Kellan Grady, left, and Jacob Toppin both had big games against Alabama and probably will need to do the same tonight against LSU. (Vicky Graff Photo)
What message did Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua take away from Kentucky beating Alabama 90-81 Saturday after being behind 13 points with only five minutes left in the first half and missing starting guards Sahir Wheeler and TyTy Washington due to injuries?
“It says we have a really good complete team and have built the mentality of the next man up,” said Antigua. “It gives someone else the opportunity to step up and do what the team needs to do to win.”
Kentucky lost at LSU earlier when Wheeler was hurt early in the game and then Washington missed time in the second half with leg cramps. Antigua wasn’t sure about the status for either injured guard for tonight’s game with LSU in Rupp Arena.
“Same challenge (as against Alabama). Difference is style of play,” Antigua said. “LSU is one of the top defensive teams in the country in terms of how they press you, mix up the game. They force 15-16 turnovers per game and get a lot of steals. The key for us is to handle their pressure and different presses.”
With Washington and Wheeler watching from the bench, Alabama did not overly pressure UK’s guards — and the Cats had only seven turnovers. That pressure will come tonight.
Also remember before UK played at LSU that UK assistant coach Chin Coleman questioned the validity of LSU’s defense, a mistake Antigua obviously did not make Tuesday.
Antigua said if one or both guards cannot play tonight, at least UK will have known going into the game instead of having to adjust mid-game.
“Now we know how to play that way,” Antigua said. “It’s really hard to try to do some of the stuff (in games). We were able to prepare a little differently for the way we wanted to play. Not having them, you practice understanding that they were not going to be available.
“In the future, and if something happens in a game where we need to adjust, we will be better prepared for that because of the versatility of our team.”
7 Responses
The key tonight is UK’s defense because LSU is offensively challenged to put it kindly. Rather be worried about LSU’s defensive pressure, UK needs to have a game plan build around totally disrupting the LSU offense on every possession.
As for LSU, they are a team in major decline, and UK is a team still on the rise.
I don’t expect LSU to stay with the Cats tonight, and a win in the high teens or even low 20s would not be surprising.
UK has 5 losses. Tonight is the first opportunity to avenge an earlier loss. I believe UK will get a chance to avenge the most recent loss to Tennessee, and the loss to Auburn in the SEC Tournament in a couple of weeks. I also will not be surprised if the NCAA wizards don’t put UK and Duke on a collision coarse in the NCAA, which gives them a change to avenge that loss too.
If the 2021-22 UK basketball team was a stock, I’m buying.
LSU will be packing in buckets of rocks with the intent of using them as much as the refs will let them. If the stripes swallow their whistles, someone is going to get hurt tonight. Will Wade is not above telling his players to break a kid’s leg if that is what it takes to win. The SEC office allows this type of play to get more teams in the Big Dance. The NCAA couldn’t care less as long as it makes it harder for us to make a run in the tourney.
Whodat you must love LSU’s coach as much as I do. LSU—what a program where they keep this guy after what he "got caught" doing. Half-Class is over-estimation.
Your being generous giving this guy 1/2 class. He has no class.
I agree with the above comments.
It’s obvious that the NCAA has abandoned its case against LSU and Will Wade. They have this SOB on tape admitting he offered money to a recruit. If that had been us, we would have received the death penalty. Oh, by the way, the Sham investigation of North Carolina announced it’s ok not to go to class.
NCAA could care less