A quick summary of Kentucky's 75-70 victory over LSU on Saturday.

Talking points

Sparked by Nerlens Noel, Kentucky came out crisp and hitting the boards. A strong post score by Alex Poythress made it 20-10. Kentucky dominated inside behind Noel and Poythress. With Poythress scoring 11 points, UK led 42-31 at the half. Another cold start to open the second half and UK's lead was 49-42. UK let LSU hang around. It was 56-49 before a nice drive by Jarrod Polson. An even bigger scare came when Noel left the game limping but he was back on the floor soon. A couple of late three-pointers by Anthony Hickey helped LSU get within one in the closing seconds.

Telling numbers

■ UK was 18-for-26 in the first half inside the three-point line, 1-for-7 outside the line.

■ Against Alabama, Kentucky scored 22 points in the second half. It had 42 at halftime against LSU.

■ In the first half, UK outscored LSU 32-14 in the paint. In the second half, LSU outscored UK 18-14 in the paint.

■ UK was 2-for-11 on three-pointers.

■ Poythress and Noel combined to make 10 of 14 shots.

■ LSU guards Hickey and Andre Stringer combined to hit seven of 11 three-point attempts.

Thumbs up

■ It's fun watching the progression of Nerlens Noel's overall game.

■ Poythress was the difference in the game. Be interesting to see how he plays at Mississippi on Tuesday.

Thumbs down

■ Once again, UK failed to put away an opponent with inferior talent.

■ Kentucky had seven assists and 16 turnovers.