LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach John Calipari had sent Reid Travis to the scorers’ table to check in for Nick Richards.
And then, with play stopped and 11:26 remaining in Saturday night’s game, Travis abruptly headed back to the bench. Richards stayed in the game.
“(Richards) was getting tired,” Calipari said, “but I wanted to see him tough through that, which he did. We’re just — we have to be more desperate to start games. We have to be more desperate for 40 minutes.”
Saturday’s 56-47 win over Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena was the kind of sloppy, ugly, forgettable affair that can be largely disregarded because 18th-ranked Kentucky was supposed to win — and did.