Scoring is not everything but it sure does not hurt when Keion Brooks scores like he has the last two games

Keion Brooks (12) has had a lot to smile about the last two games. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Scoring might not be what Kentucky coach John Calipari values most in a player but scoring certainly is not a bad thing. Maybe Keion Brooks didn’t rebound quite the way Calipari wanted in the first half against Vanderbilt Wednesday night coming off his sensational performance at Kansas. However, when the game ended, Brooks had his second straight 20-point outing and Kentucky had another win where his scoring was a big factor.

Brooks was 7-for-15 from the field and 6-for-8 at the foul line. He did not take a 3-point shot. He even finished with four rebounds, two assists, and one block to go along with his scoring.

“They were all big,” Calipari said about Brooks’ second-half scoring. “He made three jumpers that were huge, and the one as the clock expired.

“The dunk, I told him, ‘Look, you wanted to make it something hard instead of making an easy play because you might miss it.’ It’s all that mentality that we’ve just got to keep on holding him accountable.

“But I’m saying this: He has been so much better. Again, all I want him to do is when I look at that rebounding chart, his attempts are in the mid-80s. If he does, he’s going to get eight or nine rebounds. He has 17, 18 sprints that are As and three or four that are Bs, because now he’s going to be ahead of the action. He’s going to get a couple of dunks, a couple of 3’s or 15-foot corner shots. And he makes those.”

See, scoring is not such a bad thing.

“Then that’s where he builds his confidence. If you’re getting knocked around, it’s hard to be confident. It really is. I’m really proud of him. Like I said prior to the game, I don’t want you to have the weight of the world on you (because of the Kansas game) again. You just play,” Calipari said.

“You don’t have to make every shot. You’re going to miss some. Just play. Get the weight of the world – get it off you. You just be a great player and enjoy this team. And he is. He has a smile on his face.”

Brooks didn’t let Vanderbilt’s physical play disrupt him or upset him emotionally.

“It was just one of those games where it was physical. We got pushed around a little bit in some areas and in some spots. We have to look at the film because we don’t want other teams to come in and think they can just push us around,” Brooks said.

Certainly, Kentucky does not want to get pushed around at Alabama Saturday night. The Crimson Tide has wins over Gonzaga and Baylor, two of the nation’s best teams, but Alabama is only 4-5 in SEC play along with four other teams and desperately needs a win over UK. Auburn, 9-0, leads the SEC while Kentucky is 7-2, Arkansas 6-3, Tennessee 6-3, and Mississippi State 5-3.

Alabama has lost to Davidson, Iona, Georgia and Missouri. It got swept by Auburn, including a 100-81 beating on Tuesday.

Kentucky has climbed to No. 5 in the national rankings and could still make a push for a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament play with a strong finish.

“We’ve been playing well lately. We’ve got some guys that have been stepping up and playing well individually. The glory is going to come when you start winning and playing well,” Brooks said. “But you have to remember that we have a long way to go. You have a long way to go as a player, and none of us are finished products.

“You’ve got to stay focused on getting better every day, sticking through good days together, and not feeding into all the glitz and glamour and the glory that comes with playing well because nobody’s going to talk about it when you’re not playing well. You have to remember that.”