INDIANAPOLIS -- It wasn't a monkey that IU coach Mike Davis got off his back Saturday night -- it was a gorilla.\nAnd he didn't just take it off -- he threw it, as the Hoosiers thrashed Kentucky 79-53 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.\n"Our guys are excited about it," Davis said after beating the 'Cats for the first time in his six-year career. "We are trying to make this a good season and you can't get caught up in one game."\nThe No. 18 Hoosiers used stingy defense to hand Kentucky coach Tubby Smith the worst loss of his career and the program's worst defeat in 16 years. The victory was also IU's largest in the rivalry's 49-game history.\nIU (5-2) held Kentucky (6-3) to 31.1 percent shooting and just 7.4 percent from behind the arc, after it took the Cats 21 attempts to hit their first 3-pointer. The No. 15 Wildcats went into the locker room at halftime with 19 points -- their lowest halftime tally since Jan. 19.\n"Our defense was the main reason (for the victory)," freshman center Ben Allen said. "We've been working real hard on our defense."\nSophomore guard A.J. Ratliff got the start in a career-high 21 point effort, scoring all of his points in the second half. He drew the defensive assignment on Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks, who came in averaging 10.6 points and 2.5 assists per game. Sparks was held to 6 points and no assists Saturday.\n"(IU assistant coach Donnie Marsh) was the guy that wanted to start Ratliff on Sparks," Davis said. "Last year Ratliff did a good job on Sparks early. He is long, has a 6'11" wingspan, and he got his hands up and contested some shots."\nRatliff handled the final 20 minutes, but it was all senior forward Marco Killingsworth for the first 20.\nIn his 23-point, 11-rebound outing, Killingsworth had 14 points and five rebounds in the first half, accounting for nine of the Hoosiers' first 13 points. He drew enough fouls to force Smith to go to the depths of his bench on a night when the Kentucky frontcourt put up only eight points.\n"Coach was on me, man. He just took a little blow to me and said 'You know, your defense needs to pickup,'" Killingsworth said. "He talked to (Memphis Grizzlies General Manager) Jerry West and Jerry West said I was a lottery pick if my defense picked up."\nKentucky center Shagari Alleyne opened the game up with an inside slam, giving the blue side of the RCA Dome false hope. The Hoosiers responded, going on a 12-2 run, from which they never relented. The Cats were only able to cut the lead down to 12 in the latter part of the game.\nRatliff credited a large part of the Hoosiers' success to the IU coaching staff.\n"The coaches did the best job ever scouting this team," Ratliff said.\nFollowing the game, Davis announced that sophomore forward D.J. White would return for IU's game at Charlotte on Dec. 19.\n"D.J. will be back hopefully the next game that we play and working him back in will probably be the same (as working in Ratliff)," Davis said. "Just focus him on defense, playing team basketball"
BLUE CRUSHED
Davis defeats Kentucky for 1st time in his 6-year career
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