There was no letdown in Lexington on Tuesday night. After an emotional 77-72 win over Duke in the Champion’s Classic, followed by a week layoff, some would worry about the team being mentally ready to play the next time out.

A win for Lipscomb would push their record over .500, and after one quarter of play they've put themselves in a good position to make it happen. Sitting on a score of 31-30, they have looked like the better team,

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 97-68 victory over Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena: After Kentucky’s huge 77-72 win over Duke in last week’s Champions Classic, you’d think Mark Pope would stress the importance of avoiding the dreaded letdown with the mid-major 2-3 Lipscomb Bisons coming to town.

Only one more half stands between Kentucky and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Lipscomb 43-26. Kentucky entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just one half away from another.

In its last game, UK defeated Duke 77-72 on Nov. 12. Lipscomb is 2-3. It lost 66-61 at Western Kentucky on Sunday in its

"Talk about a 'gravity guy,'" Pope said. "You just throw Jax on the court, and four guys are leaning towards him. His numbers may not be huge, but he has an impact when he walks in the gym." Pope doubled down on that assertion two days later.