Hangin’ A Hundred

John Calipari wanted his Kentucky team to play with more focus in its exhibition finale and the Cats appeared to oblige, hammering Clarion 117-52 on Friday night.

The Cats swarmed to a 32-9 lead in the first eight minutes of the game and closed with 20 points over the final 4:09 to leave Rupp Arena with a feel good vibe heading into next Friday’s regular season opener against Morehead State.

John Wall made his debut in blue and didn’t disappoint, wowing the crowd with his speed on the way to a game-high 27 points and nine assists. Fellow freshman DeMarcus Cousins added 20 points and six rebounds, while Patrick Patterson had 14 points and Darnell Dodson 11 points and nine rebounds.

UK had another fine defensive effort, holding Clarion to 23.8 percent shooting and scoring 33 points off turnovers.

The Cats played without freshman guard Eric Bledsoe, who sat out after rolling an ankle in Monday’s exhibition and then lost freshman forward Daniel Orton in the first half with what UK called ‘chest soreness.’

Matt May is the basketball beat reporter for The Cats’ Pause. If you have questions or comments about the Cats e-mail him here.