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Exactly. Too many people are going to take this loss like they just lost their Mother!

I've said it for a while, the one test that the Cats have had to face this year is being down with less than 5:00. They have never had to face that and they still were three missed lay-ups from winning this game. This will be the biggest learning opportunity that this team has had all season.

No way this is a shocker. Games at USC has been very tough on the Cats and all of the SEC for the least several seasons. This is a team that plays incredible basketball in their home areana.

Devon Downey - Flat out the best basketball player on the floor tonight. He was awesome. He blew by every single person that guarded him. I am amazed at his quickness. Props to this young man, IMO, top three players in the nation.

Wall has looked flat ever since the Louisville game. He has playred great in spurts but has not played the way that he has needed to over the last few games with the exception of the overmatched Arkansas game. I truly beleive that this is a wake up call to him that he will answer. I think that he will come out focussed to lead this team for 40 minutes instead of 4 minute spurts.

I couldn't help but be dumbfounded everytime they showed the stat that no other player bout a Freshman scored for UK in the 2nd half. Who's fault is that? To me, PPat has to DEMAND the ball. He's the leader of this team. We all knw that Wall is the #1 player in the nation, but PPat is the #1 player on this team. For him to not be more assertive on the offensive side was very disappointing to me. I look for PPat to come out with an anger the rest of the season.

It was mindboggling how the undersized USC frontcourt dominated the offensive glass. They outhustled and outworked every UK big man all night long.

Cousins was just incredible again. He is definitely the best big man in the country. I would like to see him mature one final piece of his game. Everytime he gets the ball in the paint, he feels that he HAS to shoot. I'd like to see him make that short pass to the open man in the paint. All night long, he would get double teamed on the baseline and force it. PPat was standing five feet away open for an easy dish and Jam. Even if Cousins kicked it back out to a guard and then got an immediate entry pass right back, that would be enough to get rid of the doubleteam.

All in all, you have to give credit to USC. They outhustled and outworked the Cats tonight. The Cats came in riding the #1 ranking and left their game on the Bus. I think though this may be the call to action that this young team needed to get them ready for the stretch run in the SEC. They now have been through this type of game. I was worried that if they continued the trend they were on, they might not have experienced it until the NCAA tourney. That would have been to late to learn a lesson then!

You are right on about PPat. He did not demand the ball all night and even late in the game and down 4, he passed the ball back out from under the basket two times when he could have drove for the layup.The upperclass man was depending on the Freshmen! Also, after the UofL game, alot of people including you where bashing Cousins. I said then that I loved him and felt he might be the most important piece of the team. I got alot of flak over that then, but it seems alot of people are changing their tune and see the stud he is.