Patterson didn't attempt a field goal and made two free throws in the first half and finished with just eight points. Despite the absence of Patterson's offensive production, Kentucky made things interesting down the stretch and even sliced a 21-point deficit down to single digits before taking a 97-95 lead with 4:42 left.
However, VMI recovered and had enough left in the tank to pull off the upset.
Despite the loss, Kentucky showed that it has offensive firepower, led by junior Jodie Meeks, who scored 39 points to lead all scorers. Meeks made all three of the team's shots from long range.
In addition to Meeks, Perry Stevenson had a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Ramon Harris had 16 points and was instrumental down the stretch.
The bright spot was the fact that three of the team's five starters tallied double figures. The disappointment was the lack of production from Patterson, which the team desperately needs in order to be successful during the regular season.
Another big contribution came from freshman Darius Miller, who poured in 12 points in his debut off the bench. Miller just missed a double-double with eight rebounds.
Kentucky shot 54 percent from the field, but 18 percent shooting from 3-point range won't win many games needs to improve in a hurry.
The point-guard situation was considered a concern heading into the opener and the team's point guards did nothing to convince otherwise. The Wildcats had 25 miscues and seemed lost at times on the offensive end.
The team's two starting guards — Meeks and Porter — combined for 10 turnovers.
The good thing is that Kentucky potential and has a foundation. It's only the first game.
VMI 111, KENTUCKY 103
VMI (1-0) - Bell 3-9 6-8 12, Burks 4-5 1-2 11, C.Holmes 3-12 9-12 16, Kenon 5-11 2-4 17, T.Holmes 10-13 9-9 30, Brownfield 0-2 0-0 0, Gabriel 8-12 0-0 20, Sparks 2-8 0-0 5, Whiting 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-72 27-35 111.
KENTUCKY (0-1) - Porter 1-2 0-1 2, Stevenson 8-12 4-5 20, Harris 6-10 4-8 16, Meeks 13-27 10-12 39, Patterson 3-4 2-3 8, Miller 5-8 2-4 12, Liggins 3-7 0-0 6, Harrellson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 39-72 22-33 103.
Halftime-VMI 57-47. 3-Point Goals-VMI 14-31 (Kenon 5-10, Gabriel 4-6, Burks 2-3, T.Holmes 1-1, C.Holmes 1-3, Sparks 1-5, Brownfield 0-1, Bell 0-2), Kentucky 3-16 (Meeks 3-11, Harris 0-1, Miller 0-1, Liggins 0-3). Fouled Out-Gabriel. Rebounds-VMI 29 (Bell 8), Kentucky 48 (Stevenson 14). Assists-VMI 15 (C.Holmes 6), Kentucky 17 (Liggins 5). Total Fouls-VMI 24, Kentucky 21. Technical-Miller. A-22,579.
