Kentucky Grinds Out a Gritty Win Over Indiana - And Embraces the Mud Ahead of St. John’s Clash
Call it desperation, call it growth, call it Mo Dioubate’s return - whatever sparked Kentucky’s second-half surge against Indiana, it was the kind of gritty, gut-check performance that can define a season. The Wildcats didn’t just beat the Hoosiers by 12. They earned every inch of that win in a game where style points were nowhere to be found, but toughness was the currency.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a shooting clinic. Kentucky hit just 38% from the field, a rough 20% from deep, and left points at the line, converting only 66%.
And yet, when it mattered, they controlled the tempo, locked in defensively, and outworked Indiana down the stretch. The Hoosiers didn’t fare much better offensively - 34% from the floor and a cold 17% from three - thanks in large part to Kentucky’s relentless defensive effort.
This was a game won on the floor, not above the rim. Loose balls?
Kentucky was first to the ground. Offensive boards?
The Wildcats fought through traffic like it was a one-on-five drill. Second-chance points weren’t just a bonus - they were lifelines.
It was a performance built on effort, not elegance.
And that’s exactly what head coach Mark Pope wanted to see.
“Yes, I think we can win games when we have that type of commitment to our team and that type of grit,” Pope said postgame. “It’s not the way we want to have to win every game, but certainly I think that that’s something we should be able to fall back on.”
That fallback plan - winning ugly when the shots aren’t falling - might be Kentucky’s best friend for now. Because while Pope still believes this team will grow into a dangerous shooting group (despite sitting near the bottom nationally in three-point percentage), the reality is clear: until the shots start dropping, the Wildcats are going to have to win in the mud.
And Pope’s not shying away from that identity.
“It’s smash mouth basketball,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be really fun and ugly and gruesome and brutal and violent.
It’s awesome. It’s great.
It won’t be that style forever; it’s just for now. Just for now.”
That “just for now” is about to be tested again - and in a big way. Kentucky heads to Atlanta for a marquee matchup against Rick Pitino’s St.
John’s squad, a team that thrives on physicality and pressure, a program that embodies Big East basketball. It’s no secret what kind of game this could become.
Back in October, Georgetown coach Ed Cooley offered a preview of what to expect from teams like St. John’s after facing Kentucky in an exhibition.
“I thought our ball pressure really bothered them, and I thought the physicality of the game played into what I call Big East basketball,” Cooley said.
Expect more of that. Pitino’s Red Storm will come at Kentucky with pace, pressure, and attitude. And Pope knows it.
“I think we probably have two teams that have really, really high ceilings that haven’t totally found them yet,” Pope said. “I think you have two teams that can, at any given moment, be incredibly explosive.”
But until either team finds that top gear, don’t be surprised if this one turns into a slugfest - a battle of wills more than skill.
“There’s gonna be a lot of physicality in the game,” Pope said. “It should be really fun. It’s gonna be a great game.”
Of course, Pope would love to see his team wake up in Atlanta and shoot the lights out. He’s still optimistic that this roster has the firepower to win in the clouds, not just the trenches. But right now, it’s about doing whatever it takes to get the job done - because after a shaky start to the season, Kentucky needs a momentum-shifting win before diving into SEC play.
This one isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about survival. And Pope is embracing the chaos.
“It’s important for all of our guys, and it should be fun. It should be fun.
It should be violent and vicious and fun,” he said. “We get to do a lot of work in the trenches.
There’s also going to be a tremendous pace to this game, there will be a whole lot of pace. I think both teams are going to make shots in this game, too, so it’s going to be the whole thing.
“But the heart of it, this confrontational spirit of the game, will be really fun.”
Kentucky’s still looking for its offensive rhythm. But in the meantime, the Wildcats are proving they can win with grit, with effort, and with a little bit of mud on their jerseys.