The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Texas A&M Aggies in Lexington on Tuesday night by a score of 81-69.

This game was sloppy from the start both ways. Kentucky looked a bit anxious, and the Aggies looked a bit overaggressive. Buzz Williams’ squad settled in first, hitting seven first-half 3s, but the Cats answered to take a 35-32 lead into the half.

After the break, the Cats locked it down and exploded. Kentucky extended its lead to as many as 13 and kept the game out of striking distance the entire time. While they never pulled away, they never let it get too close.

The Cats are now 14-3 on the season and 3-1 in SEC play, including 5-0 vs. AP Top-25 teams.

Next up, the Cats have a massive matchup against the top-five Alabama Crimson Tide in Lexington on Saturday at noon.

Here are three things to know from win No. 14!

Rebounding

For the majority of the first half, the Aggies out-hustled and out-muscled the Cats. Specifically, Koby Brea, who couldn’t get a shot to fall, had one egregious play where he refused to get on the floor, leading to an A&M offensive rebound.

To be fair, the Aggies are one of, if not the best offensive rebounding team in college basketball, so they were bound to burn the Cats here.

However, Kentucky heard the noise and locked in. Mark Pope’s squad refused to be bullied at home and matched the Aggies’ physicality and toughness. Instead, the Cats did the bullying. Amari Williams was especially impressive, and Jaxson Robinson utilized his length to his advantage. Williams helped put the game away late when the Aggies threatened to make it close.

Everyone knows that physicality has been Kentucky’s kryptonite, but that wasn’t the case tonight. The Wildcats have stressed that they’re working to shed that ‘soft’ label that’s been tossed around in losses to Clemson, Ohio State, and Georgia.

They’ve sure responded in a big way over the last two games.

Robinson continues his hot streak

Jaxson Robinson has been a topic of conversation for many this season. What was once expected to be Kentucky’s best player became a punching bag following several uninspiring performances.

Robinson garnered a reputation for “floating” and not earning his shots. He’d stand and shoot when he caught it. As the season has progressed, you’ve seen the growth and rise of Robinson’s confidence.

It all finally came together last time out as the fifth-year senior dropped 27 points on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He continued to pour it on during the game as he let everyone know there hadn’t been a shot he didn’t like, scoring 22 points on 8/17 shooting.

Robinson’s recent improvement is huge for Kentucky going forward.

Similar stat lines hit differently

Travis Perry had a big night, and Otega Oweh didn’t, but they had two similar stat lines that were big for different reasons.

For Perry, his six points were a career-high and very exciting for the people of Kentucky. Perry has a long way to go, but you can see the improvement. He’s providing minutes that aren’t entirely negative like they used to be.

On the other hand, Oweh’s night was somewhat disappointing. For starters, he was able to continue his 17-game streak of scoring double digits, but it was close to being snapped! He’s the Cats’ leading scorer, and it was a less-than-stellar performance.

Either way, the Cats won, but it’s funny how much differently two stat lines that are so similar can mean for one guy compared to another.

Another big win for the Cats!