Kentucky finally responded to adversity in a big way against Indiana

Kentucky picked up their first quality win of the season on Saturday when they defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 72-60 in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats certainly had their backs against the wall after coming off a week where they lost to an unranked North Carolina team in Rupp Arena by collapsing down the stretch, then following that up with an embarrassing performance against Gonzaga where the lack of effort was magnified.

But, Saturday against Indiana was a completely different team that took the court. They were not only healthy, with both Jaland Lowe and Mo Dioubate on the floor for the first time since the Louisville game, but their effort was there for the entire game. Even when the Hoosiers had the lead for much of the first half, going up by as much as nine and going into halftime with a seven point lead, they never gave up. That effort and intensity was always there, and it paid off in the second half.

Kentucky took a seven-point deficit into halftime and they could've given up, they could've ignored the small portion of fans who booed their own team heading into the locker room at the half. Instead, they bottled up those frustrations that stemmed from the past four losses in competitive games and used all of it to respond. The Wildcats went on a big run in the second half that set the tone from then on. With 14:18 left to play, Kentucky was down seven. If this was the team fans have seen over the last few weeks, they would've laid down and accepted defeat. But, they didn't. Kentucky answered that deficit with a 10-0 run over a three-minute span. That turned into a 30-11 run to close out the game from that point on, leading by as much as 14, and left Rupp Arena with the biggest must-win of the Mark Pope era.

Given the circumstances leading up to that point, it really was a huge win for this Kentucky team. Over the month, one that has featured four losses to power four conference teams and their only wins coming against quad 4 opponents, this Kentucky team had yet to prove themselves. Their own fans started questioning the team chemistry even, before having a boo fest in Nashville last Friday. But, this team took all of that outside noise and they grew from it, turning it into an intensity and effort that hasn't been seen by them since the Purdue exhibition game. Mark Pope sent messages to his players who lacked effort on Tuesday against NC Central, and he wanted to see his team respond. They did that when they needed to most.

Will the Wildcats use their performance from Saturday as momentum as they head into a matchup with St. John's on Saturday with conference play looming? That's certainly the goal, and Pope himself has said the process of a long season comes with tough moments where growth is needed. He even shared some of where the team was at with their competitiveness on Tuesday. That's exactly what this Kentucky team is in the process of doing, and they took a huge step against Indiana.