The Kentucky Wildcats have been battling the injury bug all season long. Last Tuesday, the Wildcats were nearly fully healthy for the first time all year—until Lamont Butler re-aggravated his already nagging injury. This setback forced Kentucky to rely on their fourth-string point guard, a position they never imagined being in.

Despite the injury, Kentucky managed to defeat Tennessee, who was ranked inside the top five. With injuries to Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson, and Butler, the roster is stretched thin, but at times, the Wildcats find ways to win. Other times, the absence of key players becomes apparent and costly.

Last Saturday, however, the story was different as the Wildcats lost to a desperate Texas team. In the final seconds, Kentucky inbounded the ball, but two Wildcat guards let the ball go untouched, allowing Texas to steal it and score. If Robinson or Butler had been playing, that wouldn’t have happened.

After the game, head coach Mark Pope criticized the toughness of his team. He mentioned that it was primarily at the end of the game when the Wildcats lacked the toughness needed to secure the win and finish strong.

Over the weekend, Pope searched for a way to inspire his team and found just the right tool. During the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Canada and the United States had three fights in the first nine seconds.

“Mark Pope says Kentucky watched tape of the first 30 seconds of the USA-Canada hockey game on Saturday, highlighting toughness,” posted Tristan Pharis.

It seems Pope has discovered a potential key to unlocking the Wildcats’ physical play. Physicality is crucial in the SEC, where most games are decided by who wins the battle on the glass. Kentucky’s ability to assert themselves physically will determine their success going forward.

Kentucky is set to host Vanderbilt on Wednesday, which features one of the strongest big men in all of college basketball.