Vicky Graff Photo
If you are looking for reasons why Kentucky lost 103-92 to Tennessee Saturday night in Rupp Arena, you have a lot of choices.
— Kentucky gave up 18 offensive rebounds and 40 points in the paint.
— Kentucky looked lethargic and unprepared as Tennessee rolled to a 13-3 lead in 3 /12 minutes to open the game.
— Kentucky gave up nine points to Tennessee on inbounds plays under its own basket —two dunks, one open 3-pointer and two free throws. If that’s not enough, the Cats also gave up an offensive rebound and layup off a missed Tennessee free throw late in the game that was a killer.
— Kentucky’s Tre Mitchell, Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso combined for four points in 59 minutes. Mitchell went 0-for-3 from the field while Bradshaw and Onyenso only took one shot each.
— After UK got the deficit to 80-73 with 4:41 to play, the Cats gave up a baseline score, got beat to a loose ball that let Tennessee score just before the shot clock expired, missed three free throws, got a shot blocked at the rim and had a careless unforced turnover.
I could go on and on but that’s enough. A team that looked so good two weeks ago when it climbed to No. 6 nationally, is now in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Southeastern Conference after losing for the third time in the last four games — and two of the losses were at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky let a fourth SEC team go over 90 points again and for the sixth straight game let a team shoot a higher percentage from the field in the second half than it did in the first half. Is that poor execution by the Cats, lack of halftime adjustments/anticipation or maybe a combination of both?
Maybe the Kentucky talent has just been way overestimated. Maybe UK has a roster of future NBA players but Tennessee had the better roster Saturday night even with the SEC’s leading scorer Dalton Knecht had 16 points but was only 5-for-14 from the field. However, Josiah James had 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including 4-for-9 from 3. Zakai Zeigler also had 26 points on 8-for-11 shots, including 3-for-6 from 3, along with 13 assists. Two other Vols — Jonas Aidoo and Santa Vescovi — both had 11 points. Aidoo also has 11 rebounds and three blocks.
It was the most points a Tennessee team had ever scored in Rupp Arena and most against UK in over 30 years. It also continued Tennessee coach Rick Barnes’ winning ways against the Cats.
Kentucky’s defense is perplexing because the Cats have three 7-footers to provide rim protection and a team full of athletic players yet cannot stay in front of opposing players or dominate the rim.
Freshman Justin Edwards did an admirable job on Knecht but he knows the UK defense has to get better, something he said coach John Calipari preached to the team again after the game.
“We have got to learn from it. I feel like we try to outscore everybody instead of playing defense,” Edwards said on the UK Radio Network. “The biggest thing we have got to do is focus on defense because that showed tonight.
“We just got to focus in. We have had games where we locked in but we have got to do it for the whole game. We have got to find a way to lock in for the whole game.”
You think?
It has seemed like this team has not had a lot of interest consistently in locking in defensively and the team certainly has shied away from physical play most of the season.
“Going into the game we were saying we had to be physical and hit them first,” Edwards said.
Maybe that is what the team was saying but overall it did not do that.
That is now six losses for UK, including four in SEC play and three in Rupp Arena this season. And remember this was supposed to be the season to end the heartache from the last three seasons for Kentucky but right now it looks like a lot more heartache than elation is on the way.
14 Responses
Where does this team go from here? They should be ascending instead of regressing. This time of year it should be a small adjustment here a tweak there. They look like they need a complete overhaul and start over. Those inbound plays are beyond frustrating.
Great question
None of it is Caliparis fault though.
