Maybe it was, because Kentucky did snap its two-game losing streak with a 71-42 victory over Delaware State here Saturday.
"The hair was really a hassle, too. I had to pick it out, blow dry it, keep it neat and looking good. I just thought it was time to go back to my regular look," Patterson, who had nine points and four rebounds, said. "It was probably somewhat of a distraction, too, because everybody made such a big deal out of it."
Patterson only let his hair grown when teammates wanted to see whether A.J. Stewart or Patterson could grow the most hair. Stewart cut his before the season but Patterson kept his until UK lost two games.
"I liked it. My family liked it. But it was time for it to go," Patterson said.
Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie had suggested that the new hairstyle might have been a distraction for Patterson.
"I've always said just to make sure the focus is on your play and not elsewhere. You always want your focus on how you are playing and not to have something be a distraction," Gillispie said Saturday.
Galloway plays: Junior college guard Kevin Galloway made his UK debut - and played 1 minute, 4 seconds in the second half.
Galloway did not play in UK's losses to VMI and North Carolina. He got in the game midway of the second half but didn't last long before he was back on the bench.
"He just didn't do what we asked. He's too good a player to not be getting minutes on this team. But he needs to know what to do when he's in there and how to execute," Gillispie said.
Numbers: Jodie Meeks tied a career-high with five 3-pointers and now has four straight games with at least two 3-pointers ... Perry Stevenson blocked a shot for the ninth straight game ... Patterson has now won the opening tip all three games this year ... Kentucky shot 85.7 percent (12-for-14) at the foul line.
