Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 81-61 win over Texas A&M-Commerce

Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 81-61 win over the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions in NCAA men’s college basketball from Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center:

1. Rebounding is a concern. Kentucky won the battle of the boards Friday night, barely, over Texas A&M-Commerce 36-33.

That was not an impressive showing. In their two previous games, a 78-46 loss at Texas A&M, and a 73-46 defeat at Texas Tech, the Lions had been crushed on the glass, 47-25 and 48-31, respectively.

UK played without swingman Adou Thiero, who had seven boards in the Wildcats’ season-opening win over New Mexico State. Thiero was in concussion protocol.

The Cats also continue to be without the three 7-footers on their roster — Aaron Bradshaw (injury), Ugonna Onyenso (injury) and Zvonimir Ivisic (awaiting eligibility ruling from NCAA) — for various reasons.

With Kentucky getting ready to face a veteran, physical Kansas front line that includes 7-foot-2, 260-pound Hunter Dickinson and 6-7, 235-pound K.J. Adams, Tuesday night in the State Farm Champions Classic, UK backers have every reason to be fearful of how the rebounding battle will play out.

2. Ball security is a strength. Kentucky got strong offensive showings from veterans Antonio Reeves (21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 5-of-8 on three-point tries) and Tre Mitchell (18 points and eight rebounds; 8-of-11 field-goal shooting) and freshman Justin Edwards (16 points and seven boards; 6-of-10 shooting).

But the most impressive thing about UK through two games remains its ball movement and how the Wildcats value possessions.

After committing only six turnovers in the 86-46 win over New Mexico State, the Cats lost the ball only three times Friday night.

Given that Kentucky’s primary ball handlers are true freshmen D.J. Wagner, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, the Cats’ stellar ball security to date is even more impressive.

If the Cats can keep turnovers to such a minimum against high-level competition, it could help compensate for some of the likely issues rebounding (see above).

3. Rolling at Rupp. With its victory, Kentucky is now 649-81 in games played at Rupp Arena since the venue opened for the 1976-77 season.

In the John Calipari coaching era (since 2009-10), UK is now 222-21 at Rupp.

4. The long game. Of the eight Kentucky teams that have won the NCAA men’s basketball national title, seven of them started their seasons 2-0 — as the current Cats have done.

The one eventual UK national champ that didn’t start with two straight wins, the 1995-96 Wildcats, are, arguably, the greatest team in Kentucky men’s hoops history.

Rick Pitino’s top-ranked Cats opened the ‘95-96 season with a 96-84 win over No. 14 Maryland in the Tip-Off Classic at Springfield, Massachusetts. However, No. 1 Kentucky was upset in its second game of the season by No. 5 Massachusetts, 92-82, in the Great Eight Classic at Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Pitino and UK, ultimately, turned the tables on UMass and its coach, John Calipari, by beating the Minutemen when it mattered most — an 81-74 victory in the 1996 NCAA Tournament Final Four in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

5. A helping hand. Sarah von Rosenberg, the wife of Texas A&M-Commerce head man Jaret von Rosenberg and mother of their three children ages 7, 5, and nine months, suffered a stroke on Oct. 13.

She subsequently underwent brain surgery, suffered a second stroke that raised fears for her survival but has stabilized and been able to start in-patient rehab.

A GoFundMe.com page has been set up to collect money to help the von Rosenberg family meet medical and other related expenses.

On that page, it says, “Sarah is paralyzed on the left side of her body, can only speak a few words, and has months of intensive and expensive therapy ahead. After this eight-month window of treatment and rehab, any gains will likely only come from her efforts and willpower.

“The truth is, Sarah has a long and grueling road ahead. Jaret and their three young kids will be on this journey with her. We are seeking this fundraising campaign to help a family in need with out-of-pocket medical care, rehab, and childcare expenses ...”

According to the gofundme.com page, $154,870 out of a goal of $250,000 had been raised for the von Rosenberg family as of 3:30 p.m. (EST) Friday afternoon.

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