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There have been games this season where Kentucky players admitted after the game that the team was not focused.
Freshman Chris Livingston has talked about not playing hard enough at times. Oscar Tshiebwe chastised teammates for a lack of fight. Coach John Calipari has accused Jacob Toppin of being too cool
Saturday against Auburn, that was not a problem. Kentucky came out playing well — and the got better. The Cats built an 86-46 lead before “settling” for an 86-54 win that should assure UK of a double-bye in the SEC Tournament
Alabama is 15-1, Texas A&M 13-3, Kentucky 11-5 and Tennessee 10-6. Missouri, Vanderbilt and Auburn are 9-7 and Arkansas is 8-8.
“You could just tell everybody was focused and turning up to the music,” Antonio Reeves said on the UK Radio Network postgame show. “We were playing and jumping up and down.
“The approach to this game was great. We need that every game.”
If Kentucky plays with that approach that lets the Cats play with energy, they are showing they can be a factor in March Madness.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said it is obvious the Wildcats are “really comfortable” in their individual roles now.
“Cason Wallace is a difference maker around the point with his ability to defend, play make and finish shots. The Reeves kid is obviously a great shooter and an older player,” Pearl said. “Tshiebwe is playing dominant on the inside. We thought we could score on him a little bit and hurt him a little bit in the ball screen, but he did a nice job there. He and (Jacob) Toppin are just physically imposing out there.
“And then their wings are just so big. They are literally bigger and stronger at every position. And their physicality, we were no match for. So, they’re playing really well together.”
Kentucky is back on a four-game win streak after losing to Arkansas and Georgia. Not only are the Cats firmly in the NCAA Tournament, but they are starting to peak when it matters most.
“I feel like right now everyone is locked in. Right now everybody just wants to win, you can see right now, even the walk-ons, everybody just wants to win,” Tshiebwe, who had 22 points and 17 rebounds, said.
“You see our bench is hyped all the time, jumping up and down. Losing is too much, we don’t want to go through what we went through. We were just sitting in the locker room sad, going through practice sad, everybody is just sad.
“We were trying to figure it out and now we’ve found a way to win. We’re diving for balls. Like Coach said, we need to refuse to lose. We just don’t want to lose anymore.”
6 Responses
It was a good game to watch. I liked the effort on both ends of the floor. UK had about 10 minutes of just lights out BB; part of that I am sure is because Auburn seemed to just give up because nothing they were doing was working. They had no answers.
The only complaint I could see in the game was UK missed about 6 or 8 flat out layups, several by Wallace and they had at least 3 turnovers that were just uncalled for, lack of attention. I know those don’t matter in a game like this, but they will matter in games down the road.
This team seems to be coming around at just the right time. Maybe another Villanova from a few years back.
My only question is if they can keep playing this way. Consistency has been their biggest enemy this year.
It was good to see Frederick on the floor again, but Thiero needs to keep playing. Lance needs to play more too. This starting 5 needs to remain starters and get 25 to 30 minutes every game. Thiero, Lance, and now CJ gives them plenty of minutes for rest/foul trouble. Even when Wheeler is ready to play, he needs to wait for the next injury to make minutes available for him. I really wished Onyenso had got the minutes that Collins got in earlier games. You can tell he is not ready to play now and that could come back to bite us. Calipari has changed his game planning and a lot of it has to do with Wheeler being out. We are a much better team without Wheeler on the floor. Can Calipari resist the temptation to play his pet again? If yes, we are a favorite to get to the final game in the SEC tourney, get a decent seed in the Big Dance, and make at least a 4 game run. If no, well…let’s hope we don’t go there.
It was good to see Wallace break out of his shooting slump. We need him from here on out.
I am hearing rumors that Wheeler may not be injured (physically at least) but has essentially checked out. I had also heard rumors earlier that he will not play again this season. Perhaps the new rumors explain why the initial rumors began to circulate.
If that is the case, Calipari should direct the equipment manager to empty his locker and change the locks, and send him home now. Does anyone remember when Rupp did that to a player in 1967? I do, and it eliminated conflict within that team.
If this is not the case, Calipari needs to clear the air on his status. Perhaps a press conference by the team physician about Wheeler’s "injury" would be sufficient to clear the air.
FWIW, I know that Calipari will do neither of these things, so the rumor mill will continue to churn out its poison.
As for yesterday’s game, it was this team’s strongest performance by far, and it is a level of efficiency that UK teams have not achieved in several seasons.
The best teams each year will have 2 or 3 games like that. Above-average programs have games like that once every 2 to 4 years. Below-average programs never play that well on their very best days.
One game does not define a team, and one game does not define a shift in the team’s overall identity. I heard one astute fan say last night that "IF they play that way the rest of the way, they will be a tough out." No kidding Sherlock and that is true statement built upon a fatally flawed premise. No team plays that way for multiple, consecutive games. No team does that. This team won’t do that.
Teams are defined by their average level of performance over the course of a season. This team has defined itself in that manner, and this team is still not in the Sweet 16 realm, much less Elite 8 range, despite a 40-point (effective margin) win over Auburn yesterday. That win was only as much better than this team’s average as the team’s loss to South Carolina was worse than this team’s average.
Some games are great, and some games are pitiful. Most games fall within a relatively narrow band around the average which is why the average performance over time is what matters.
Two weeks ago, the Calipari apologists defined the "gold standard" as getting into the tournament.
Today, the Calipari apologists define the "gold standard" as winning one game in the tournament.
Folks, the "gold standard" for this program is playing in the final four to compete for championships. Getting into the tournament, or winning one game once in the tournament represents a serious lowering of expectations.
There was a shot of Wheeler during a time-out and he was as disconnected as he could be. This team plays a different game when Wheeler is on the floor and altogether different when he is not on the floor. We are a better team with Wheeler on the bench or playing limited minutes at best. That is a hard pill to swallow being a senior and also being Calipari’s pet. I pray that Calipari doesn’t have an Andrew Harrison flashback and disrupt the chemistry that this team has developed.
There are people that truly don’t believe this team can succeed. There are people that truly don’t want this team to succeed. They hate Cal that much. He is going nowhere and neither is Wheeler. He will play when he is ready and the Cats will need him. This team has three starters that wasn’t here last year, including two freshman. Oscars knee set him back. It takes time. Maybe longer than anyone wanted, but I never doubted it would happen. I guess I’m a homer. I bleed blue. It’s gonna be Alot sweeter as this team peaks and makes its run. I Have Always Believed! Go Cats!!!