Notes: Kentucky at Indiana

1. Heading into the game, I would have predicted a double-digit victory by Kentucky. I'm very surprised by the result. Just from a talent standpoint alone, Indiana had no business winning this game. That being said, the loss can be chalked up to a few factors. Indiana played harder. Kentucky has essentially a six-man rotation and had no answer when freshman wunderkind Anthony Davis had to sit with fouls. Kentucky is a young, undefeated team playing on the road in a hostile environment against a very hungry team. Oh, and Indiana is even better than I thought.

2. Where did that come from, Christian Watford? Watford, who has been solid but by no means spectacular during his time in Bloomington, gave Indiana fans what they had hoped for when Watford committed to the Hoosiers as a highly touted prospect out of Birmingham. The 6-9 junior with the sophisticated offensive game and sweet stroke poured in 20 points, went 4 for 6 from beyond the arc, hit the game-winning shot, and thoroughly outplayed preseason All-American Terrence Jones.

3. Speaking of Jones, the 6-9 250-pound sophomore is not playing like an All-American (and that was the case before today's disappearing act). I'm not sure exactly what was going on with him today, but Jones appeared to sulk his way to four points, six turnovers, and a single rebound against the Hoosiers. Jones is fully capable of taking over a game with his physical play, but, as we saw today, when he lacks focus, he disrupts the flow of the Kentucky offense and provides little on the defensive end.

4. Cody Zeller is big, white, and, goofy, which mean he's going to be made fun of and doubted. But he's also an extremely skilled big man and one of the five best freshman in the country. He finished with 11 and 7 today, as compared to Anthony Davis' 6 and 9. Zeller certainly benefited from Anthony Davis' foul trouble, but he more than held his own against the country's most talented player.

5. Prior to the start of the season, I thought Kentucky might have a deeper bench than they had last season. I'm not so sure now. Kentucky's starting five is as talented as any starting five in the country, and Darius Miller is a very good sixth man. However, beyond those top six, the pickings are slim. Eloy Vargas is a big body but also a liability on both ends of the floor. Freshman McDonald's All-American Kyle Wiltjer looks tentative and frail. I expect Wiltjer to be a good college player but not this year. Help may be on the way in the form of Mississippi State transfer Twany Beckham who will be available at the semester break. However, Beckham played sparingly during his time in Starkville, averaging less than 3 points per contest in 47 games with the Bulldogs. It's looking more and more like Coach Cal will have to make due with a six-man rotation, which will cause problems when fouls become a factor.

6. Even with a pretty poor performance today in Bloomington, Kentucky should be rated no worse than third when the next set of rankings comes out. For its part, Indiana is a top 25 team and may be deserving of a top 15 ranking.