UK Athletics Photo
There are two ways to look at Kentucky’s 89-84 loss to Kansas Tuesday night in Chicago.
No, it was not good that Kentucky had a 58-44 lead with 16 minutes to play and let Kansas go on a 20-4 the next 5 1/2 minutes to get back in the game.
No, it was not good that freshman point guard D.J. Wagner missed his first seven shots and went 1-for-12 from the field and also had just one assist in 25 minutes.
No, it was not good that freshman Justin Edwards went 0-for-6 from the field in 29 minutes and had just four rebounds and two assists.
No, it was not good that UK let Kansas end the game on an 11-1 run or went 3-for-15 from 3-point range in the second half with five misses in the final two minutes.
However, for a freshman-dominated team playing against the nation’s No. 1 team with all three of its 7-footers unable to play for different reasons it was probably better than many expected.
Yes, it was great that UK went 9-for-23 from 3-point range in the first half and were ripping and running when they outscored Kansas 48-41.
Yes, it was great that Antonio Reeves had 24 points despite cooling off in the second half. He was just 3-for-17 from 3-point range — which is way too many shots for him to take normally. However, Kansas’ dominance inside and UK’s five-out philosophy led to that and almost all his shots were open looks.
Yes, freshman guard Rob Dillingham showed how explosive he can be. He had 16 points in the first half and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He finished the game with 18 points because Kansas changed its defensive approach in the second half and UK could not find anyone else to make the Jayhawks pay for that.
Yes, Reed Sheppard just keeps being Reed Sheppard. He had four steals in the first half and despite playing just 16 minutes because of foul trouble, he finished 13 points. Did he force a bad 3-point shot in the final seconds that could have tied the game? Yes but he will learn and I also did not see a lot of other options.
Yes, Tre Mitchell showed he’s a warrior. He went after Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson and had to play 39 minutes which was way too many. He had eight points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Yes, Adou Thiero has to play. Despite just coming out of concussion protocol, he had his first UK double-double with 16 points (5-for-10 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 at the line) along with 13 rebounds. He played 31 minutes and looked like he wore down late but coach John Calipari had no other option.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas liked what he saw from UK despite Kansas rallying to win.
“We learned Kentucky is tough and competes. They play with pace and are not afraid,” Bilas said. “They don’t turn the ball over. They play with confidence.
“You have to respect the effort of this young Kentucky team and when they get their big guys back they will be formidable.”
However, I think Kentucky fans liked what they saw and might even be more encouraged about what could lie ahead for this team than they were before the game.
10 Responses
Absolutely.
If the Cats keep this mentality and toughness, this season will fall into place. Its a long grind.
Looked like a totally different team. I loved their determination. They never gave up.
Agree John
Count me as impressed. I thought that kansas would clean our clocks. Make free throws down the stretch and leave with a W. I know this sounds crazy but we could win it all without the 3 big men if they continue to play like they did last night! Make free throws and stop the stupid hero plays and we can beat anyone. 10 assist 1 turnover in the 1st half. Play like that makes any team hard to beat.
It was worth staying up to watch! Go Cats and get me to a Final Four. Been a while since I have been on a serious road trip to see my Cats!!!
So was I FMLY
Rob and Reed must play more and Justin must play like a beast.
I think Rob and Reed are going to get a lot of minutes
I liked the fight that Thiero, Dillingham, Sheppard, Burks, and Mitchell displayed. Reeves showed some fight too but went 7 – 25 with 3 – 17 coming from the 3 line…that’s unacceptable from a Senior. Then Wagner goes 1-12 and only 2 assists and Edwards had 0 – 6 and only 4 rebounds. If only half of those shots(from Edwards and Wagner) had been taken by anyone else, we would have won the game…period! We definitely need another big underneath as Mitchell’s strengths come from his 3 point shot and passing. How many games is Calipari willing to lose in hopes that Edwards and Wagner will come around if ever. Can you say Brandon Boston? Onyenso is the only one who wants to play the 5 spot. Z and Bradshaw want to jack up 3’s and maybe they can, but Mitchell has already proven that he can…he didn’t get enough shots for being played in the middle. The foul line looks to be a weakness for Tre…go figure. Wagner and Edwards are Calipari’s pets and I doubt that he will not cut their minutes. The last 10 minutes of the game was nothing but jungle ball; everyone played for themself for the most part.
It’s imperative that Onyenso is ready to play at the start of SEC play. Z is never going to play. I seriously doubt that Bradshaw will either when he sees that he will be plugged into the 5 spot…he sees himself as another Dirk Notwizki. I think Edwards will not be happy with the guards taking 2/3 of the shots and it will show in a drop in his defense and rebounding. It’s obvious that Sheppard is the best point guard; the team plays better when he runs the offense and keys the defense. Thiero has earned the right to get 25 minutes a game at the 3 spot. There aren’t enough shots to keep both Wagner and Dillingham happy and have the team win more than it loses. Calipari will have to choose between winning games with Dillingham as a shooting guard or lose games with Wagner throwing up one wild shot after another. With Wagner gone, there will be more shots for Edwards and Mitchell and Reeves won’t have to feel like he has to jack up 17 threes every game. Will Edwards accept playing backup to Thiero at the 3 spot? I don’t think so, but he needs to accept that role for the good of the team. I think Wagner will leave the team if he gets relegated to a backup role…Louisville will be all too happy to have him come there after Christmas and be their MAN next year.
This team can be competitive in the SEC, maybe even win an SEC tourney championship. A regional final or possibly a Final 4 in the Big Dance could happen IF Calipari is man enough to do what’s in the best interest of the team. If not, I see a 4th or 5th place finish in the SEC and a game 2, maybe 3, loss in the NCAA. The Calipari lovers can scream bloody murder, but anyone who knows anything about this game knows that what I am saying is pretty much spot on. I hope Calipari will do the right things, but history shows that might be wishful thinking. If not, Texas A&M showed that a $33 million buyout is not unthinkable…they are serious about winning. Nothing short of a regional final should allow Calipari to stay here at UK…$35 million buyout be damned.
In the end it was another L in a marquee matchup. We’re now 1-6 in our last last 7 Champions Classic games. Our only win coming when Maxey morphed into Steph Curry.
Dillingham morphed into Steph Curry in the first half. It takes one or two players playing out of their minds for us to have any chance. It’s definitely not Cal’s coaching.
Cal is 59-37 over his last 96 games. Only a 62% winning percentage. That’s unacceptable at UK.
UK needs to pony up and send this imposter packing like Texas A&M do with Jimbo Fisher.
Cal is the Jimbo Fisher of college basketball. Fisher won the NC in 2013 and Cal in 2015. Neither have done anything since despite having the most talent on the court or field the majority of the time.
Comments are closed.