By LARRY VAUGHT

LEXINGTON — It was easy to be impressed with John Wall’s school-record 16 assists, DeMarcus Cousins’ third straight double-double or the impressive 3-point shooting from Darius Miller and Darnell Dodson.
However, the most impressive part of Kentucky’s 104-61 victory over Hartford here Tuesday night was that 24,340 excited fans filled Rupp Arena.
“This team is so much fun to watch,” said former UK coach Joe Hall. “Every night, there’s something different and exciting to see. Fans just love it.”
They should.
This is a game Kentucky was expected to win big and did thanks to some impressive shooting. The Wildcats were 14-for-28 from 3-point range and 41-for-68 overall, including 19-for-28 in the second half when they made 13 of their first 15 shots.
“Every night the games are fun,” Cousins, who had 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and 12 rebounds, said. “I wasn’t trying to get 30 points or anything like that. I just wanted to win. If you try for anything other than that, you will not be playing any way.”
That’s because coach John Calipari emphasizes both team playing and having fun. That’s why he brought Wall back into the game with 7 minutes, 53 seconds left so he could get the final two assists he needed to break the record Travis Ford set 16 years ago.
Wall had only 9 points — his first game not in double figures — because he concentrated on passing against an inferior foe. At halftime, he had 11 assists and one turnover.
Calipari normally would not put a player back into a game to break a record. He made an exception with Wall because of his unselfish play.
“I did it because in this game he could have got 30 and he chose to pass to his teammates. He is a a pleaser. He will defer to his teammates,” Calipari said.
It was perhaps the perfect way to come back from the holiday break and get ready for Saturday’s Battle of the Bluegrass against Louisville.
Kentucky had five players in double figures, committed only seven turnovers and had 11 players score. It made it easy for Calipari to have starter Eric Bledsoe sat out and rest his “tweaked ankle” for the Cardinals.
“They are all having fun. Everybody had fun playing. If I am doing my job, I am getting them to work hard and have fun. Just play. Think more about teammates than yourselves.” Calipari said.
Saturday’s game should be fun, too. The Cats have lost to Rick Pitino’s team the last two years but will be favored to extend their 14-game unbeaten streak.
Calipari regularly faced Louisville when he coached at Memphis, so this is not his first time to go against Pitino’s Cards. However, it’s his first time in this heated rivalry and he once again made a plea to UK fans not to taunt Pitino over his highly publicized affair.
“It is a great game for our state and commonwealth and it is a great game for college basketball. It’s also a great game for our program,” Calipari said. “It is a rivalry game and important for both programs.”
He noted how over 24,000 fans had watched the Hartford win and hopes the “greatest fans” will respond in that manner Saturday.
“The only thing I am asking is show the country we are the classiest fans in the country. This is about our players and their players. It is not about the coaches,” he said.
“Please no posters. No chants. Nothing. We don’t need it. I will sit the whole game if need be. Let’s just be what we are. Let’s be the classiest fans in the country.”
Calipari did give Pitino a few extra things to think about by showing  2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defenses in the second half that allowed Hartford to not only drive inside a few times but also gave the visitors room to hit some 3-point shots.
“We were playing a team we could change up and go zone, and we obviously needed the work,” Calipari said.
Now Cal’s Cats have a few more days to work on other things before facing the Cards, who seem to have finally got healthy and have started to play much better the last two weeks.
“It will be a hard game. They are probably the best shooting team we will play all year,” Calipari said.
Maybe, but Kentucky likely will also be the best overall team the Cardinals will play all year.
“I think everyone knows what a big game it is,” Miller, who had 16 points and five assists, said. “You like to treat it as just another game, but everybody knows different. But what we have to do is approach it just like we did this game and come out and play like it is just another game and not the biggest game in the state to almost every fan of both teams.”

No. 3 KENTUCKY 104, HARTFORD 61
HARTFORD (2-10)
Barkers 0-3 0-0 0, Sabia 4-12 4-4 16, Burton 7-14 0-0 18,  Torres 1-3 0-0 2, J.Zeglinski 7-16 1-1 19, White 1-4 0-0 2,  Erickson 0-0 0-0 0, Z.Zeglinski 0-0 0-0 0, Baker 0-1 0-0 0,  Bookman 0-0 0-0 0, Minor 0-0 0-0 0, Estes 2-2 0-0 4, Brothers 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-58 5-5 61.
KENTUCKY (14-0)
Cousins 8-10 3-4 19, Patterson 5-8 1-3 11, Miller 6-8 0-0 16,  Harris 2-2 2-3 7, Wall 4-8 0-0 9, Dodson 6-15 1-2 19, Hood 0-1 0-0 0,  Krebs 1-3 0-0 3, Stevenson 2-2 1-2 5, Orton 5-6 0-0 10,  Liggins 1-2 0-0 3, Harrellson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 41-68 8-14 104.
Halftime—Kentucky 57-31. 3-Point Goals—Hartford 12-29 (Burton 4-8,  Sabia 4-8, J.Zeglinski 4-11, Baker 0-1, Brothers 0-1), Kentucky 14-28  (Dodson 6-10, Miller 4-6, Harris 1-1, Liggins 1-2, Krebs 1-3, Wall 1-3,  Cousins 0-1, Hood 0-1, Patterson 0-1). Fouled Out—None.  Rebounds—Hartford 24 (Sabia 6), Kentucky 41 (Cousins 12).  Assists—Hartford 13 (Sabia, J.Zeglinski 3), Kentucky 30 (Wall 16). Total  Fouls—Hartford 14, Kentucky 7. Technical—Hartford Bench. A—24,340.

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