Lack of depth doesn't equate lack of talent
Felton acknowledged Kentucky does not have as much depth as a normal UK team this year, but he also said it was wrong to think this team lacked talent.
"Ramel (Bradley) and Joe (Crawford) are as good a guard combination as there is in the country," he said.
Crawford had 23 points, including 14 in the first 11 minutes, and Bradley had 12 rebounds, eight points and three assists.
Then there is freshman Patrick Patterson, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots, including one in the final minutes that helped save the win.
"Patrick Patterson is ready to make an impact in the NBA," Felton said. "He is a monster. He's hard for any college player to handle.
"They have three go-to guys in Bradley, Crawford and Patterson that are as good as anybody in this league. As long as you have those guys, you can compete with anybody."
Physical: Patterson took a blow from Georgia center Dave Bliss early in the game that opened a cut near his right eye that took three stitches. He played most of the game with a bandage over the cut.
If that wasn't enough, he sprained his foot getting his final rebound.
"I am not going to sit out again," Patterson, who played all 40 minutes, said. "I've already missed one game. I'm not going to miss another one."
Bliss is the same player who decked Bradley at Georgia and forced him to miss the next two games because of a concussion.
"I don't know if he doesn't like us or what," Patterson said. "I don't know what it is with him. That's a good question I wish I could answer. He possibly could have done it on purpose (when he hit Patterson), but I don't think it was intentional.
"It was just a physical game inside. Elbows were flying. Arms were flying. Bodies were flying. It was almost like a football game."
Patterson did notice, though, the way the fans booed each time Bliss touched the ball the entire game.
"I appreciate the crowd a lot. Every time he got the ball, the crowd was on him. I was cracking up about it," Patterson said.
Gone: Walk-on guard Dusty Mills is no longer with the team. Gillispie wouldn't say specifically what happened, but Mills says he was put off the team because he was laughing on the bench at Vanderbilt when UK lost by 41 points.
"They all get chances," Gillispie said. "He was a real good member of the team for a little bit and he is not with us any more."
