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Coming off concussion protocol there’s no way the game plan could have been for Adou Thiero to play 31 minutes against No. 1 Kansas.
Yet that’s what the Kentucky sophomore had to do in Tuesday’s 89-84 loss because of UK’s current lack of depth.
Thiero responded with his first UK double-double — 16 points, 13 rebounds. He also had to defend 7-foot Hunter Dickinson at times inside despite giving away both length and weight.
Thiero was not happy with the loss but said the “main mindset” for the team was to play and have fun, which UK did.
“Just enjoy the game, go out, play together as a team, fight and just have fun playing against them. I think we did a pretty good job of that in the first half and then I think that’s when the age came into everything,” Thiero said.
“We started looking at each other, looking around, trying to figure everything out and we should have just kept having fun the whole game. Yeah, it could have been a different turnout.”
Thiero happened to be on the court at the start of the game and the end when Kansas had runs of 9-0 and 11-1 to win the game.
“Going on runs is part of the game. A team will go on their run and you’ll go on yours,” Thiero said. “Whole time we were just trying to run the floor, get the ball up, try and score in transition.
‘But Kansas was able to defend that better in the second half. We’ll learn from it. We’re a young group. We’ll get over it.”
Thiero admitted Dickinson, a Michigan transfer who was a priority transfer recruit for UK, was a “good player” he had to defend.
‘He was able to get to his spots, get in the post, go up and finish it. He was talking a decent bit of smack but it’s part of the game, so it’s all love,” Thiero said.
Thiero was impressed with what UK freshman guards Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham did. Dillingham had 18 points and Sheppard 13 and they combed for seven 3-pointers.
‘They definitely came out and did their thing. We were down a little bit at the beginning, they came in the game and changed all the energy and everything,” Thiero said. “Him (Sheppard), Rob, Jordan (Burks). They all went out, fought, got stops.
‘I think we got three kills (defensive stops) that’s what we call it. We got three kills in a row. That’s how the whole game flipped and we were able to get ahead from there.”
Despite losing, Thiero said the game shows what UK can do this season but a loss is still a loss.
“It feels good to have this type of performance, but when you don’t walk away with a W it doesn’t really feel the same,” he said.
