Kentucky is 1-4. That 1-4 start hasn’t happened at UK since 1984-85, when Ronald Reagan was being re-elected President and Joe B. Hall was in his final season. And yet, most of the talk heading out of Rupp Arena on Saturday was hopeful, as UK rallied from a 22-point halftime deficit against Notre Dame to get a decent-looking shot in the air to win the game at the buzzer. Olivier Sarr’s baseline jumped rimmed off, and time expired, which left the Wildcats on the short end of the 64-63 final score.

Kentucky’s first-half performance was legitimately awful. The Wildcats trailed 48-26, after they allowed Notre Dame to pretty much play “H-O-R-S-E.” The Irish connected on 59% of their shots, including 6-for-11 from 3-point land. Meanwhile, UK was 1-for-13 from downtown, lost the rebounding battle 17-10, and generally looked clueless.

But the second half was a different story. Kentucky ran its offense through the senior transfer Sarr, who responded with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Terrence Clarke was also effective, as the ‘Cats shot 46% (including 4-for-10 from 3), committed just 4 turnovers, and held Notre Dame to 28% shooting while forcing a dozen miscues. Kentucky’s 37-16 advantage in the second half seemed like a starting place for the Wildcats to revamp their season.

John Calipari admitted after the game, “If that’s who we are — those 20 minutes — then there’s hope.” And hope, well, without getting all Shawshank Redemption, hope has been missing around Kentucky basketball for the last few weeks.

With that renewed energy, what’s worth watching for the ‘Cats in the week ahead? Kentucky’s rescheduled game against Detroit was canceled, so its only action will be on Saturday against UCLA in Cleveland. The Bruins are 5-1 start and include former UK guard Johnny Juzang, whose 3-point shooting prowess would be very much needed by his old team. But here are the major storylines to keep an eye on this week and beyond:

1. Clarke at the point

Calipari installed freshman Terrence Clarke at point guard for Notre Dame and the results were somewhat mixed. Clarke finished with 14 points and 3 assists but also had a team-high 4 turnovers. That said, UK’s 11 turnovers for the game represent significant progress, and Clarke might be key to that trend continuing.

2. How close is Keion?

Calipari has stopped giving out updates on Keion Brooks’ return from a leg injury, but Brooks has quietly started to participate in more and more non-game activities. The best guess is he returns for conference play, but it is very much a guess.

3. Getting to the line

Kentucky shot just 6 free throws against Notre Dame, the fewest UK has attempted since a January 2016 game against Vanderbilt. For a team without many shooters, getting more points at the stripe may be pivotal.

4. Substitutions and starters

Davion Mintz earned his first start against Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Calipari was critical of some of his bench players during the first-half run that saw Notre Dame reel off a 33-5 blitz. It’ll be worth watching to see if Mintz continues to start over Askew, and who aside from Devin Askew and forward Jacob Toppin can contribute minutes.

5. Christmas blues?

Calipari admitted to the media that he normally sends his players home for a few days for Christmas, but given COVID situations, he won’t be doing it this year. The UK coach did indicate that his own kids won’t be coming home, but that he’ll try to do some Christmas activities with his players in his de facto bubble.

Calipari’s young teams often get significant on-court work during the holidays, but this year, building chemistry off the court might matter as much as Xs and Os.