Kentucky made progress versus Ole Miss, but one win does not a breakthrough make

It occurred to me the other day what this Kentucky basketball team needs.

It needs a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

You remember MKG, a vital piece of John Calipari’s 2012 national championship team. He wasn’t as dominating as Anthony Davis. He wasn’t as offensively talented as Terrence Jones or Doron Lamb. He wasn’t as experienced as Darius Miller. But if there was a rebound to snag, or a 50-50 ball to collect, or a defensive stop to make or a basket to score, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was your man.

To be sure, Kentucky showed some progress in Tuesday’s 75-63 win over Ole Miss at Rupp Arena. Ugonna Onyenso blocked a record-tying 10 shots. The Cats held the Rebels to just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor. Chris Beard’s team arrived in Lexington ranked 10th nationally in three-point shooting at 38.7 percent. The Rebels left town having made just five of 22 shots beyond the arc for 22.7 percent.

“The thing about tonight is we guarded,” said Calipari afterward. “We guarded.”

One game does not a turnaround make, however. There have been times this season when it appeared Kentucky might just be ready to break through on the defensive end only to see the Cats fall back into their bad habits. Can they build on Tuesday’s performance? We’ll see.

In fact, we’ll see as soon as Saturday when Kentucky visits Auburn for a 6 p.m. tipoff on ESPN. The Tigers are ranked 13th in the latest AP Top 25. They carried an 8-3 SEC record into Wednesday night’s game versus a surging South Carolina. And you know Bruce Pearl’s teams are going to play a fast-paced, pressing, three-point shooting style that makes opponents play all 94 feet.

This particular Auburn team has excelled on defense. Ken Pomeroy ranks the Tigers No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are holding opponents to 38.1 percent shooting from the floor, third-best in the nation. Auburn is first nationally in two-point defense with foes shooting 42.5 percent. These Tigers are buying in on both ends.

Then there’s Auburn Arena, now known as Neville Arena. With a capacity of 9,121 fans, its in-your-face seating and raucous acoustics capable of smothering an opponent. Auburn was 12-0 at home heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Gamecocks. Kentucky is 1-5 its last six trips there.

To pull off the upset Saturday, the Cats are going to have to do many of the things they haven’t done consistently to this point. Defend. Rebound. Come up with loose balls. All the things that Kidd-Gilchrist did for that 2012 team.

There were some encouraging signs Tuesday. Unlike last Saturday’s loss to Gonzaga, the Cats did beat Ole Miss to their fair share of the up-for-grabs balls. “We missed some today again,” Calipari said. “Justin (Edwards) didn’t dive up for the ball. He tried to pick it up with one hand and then threw it to (Ole Miss).”

The return of Tre Mitchell helped. The 6-foot-9 grad transfer returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with a back problem. But Mitchell left in the second half with a shoulder injury. In the postgame presser, Calipari said the Pittsburgh native was headed for the X-ray machine.

“I think Tre Mitchell is one of the best players in college basketball,” Beard said. “In my opinion, he’s not a stat sheet guy. There’s no denying the poise and composure he gives this young really talented team.”

“He goes and gets those tough rebounds we don’t get,” Calipari said of Mitchell. “Now you get them with him in the game.”

So maybe Mitchell is this team’s MKG. If unavailable at Auburn, that would be a big loss. It would also mean that someone else — Adou Thiero or Edwards or Jordan Burks maybe — must step up and fill that role.

“I keep saying to everybody, ‘We’ll break through,’” Calipari said Tuesday. “My teams always break through.”

Was the victory the start of that breakthrough? Saturday’s business trip to Auburn will help us answer that question. One game does not a breakthrough make.

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over the Ole Miss Rebels

Kentucky basketball found a different way to win. ‘This is going to be a turning point.’

Kentucky’s defense shows up in win over Ole Miss, ending three-game skid in Rupp Arena

Box score from No. 22 Kentucky basketball’s 75-63 SEC win over Mississippi