did the Cats have another gear?
- There's still 20 minutes of basketball remaining; there can't be any letdowns or UNC will win the game
- The atmosphere at Rupp Arena is tremendous