NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The pursuit of perfection continues. The Kentucky Wildcats won the SEC tournament championship Sunday with a 78-63 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bridgestone Arena. The Wildcats, the likely top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, will be the 20th team in NCAA history to enter the tournament undefeated. Seven of the previous teams won the national title.

Here are five observations from Sunday’s game:

Dakari Johnson’s improvement: In high school, Johnson was a chunky prospect who dominated the prep circuit with his size and strength. But he’s changed his body at Kentucky. He's a different player than the young guy John Calipari recruited. Johnson did a great job containing Arkansas' Bobby Portis, a potential lottery pick, in the first half of Sunday’s game. Johnson did it with his agility and mobility. He shadowed the All-SEC star. He didn’t have those tools when he first arrived at Kentucky. The Wildcats will need Johnson’s production off the bench throughout the NCAA tournament. He’ll be ready.

When the lights come on, the Wildcats show up: They looked tired -- or something -- against Florida a few days ago. Maybe bored. Calipari even questioned his team’s energy after that quarterfinal win. Entering Sunday’s game, the Wildcats were playing for pride and to maintain an unblemished record. They’d locked up the top overall seed. By halftime Sunday, however, they had a 41-25 lead. They started strong, and when they play that way, they’re the bully every opponent fears. That’s why most will pick this team to win the national championship. They continue to rise to the occasion.

Michael Qualls’ absence: The Razorbacks' potent scorer and starter began the game on the bench. Arkansas played well without him, but Kentucky pulled away once Arkansas coach Mike Anderson inserted Qualls and a smaller lineup. When Anderson put Qualls with his usual starting group, the chemistry was off. Maybe Anderson wanted to experiment with new configurations after that first loss to UK, but it’s hard to comprehend any decision that leaves an athlete like Qualls on the bench for the first seven minutes of the SEC tournament title game. Qualls ended up leading the team with 18 points in the game.