The Kentucky Wildcats rolled the Colgate Raiders in Lexington on Wednesday night by a score of 78-67.

The Cats got off to a blazing start as they took a commanding 17-0 lead. However, the Raiders didn’t blink and answered with an 11-0 run of their own. Kentucky looked like they were just going through the motions as they took a 38-36 lead into the half. Mark Pope surely laid into them, right?

After the break, Colgate took a three-point lead early in the half before Kentucky finally woke up and realized they might actually need to play in this one. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Cats regained their stroke from deep and put on pounding on the Raiders as the game went on.

Kentucky is now 9-1 in Pope’s inaugural season with two massive wins. This wasn’t one, but it’s another W nonetheless.

Next up, the Cats will take on the rival Louisville Cardinals in Lexington on Saturday afternoon.

Here are three things to know from the Cats’ win over the Raiders.

Still no Butler

Lamont Butler missed last Saturday’s game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs due to what was deemed a minor ankle injury, but he missed his second straight game tonight.

Butler rolled his ankle late against the Clemson Tigers last Tuesday, but he was able to finish the game. He also warmed up before the huge matchup against the Zags, but he wasn’t able to give it a go. The good news is the injury does appear minor, but two consecutive absences begin to raise some eyebrows.

The bad news is the Cats really miss Butler’s presence. Butler provides veteran stability at the point guard spot on both sides of the ball. He’s a lockdown defender, arguably Kentucky’s best, and he’s able to get Kentucky a basket when they badly need it.

Butler’s ability to run the show and drive downhill at will, along with his elite defense, is tough to replicate. Pope will be happy to get his point guard back, especially with Kerr Kriisa set to miss significant time.

Brea Awakens

Koby Brea has slowed down a bit following his scorching start to the season, as he’s scored in double figures just once in the last four games. Brea has shown an inability to create open shots against some of the better teams on Kentucky’s schedule, but sometimes, just the threat of having him on the court can go a long way.

After a brief slumber, Kentucky’s sharpshooter has awakened. Brea is the best three-point shooter in the country, and he lived up to that billing in this one. The Dayton transfer is known for his shooting ability, but he’s also 6’7, so you expect to see him do more than that when he’s on the court.

Brea’s not a great defender, but his length helps. He’s been a solid rebounder but seems timid when he gets inside the arc on the offensive end. To put it simply, he’s not entirely one-dimensional, but when his shot isn’t falling, it really is difficult to keep him on the floor.

With Butler and Kriisa missing this one, and maybe more, Brea stepping up would be a big development. He was lights out in this game with 17 points on five three-pointers and reminded us all why he’s dangerous. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

Freshman Struggles

The freshmen — Travis Perry, Trent Noah, and Collin Chandler — have played sparingly this season. The majority of their minutes have come against the really bad teams, with Chandler getting a couple of minutes here or there against the better teams just to give some guys a breather.

It’s clear that none of these three players is ready to contribute right now. All three are still getting used to the speed and physicality of the college game, but that’s okay, because that’s sometimes just what you get with freshmen. The Cats aren’t overly reliant on these three, as they have been in years past, so their slow development is fine, and maybe even welcomed.

However, right now, it’s tough when you’re down your starting and backup point guards, and you need minutes from someone. It’s still way too early to make a real judgment about these guys, so let’s see what they look like when they get settled in — whether that’s this year or a couple of years from now.

Now, the Cats get the Cardinals and Pat Kelsey in his first season at Louisville. The Cards haven’t looked too good to date, but the rivalry always sparks a little something in the BBN.

Let’s hope for a fun one. Go Cats!