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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Andrew Harrison's 18 points helped Kentucky take down in-state rival Louisville. (Timothy D. Easley/AP)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Four-Point Play is One and One\u2019s attempt to highlight the best team, player, game and GIF from the past seven days of college hoops. We reserve the right to tweak the formula on a weekly basis. Expect this column every Sunday.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Game of the week (1): No. 18 Kentucky 73, No. 6 Louisville 66&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;\u00A0&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Kentucky wrapped up its 2013 recruiting class earlier this year, the consensus was that the Wildcats would dominate early in the 2013-14 season and throughout it, much in the same way they did in 2011-12, when freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led Kentucky to a 38-2 record and a national championship. The 2013 class was hailed as the best ever: It features Six McDonald\u2019s All-Americans and five of the top 11 players in the country, according to Rivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the first 12 games of the season, before Saturday\u2019s home tilt with no. 6 Louisville, Kentucky\u2019s recruiting class had mostly underwhelmed. One player, the nation\u2019s no. 2 ranked prospect, Julius Randle, was the exception. As expected, Randle had shined, physically dominating opposing frontcourt players and presenting most defenders with a simple choice: Foul or get dunked on. His scoring (18.1) and rebounding (10.6) averages were about what most would expect \u2013 maybe a little better \u2013 from a player projected to be a top-five NBA draft pick. Randle had lived up to the hype.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The problem was that the rest of Kentucky\u2019s ridiculous 2013 recruiting class had not.\u00A0 Andrew Harrison, billed as the better half of the greatest recruiting package deal ever before Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor at once chose Duke, had played inconsistent, error-riddled basketball (brother Aaron, by contrast, had emerged as one of Kentucky\u2019s most consistent players). James Young had been scoring in double digits most games, but often needed a few too many shots to get there. Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee were both averaging less than 10 minutes a game. And while Randle\u2019s draft stock had remained relatively steady, his classmates\u2019 was slipping.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Midway through the second half of Saturday\u2019s game, Kentucky faced a challenge it seemingly could not overcome. Randle exited the game due to leg cramps, meaning the Wildcats needed to find a way to beat the defending national champion Cardinals without their best player. Louisville led 52-51 after guard Chris Jones converted a three-point play around the 11-minute mark. The other freshmen, the ones who had mostly served as ancillary parts behind Randle during the early part of the season, would need to step up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They did, though that\u2019s probably an understatement. Kentucky\u2019s supporting cast rose to the occasion to score not only another gratifying win in college basketball\u2019s most heated rivalry, but also upend the team whose experience and cohesion was cast as a purportedly superior paradigmatic contrast to the Wildcats\u2019 youth and inexperience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Young and Andrew Harrison scored 18 points apiece, and the latter \u2013 who has given away 22.5 percent of his possessions to the other team this season, according to Kenpom.com \u2013 turned it over just twice in 34 minutes. Young added 10 rebounds and four assists. The Harrison twins and Young scored 25 of Kentucky\u2019s 30 second-half points and helped Kentucky deliver a game-changing 15-4 run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CI thought we grew up,\u201D Kentucky coach John Calipari told reporters afterward. \u201CWe looked like a basketball team today.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CIt always hurts when you lose a great player,\" Andrew Harrison said. \"But at the same time, we all knew we had to bring it and that just means we all had to step it up a little bit.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alex Poythress and sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein also made key contributions. Cauley-Stein\u2019s defense in particular was pivotal in helping Kentucky hold off the hard-charging Cardinals down the stretch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is Kentucky\u2019s best win of the season so far, but it could wind up being something far more important. The Wildcats\u2019 non-Randle freshmen stepped up in a huge spot and proved they can carry their team to victory without its best player. There will likely be games, in SEC play and the NCAA Tournament, when Randle isn\u2019t able to totally dominate, when Kentucky needs players like the Harrisons and Young to play as big as their recruiting rankings suggest they should. They didn\u2019t back down from the challenge Saturday, which should give them confidence in similar situations the rest of this season. The win against Louisville, then, could be a turning point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While Kentucky played arguably its best game of the season to date, Louisville showed a couple of major flaws. First, the Cardinals looked aimless and disjointed when trying to run their half-court offense. All too often, they resorted to low-percentage shots from Jones or Russ Smith; the two guards needed 33 shots to score 37 points.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Louisville also struggled to match up with Kentucky\u2019s size. The Wildcats grabbed 41.5 percent of their missed shots and 69.2 percent of their opponent\u2019s; the Cardinals managed just 30.8 and 58.5 percent, respectively. Montrezl Harrell took just two shots and Chane Behanan went 0-for-3 from the field. The Cardinals\u2019 frontcourt also struggled defensively. Harrell, Stephen Van Treese, Mangcok Mathiang and Chane Behanan couldn\u2019t slow Randle, who repeatedly attacked the rim and finished with 17 points in limited action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One loss won\u2019t define Louisville\u2019s season. Rick Pitino\u2019s team didn\u2019t truly reach peak form last season until February, after a five-overtime loss to Notre Dame, before going on to win the national championship. There is time to work out the kinks. But the Cardinals will enter conference play with some work to do. Because Louisville has lost to the only two quality opponents it has played (No. 19 North Carolina on a neutral court, at Kentucky), it will need to take advantage of the few opportunities available for big wins in American Athletic Conference play to position itself for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Wildcats host Mississippi State on Jan. 8 to open SEC play. If the freshmen who stepped up in Randle\u2019s absence Saturday continue to play that way with Randle on the court, the expectations many