Talking points

Ryan Harrow led UK early as Marshall matched UK's athleticism. Harrow had 11 early points as the teams exchanged leads. Marshall was up 20-18 when Nerlens Noel ignited a 13-2 UK run. Kentucky could not hit perimeter shots, but Marshall scored only four points in the final 11:30 of the half. UK led 33-24 at halftime. Marshall quickly cut it to 33-31 but UK responded with a 17-3 run, continually getting drives to the basket. Kentucky played some of its best basketball in the second half.

Telling numbers

■ Ahead 20-18, Marshall went almost 10 minutes without scoring.

■ Marshall had 20 points at the 11:30 mark of the first half. There was 8:10 left in the game before it hit 40.

■ Archie Goodwin was 4-for-17 shooting. A handful of those misses were at the rim.

■ UK outscored Marshall 24-8 in the paint in the first half.

■ Julius Mays has hit one of his last 13 three-pointers.

Thumbs up

■ A week ago, Ryan Harrow was UK's biggest question mark. Against Marshall, he looked like its best player at times.

■ UK's defense is getting better. Marshall shot 29 percent.

■ This team has not been one to put together impressive runs. Marshall was buried by nice runs of 13-2 and 17-3.

Thumbs down

■ UK was 1-for-13 on three-pointers in the first half, which kept Marshall in the game.

■ UK continues to be flat to start the second half. Marshall needed less than a minute to cut a 9-point lead to two.