With 12 down and four games to go, talk has turned to Kentucky's chances of running the table in the SEC.
The Wildcats remained undefeated in conference play with their dominating 77-62 victory over Ole Miss, improving their overall record to 26-1 in the process.
Naturally, coach John Calipari downplayed the possibility of his club becoming the first SEC team to finish 16-0 in the conference since the Wildcats did it in the 2002-03 season.
"There's two things I try to do," Calipari said. "One, we are staying in the moment, like right now. I wanted them to enjoy this game, because Mississippi played a great basketball game.
"Then, the second part of it is, we'll watch tape. We'll learn from this game and when this game is done, move on.
"We are allowed to lose. This isn't football. You don't lose the national title in February. So you can lose.
"My point is, are we getting better? If we are getting better and we take an 'L,' it's OK."
His opposite number on the Ole Miss bench, Andy Kennedy, was more direct.
"It's the best Kentucky team we've played in my six years," Kennedy said. "And that's saying something. Obviously, Calipari has taken this thing to an elite level."
The Wildcats have road games at Mississippi State, which has been struggling, and at Florida along with two home games against Vanderbilt and Georgia left on their schedule.
NOTES, QUOTES
-Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis has been the key for Kentucky with his play at both ends of the court, but the Wildcats had to get contributions from others when the 6-10 forward picked up his second personal less than 10 minutes into the game and had to go to the bench.
Davis, who had foul problems at Indiana in Kentucky's only loss, ended up playing only 25 minutes and came up with 10 points and six rebounds. He blocked four shots.
Coach John Calipari praised freshman Kyle Wiltjer for his play off the bench. He scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, which ended with Kentucky up 43-35.
"Kyle played great today," Calipair said. "He was outstanding. And the reason we had a lead at halftime was because of Kyle Wiltjer in the middle of the zone. He made shots. He defended well. He took a charge. I mean, he played well today.
"And it just shows you what I keep saying. We really probably have seven starters. He plays different. He definitely stretches the defense. He's pretty good."
Said Wiltjer: "I got a couple nice, little easy baskets in the first couple minutes I was in. I just wanted to be aggressive offensively and shoot my open shots."
-Sophomore F Terrence Jones also came up big for Kentucky in the win over Ole Miss. He scored 15 points and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
"I thought Terrence played pretty well, a double-double," Calipari said.
-Kentucky stretched its home winning streak to 50 games, a streak that began with an NIT win in Memorial Coliseum in 2009. The Wildcats are 49-0 in Rupp Arena under Calipari, who is in his third season.
"It is 50?" Calipari said when the streak was mentioned. "That's a lot of games."
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
-at Mississippi State, Feb. 21
KEY MATCHUPS: With Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney working up front and the veteran Dee Bost in the backcourt, the Bulldogs represent a strong threat to Kentucky's winning streak. Sidney, however, missed State's loss at Vandy because of back spasms, and his status is day-to-day.
-vs. Vanderbilt, Feb. 25
KEY MATCHUPS: Kentucky lost a 13-point halftime lead but recovered for a second-half surge for a 69-63 win in Nashville on Feb. 11. Vandy had four players in double figures topped by G John Jenkins' 15 points. But the Commodores didn't shoot well, hitting only 36.5 percent for the game.
FUTURES MARKET
What's it going to take to beat Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament? Wildcat mistakes and foul trouble are two possibilities. "Or somebody making 15 threes against you," coach John Calipari said. "Something like that could happen and you don't get another chance to get them. It's one-and-done."
PLAYER NOTES
-Freshman G Marquis Teague had eight assists against only three turnovers in the win over Ole Miss. That gave him 130 assists for the season, the third-highest total by a freshman in school history. John Wall had a school record 241 assists in his only season with the Wildcats (2009-10).
-Sophomore G Doron Lamb scored 16 points to lead Kentucky in scoring against Ole Miss. It was his fourth straight game with at least 16 points. He is 13-of-21 from three-point range over that stretch.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"You don't have to be the quickest, strongest guy. You just have to be ready every play and got to be there for the charge, help side and being able to talk." -- Freshman F Kyle Wiltjer, on playing defense.
