With the Morehead State Eagles coming into Rupp Arena… there was a lot of excitement. Sure, we as the Big Blue Nation were excited to see the Cats again, but more importantly… there was a sense of joy that college basketball was back. Xavier tipping off earlier today with a dominant win provided a thrill that was lost last March.

While Kentucky beat Morehead State pretty easily and there were some great takeaways from the game… hearing that other games were being postponed/canceled… kept that COVID dark cloud looming in the background. In fact, seeing the cheerleaders in the stands just made the game feel different.

The Kentucky Wildcat Cheerleading Squad cheering from the upper seats in Rupp Arena.

I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way, but let’s focus on the positive:

• Sarr’s presence even though he didn’t put a lot of points in the first half really made a defensive difference. I’m going to like seeing him bang down-low. Of course, with almost every Calipari team, he’s going to be the go-to on those high flying alley-oops.
• Boston Jr. leading the scoring was a surprise. Clarke started hot (and had great hustle especially on his put-back rebound), and I had the feeling that he’d be leading at the end of the game, but Boston kept finding a way to get buckets.
• Mintz’s three-point shot is pretty looking. Personally, I think he’ll be one of my favorite Cats this year.
• Not seeing Brooks on the floor definitely made this year a bit different as it was the first time seeing these players wear that Wildcat uniform. I’m not entirely surprised the way Cal has his Kentucky Effect process set up… but boy did those young men play well together!
• Jackson’s block made me stand-up off the couch like it was the SEC Tourney or something… I definitely think (after seeing him at BBM)… he’ll make an ESPN SportsCenter highlight reel this year.
• Devin “I Should Be A Senior in High School” Askew did not play like a young player. In fact, you can tell he’s the general on the floor. His confidence was high from the tip-off which is very promising for our future.
• Nick Richards in the stands brought a big smile on my face. 🙂

Being up 19 at half and then going on a 7-0 run early in the second half showed this team is going to score a lot… win a lot of games… and continue momentum on both sides of the floor. They’re long, and it showed on several drives to the basket. Several times Boston didn’t even beat his man to the basket, but he had the length to shoot underneath his defender.

For those who don’t know… the title is a play on words. We (Kentucky) covered (beat) the Beaker (head mascot for the Morehead State Eagles)… parallel with… we wore a mask (covering our beakers). Yeah, I guess it’s a reach, but it just feels good to be writing about Kentucky basketball again. 😉

I genuinely hope everyone reading this has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

With my mom wearing her blue “Snugs” jammies… and my dad decked out in his using Big Blue Nation gear… the 81-45 win today… felt right. It didn’t feel right in the sense of Kentucky always wins… it felt right to be with family… watching some college basketball… cheering our old Kentucky home Wildcats… with Thanksgiving decorations around the room.

Whether you’re in quarantine this Thanksgiving or seeing a few family members/friends… I hope you stay safe, stay healthy, and don’t take advantage the small moments in life such as a 30+ win… you never know if the next game is even going to happen… GO CATS!