Halftime Thoughts: Kentucky Leads Howard 49-26 at the Break

Kentucky holds a 23-point lead at halftime over Howard, thanks to some solid defense and poor shooting from the Bison.

Here's the halftime box score:

Ugly Start From the Perimeter

It really looked like the first game of the season in the first half.

Kentucky's ball movement was slow and the shot attempts were not coming close. Jacob Toppin and CJ Fredrick each had a really bad miss from deep early. Howard's Jordan Wood went 0- from beyond the arch, the Bison shot just 1- as a team from 3-point range through the first 20 minutes.

Sure, it's the first game and maybe the defense was playing well on both sides, but it definitely wasn't a sight for sore eyes early on.

Kentucky started off 0-5 from deep, but made five of its next seven attempts to close out the half.

As for Howard...2-13 from long range. Ouch.

Good and Bad From Jacob Toppin

It's clear that Jacob Toppin is the most athletic player on the floor tonight.

What he brings in athleticism, hustle and playmaking is really hard to come by. The shooting and offensive side has not been as clean so far tonight.

Nevertheless, he's got nine points and eight rebounds, so clearly something is working. There are just some better decisions he could have made when the ball has been in his hands.

Also, three misses on seven attempts from the free throw line isn't what Calipari is looking for.

Antonio Reeves, Ugonna Onyenso Making Impacts Off the Bench

Antonio Reeves was a tad quiet in the pair of exhibition games, but he just had a hell of a half to kick off the regular season.

He shot 5-10 from the floor, 3-7 from deep. Calipari mentioned last week that he likes the Illinois State transfer coming off the bench, and it's clear to see why. That spark plug role might be the answer for the shooter this season.

As for Ugonna Onyenso, wow. That rim protection will keep him on the court all season long, with or without Oscar Tshiebwe healthy and playing.

Four points, four rebounds and three blocks off the bench is superbly impressive. Yes it's early, but the freshman might average four blocks a game this season.