By LARRY VAUGHT

LEXINGTON — Maybe some players would have been tempted to press just a little bit coming off what had been less than stellar games.
But not Patrick Patterson.
“There was no reason for me to try and do anything more than usual,” said Patterson. “I’m fine. I just play basketball and try to help my team win.”
That’s what Patterson does best, and did again here Saturday. After two straight games without scoring in double figures — the first time that had happened in his three-year UK career — Patterson bounced back with 12 points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals to help the Wildcats turn back Vanderbilt 85-72.
Those still are not the kind of numbers Patterson wants — or coach John Calipari wants him to have. He still had only seven shots — and four were 3-pointers — and he didn’t dominate the boards the way he has at times.
However, Calipari says it is time to understand Patterson is not the reason UK suffered its first loss at South Carolina on Tuesday when he got only five points.
“I am going to keep working with Patrick daily,” Calipari said. “The 3’s were a step (forward). We’ve got to get him catching the ball with two hands.
“He wasn’t the reason we didn’t beat South Carolina. He didn’t play great, but we had eight other guys that didn’t play great. I did not coach great. Everybody wants to put that loss on Pat and that is not fair.
“We need more from him, and have to make calls for him. In this offense, you have to go get yours. He has to be 17 (points) and 10 (rebounds). He had too many one-handed tips. But let me say this, he is the least of our worries.”
That’s because Patterson is a veteran, he will play hard and he will do what the coach asks without question. He’s as happy playing defense as scoring. He’s as happy setting a pick as he is dunking on the fast break.
It would have been easy for him to try and shoot much more often after Calipari said Friday that he wanted his junior forward to “demand” the ball more. Instead, Patterson took only shots that came naturally in the offense
“He wants me to get the ball more in the paint. He wants me to have a score-first, pass-second mentality,” Patterson said. “If I am down low, he wants me to call for the ball. He wants me to be more selfish and look to score more. I am fine with that.”
Maybe, but that’s not Patterson and maybe his young, talented teammates noticed — or should.
Freshman point guard John Wall is having more trouble penetrating because teams are clogging the middle. That has frustrated him and made the last few weeks not as much fun, but he better get used to it. He was only 4-for-12 from the field Saturday, but he had nine assists and many set up open 3-point shots that enabled UK to win the game.
Freshman center DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points, 10 rebounds and one blocked shot in only 24 minutes. He also had only one assist — on a pass to Patterson — because he seldom thinks of passing even when double teamed. There will be nights he has to recognize teams are stacking their defense to stop him and physical players that can do that.
Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe lost his starting spot for reasons Calipari wouldn’t disclose. He was 3-for-7 from the field, but got seven rebounds, dished out three assists and got to the foul line 11 times so he could still score 13 points.
Patterson, always the diplomat, liked what he saw in the win over Vanderbilt, which came into the game leading the SEC Eastern Division at 5-0.
“We have a will to win. We all do,” Patterson said. “We will fight and battle. We knew Vanderbilt was physical and strong. We wanted to play physical with them and play well.
“I learned today that my teammates will not back down and will focus on the task at hand and not let one loss destroy our season. We talked about this was a game for No. 1 (in the SEC) and this was a chance to swing momentum our way and away from them. We wanted to show we could play.”
And even if he wouldn’t say it, Patterson wanted to show he is still this team’s leader.
He could have done that with a 30-point outing. Or he could have done it his way by listening to Calipari, arriving early at practice and playing within the system.
It’s no surprise he chose his way and that in itself should be a valuable lesson to others.
“The rumors of my demise are exaggerated,” Patterson said. “I can still play a lot better than this, but we won and that’s what should be most important to everyone because that is what matters most to me.”

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