had in the preseason that Kentucky could win the national championship will feel more realistic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Game of the week (2): No. 2 Syracuse 78, No. 8 Villanova 62&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two long-time rivals, both undefeated and ranked in the top-10 of the AP Poll, squared off Saturday, and it wasn\u2019t even the most highly anticipated matchup of the day. Syracuse-Villanova might not rival Kentucky-Lousville\u2019s national discussion-dominating power, but it typically presents an entertaining game between two great teams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, one player on one of those teams turned the game into his own personal showcase. Orange point guard Tyler Ennis was the No. 22-ranked recruit in the 2013 class, but the number of freshmen that have played better than him this season can be counted on one hand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ennis scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting and committed zero turnovers in 37 minutes Saturday to lead Syracuse to yet another impressive non-conference win (the Orange had already beaten Minnesota, Cal, No. 11 Baylor, Indiana and St. John\u2019s coming in). Syracuse\u2019s star freshman is now averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, boasts a turnover percentage of 9.8, one of the 120 best marks in the country, and a steal percentage of 5.2 (11th\u00A0in the country).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With help from sophomore guard Trevor Cooney, Ennis has extinguished the doubt many had in the preseason about how Syracuse\u2019s backcourt would fare without first-round draft pick Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche. As Luke Winn pointed out in his most recent power rankings, Ennis has actually been better than MCW\u00A0so far this season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Syracuse fell behind 25-7 midway through the first half, Ennis helped his team score 20 unanswered points and hold Villanova scoreless for more than seven minutes. The Orange took a 38-34 lead into halftime and pulled away after the break. The Wildcats made it interesting late in the latter part second half, pulling within three at the seven-minute mark, but they couldn\u2019t do enough to hang with Ennis and the Orange, who are now 12-0 and have established themselves as the clear favorite to win the ACC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\"Syracuse has a really good team,\" Villanova coach Jay Wright told reporters afterward. \"They really played at a high level. This is a tough place to play.\"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The breadth of Ennis\u2019 contributions cannot be captured by the box score. There\u2019s something unique about the way he plays. His advanced understanding of the game, and the point guard position in particular, is obvious to anyone who watches him play.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His body control, sublime vision, ability to read angles, ward off aggressive defenders with tight dribbles and change directions and speeds comprises a skill set unlike any other point guard\u2019s in college basketball. There\u2019s something distinctly throwback about his game. He just seems more &lt;i&gt;in control&lt;/i&gt; when he has the ball than anyone else on the court.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CHe\u2019s just really clever,\u201D Orange coach Jim Boeheim said of Ennis. \u201CHe kind of lulls people to sleep like he\u2019s not going. And we\u2019re getting good movement to create lanes for him.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Syracuse will begin conference play Jan. 4, when it hosts Miami. Besides No. 9 Duke, no ACC team looks like it can challenge the Orange for the league\u2019s regular-season crown. With Ennis playing this well, this team might be the best in the country, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Team of the week: No. 14 Iowa State&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can be forgiven for missing what Iowa State did this week. The Cyclones won three games against George Mason, Akron and Boise State in a four-day span from Dec. 22-Dec. 25, en route to earning first-place in the Diamond Head Classic. But you were probably too occupied with Christmas shopping to notice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even if you didn\u2019t catch the Cyclones this week, you really should try to watch them after the calendar flips. Fred Hoiberg\u2019s team, at 11-0, is off to its best start in school history and counts wins over then-No. 7 Michigan, BYU and No. 22 Iowa. Picked to finish fourth in the Big 12\u2019s preseason coaches poll, the Cyclones look capable of challenging Baylor, No. 16 Kansas and No. 7 Oklahoma State for the league title.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\"We've only played eight games coming into this tournament, so it was very important to get these and take care of business and give us some momentum heading into conference,\" Hoiberg said after his team beat the Broncos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cyclones, ranked 17th\u00A0in Kenpom\u2019s team ratings, play fast (their 72.2 possessions per game rank 26th\u00A0in the country), have an explosive offense (16th\u00A0in offensive efficiency) and are solid on the other end (36th). They have four players who should vie for All-Conference recognition this season: guard DeAndre Kane (14.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.5 apg) and forwards Melvin Ejim (18.0, 8.8, 2.4), Georges Niang (16.0, 3.7, 3.5) and Dustin Hogue (13.5, 10.3).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On its face, the set of wins Iowa State picked up this week isn\u2019t all that impressive. Only one of the teams it beat, Boise State, is likely to make a push for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. But the Cyclones, by virtue of winning those three games, cleared their final non-conference hurdle and essentially wrapped up a perfect first two months of the season (provided they beat Northern Illinois, ranked 270th\u00A0in Pomeroy\u2019s ratings, on New Year\u2019s Eve). Hoiberg\u2019s team will have a chance to validate its hot start in January when it hosts Baylor (Jan. 7) and Kansas (Jan. 13) and plays at Oklahoma (Jan. 11), Texas (Jan. 18) and the Jayhawks (Jan. 29).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;GIF of the week: &lt;/b&gt;Russ Smith takes flight&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(h/t SB Nation)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This came in a losing effort, but it would have been an injustice not to highlight Smith\u2019s incredible dunk. Smith is generously listed at 6-0 on Louisville\u2019s official athletic website; Julius Randle, the physically dominating future lottery pick Smith dunked on, is 6-9. I\u2019m not sure what was more impressive: Smith crossing up Cauley-Stein and splitting a double team at the top of the key, or the actual throwdown.\nhttps://twitter.com/rushthecourt/status/417055696874524673&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-basketball/one-and-one/2013/12/29/four-point-play-kentucky-louisville-russ-smith-syracuse-villanova-tyler-ennis-iowa-state>