Notes: Hood has fun, makes strides

He jumped up in a crowd and grabbed an offensive rebound. He gathered himself. He rose toward the basket and banked in a contested put-back.

Come to think of it, sophomore Jon Hood looked like his buddy Josh Harrellson on the play.

Hearing that, Hood turned to Harrellson in the next cubicle of the Kentucky locker room and said, "I jumped a lot higher than Josh ever jumped in his life."

Vertical leaping hasn't been the issue with Hood. If anything, the UK coaches wanted the sophomore guard from Madisonville to play more horizontally. Diving more on the floor for loose balls. Crouching low in a defensive stance. Bloodying his nose.

"I was happy for him today," said Assistant Coach John Robic, who substituted for Coach John Calipari in the post-game news conference. "Because he played aggressively. He went for the ball instead of shying away. I think that is a big thing with him.

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