Among a wave of feel-good storylines in the wake of Kentucky’s ranked home win over Tennessee last week, completing the season sweep, Koby Brea’s playmaking towards the end of the second half was the nail in the Volunteers’ coffin.

On back-to-back possessions, Brea led the charge with a depleted Wildcats offense, following the re-aggravation of Lamont Butler’s shoulder injury and the continued absence of Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa.

First, “Fuego,” as he’s been lovingly dubbed by the Big Blue Nation, executed a clutch step-back triple to extend Kentucky’s lead to six, 68-62. Then, after a defensive stop, Brea slashed into the lane and threw a no-look-lob to Otega Oweh that essentially sealed the deal.

Kentucky led 70-62 with just over a minute to go, and would ultimately get out with a double-digit win, 75-64.

Bucket List Buckets

Asked about the deciding stretch after the game, Brea emphasized staying calm, and how the moment is the stuff of childhood dreams.

“I play hard throughout the game on both ends,” he said. “When it’s time for me to shoot, I have to just relax a little bit. That’s the one moment in the game where I’m just going to take my time and breathe a little bit.”

Brea finished the game with 11 points and shot a scorching 50% metric (3/6) from the three-point line. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it right.

“It felt good,” he said regarding his third, and most crucial, triple. “To hit shots like that in such a big moment, in such a big game, it’s stuff that you dream of as a little kid.”

“It made me feel really good, and it just goes to show all the work that I’ve put in, and how confident I am in that moment, and how confident my team is in that moment with me as well… they knew I was going to go to work, and that meant a lot to me as well.”

With both Robinson and Butler likely to remain out against Texas on Saturday, Kentucky will likely rely on Brea to start, and produce, once more. No matter how tough the SEC has proven to be, this Kentucky team has responded every time; the “next man up” mentality in Lexington is like no other.

The “get-back” game, as they call it. After losing to Vanderbilt in Nashville last month, Kentucky evened the season slate between the ‘Cats and Commodores at home in an 82-61 win, including a chasmic 41-21 advantage in the second half.

Picture Perfect

While the Wildcats will take away much positivity from the win, the most glaring highlight is Amari Williams’ perfection from both the field and the free throw line; he tallied 17 points on 6/6 and 5/5 splits. For perspective, Williams is the first basketball player in college or the NBA to have such a stat line since Hall of Famer Pau Gasol in 2010.

Williams’ strong performance is only the latest in a long line of memorable games for the senior transfer. In January, he became only the fourth Wildcat in program history to log a triple-double, doing so on the road in the loss to Ole Miss.

In addition to that flawless performance, Collin Chandler rose to new heights in what was undoubtedly his best performance of the season thus far, too.

Chandler entered the game early as the first substitution off the bench, sinking a three on his first possession and not once looking back. In 15 minutes, Chandler scored seven points, grabbed six boards, and added two assists and steals, to boot.

It Takes A Team

Despite standout individual performances, Kentucky’s pivotal victory took the entire team, battling through their persistent injury issues (which cost them three players tonight) ahead of an ominous, ever-brutal SEC schedule.

“Kentucky was on a high level today,” admitted Commodores’ head coach Mark Byington following the game.

“I thought Pope put them in a great spot to be successful, and those guys executed… I thought Kentucky was great tonight.”

As far as what Coach Pope himself had to say, he made sure to give his guys flowers.

“I thought Collin gave us a massive boost tonight, energy-wise… the plays he made today, he’s been making in practice, and he is going to help us in a huge way down the stretch. I was really proud of him tonight,” he said.

And Amari? “Amari decided he wasn’t passing the ball tonight,” Pope joked.

“Amari right now is top 5 all-time in the SEC in terms of PAR (points plus assists plus rebounds)… that’s insane what we’re witnessing him do. I thought he was brilliant tonight.”

“He’s grown so much, and he’s taken on so much, and he’s just like “Give me more.””

With their backs against the wall, Kentucky continues to battle until the bell rings. Now 18-8 (7-6) on the year, the ‘Cats have five more games before the madness begins. Their next test comes in the form of fourth-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa this Saturday.

But for the time being, Vanderbilt was a must-win, and win Kentucky did.

What does a post-loss Kentucky film session look like? Well, in the Mark Pope era, it involves watching an international hockey game.

You read that correctly.

As soon as the bell rang to commence the recent hockey match between the U.S. and Canadian national teams, players on both sides dropped their gloves and started swinging. Fists moved before the puck did.

Following a deeply disappointing loss on the road to Texas, Mark Pope used the footage as an example that exemplifies toughness.

“That was in our film session this morning where guys just threw off the gloves and everyone was in the penalty box in the first 90 seconds.”

Though for Pope, he’s less worried about the team’s physical toughness; rather, he hoped the video would inspire mental fortitude, an aspect in which he says the team needs to “keep growing.”

A Learned Skill

“Toughness, to me, is an ability to be completely un-distractible. Like, there is nothing that can distract you from the moment, whether it’s your own fears or concerns, or whether it’s a referee’s whistle or whether it’s something the opposing team does, or a mistake that you just made on the last play, or the crowd or the arena or injuries or anything else,” he said.

“To me, the greatest toughness is the ability to focus, no matter what distractions are out there. And that is a learned skill.”

With three guards out and the weight of the world on the Wildcats’ shoulders right now, Pope’s focus on mental toughness couldn’t be more timely, or appropriate. The team will need all that and then some to finish strong in what is a grueling remaining SEC schedule.

Not to mention the conference tournament and then, of course, March Madness. From here on out, it’s no brakes. 

If Kentucky can learn anything from the U.S. hockey team, aside from how to throw a mean right hook, it’s how to stay in the fight; and, according to Coach Pope, “our guys are fighters.”