When are the Calipari lovers ever going to learn that this is classic Calipari. Only a fraud could screw up a team with this much talent…a true Hall of Fame joke! Since Rupp opened, Kentucky has only had back to back home losses 8 times, but it’s happened 3 of the last 4 seasons with the fraud. Guess who was the coach the last time someone dropped 100 points in Rupp…Billy Clyde! We got rid of him fast! We made jokes about 10 Loss Tubby until he did the honorable thing and left. Calipari hasn’t accomplished anything but losing since the 2015 team. To top off last night’s asswhooping, the fraud didn’t even have the guts to do his postgame show. The Calipari lovers have crowed mightily this year…up to now. John Calipari is a good man, an upstanding citizen, but a lousy coach. He has made Kentucky nonrelevant and it looks like we are the next Indiana. The rest of the college basketball world is going crazy laughing at us and thanking UK for keeping Calipari here. I warned of these last 2 losses here at Rupp after the South Carolina beatdown and the Calipari lovers SQUEALED loud and long. If the Arkansas game had lasted another 3 minutes, we would have lost that game too! It’s only going to get worse. What do you have to say about the fraud now? When will enough be enough Calipari lovers?
It will never be enough for some of these jokers because they put Cal above UK. This team is reeling and a loss Tuesday night at Vandy would not be a surprise!
U nailed it: the reason we are in the mess we are in is because we the fans (a certain group) allowed the man behind the curtain to put himself above the program. UNTOUCHABLE CAL–he can talk down to the fans, or about the fans, publicly, or like last night, he can choose to not talk to and not face them like he did, and get away with it–no accountability, he has the keys to the kingdom, and no accountability. Barnhart created the monster that is the lifetime contract and ultimately the Great Mistake falls on his shoulders–the creator of the monster. And that was created out of fear–he was scared to death he was gonna lose him and that that would fall on his legacy, and he truly believes that another quality coach could never be found–just like in football–same belief system there. Coaches move around in this game all the time, yet at KY "well there is nobody else who would be good enough or up to the task"…..that’s the way of thinking that puts us where we are at today. Barnhart ‘s moves and decisions have always reeked of desperation–remember, he never took action on Tubby and never would have, it was going to take Tubby leaving himself for him to be gone, the Gillispie and Joker hires were God-awful and made out of that mindset "well this is as good as I can do", but more so, they were RUSHED decisions! Like why shouldnt u take your time to find exactly the right hire? Remember, Joker was a "coach-in-waiting", which should nvr be allowed to happen again, but he one-upped that with the lifetime contract, and made one man GOD: bigger than the program itself. In the end, it’s all about individual chicken-sh**s looking out for their own careers and legacies over anything else. Barnhart truly believes the bball and fball programs would both be screwed if we were to lose either coach, even though, as I said, these coaches are moving around now every day. Personally, I think both programs could use a fresh start in regard to coaching, esp where the fans are concerned–the forgotten ones, the ones who actually spend the money to keep these farces going. I think it would be healthy all-around for everybody. I think its something we could all use. There was a part of me, when I thought Stoops was going to A&M, that was already feeling this way about the football program at the time, and was excited about the thought of a fresh start there, and excited at the prospects of who the next coach would be. Sometimes, a clean slate is just what is needed, some things have run their course–Jones described it best last night with CAL at KY being like a marriage that is no longer going to be sustainable. Unfortunately, the real power to end it lies with us the fans, and our money. If we stop our funding and stop our in-person support, then something would have to change. Until then, we just have to wait for the UNTOUCHABLE one to decide when he has had enough.
I would also be in favor of a new start for both programs. I do think Stoops is a nicer and more sincere gentleman than Cal, but I also feel that he has reached his zenith here, and we could be looking at diminishing returns in the future.
Barry….How do we know that Califraudi is a "good"man"? I would say that he is a good recruiter, and he no longer appears to be good at anything else. He lies about 90% of the time and that also doesn’t meet my definition of the word. This program has been in self-destruct mode for the last few years, and we are the laughing stock of the BB world! There is and has not been one team on our schedule that doesn’t fear playing us and doesn’t fear they can’t beat us. We are every team’s resume builder. The game last night was decided at the opening tip off.
The real question is how much longer will this be considered acceptable? No D improvement with this team AT ALL!
UK used to almost never lose at home. Now it’s become commonplace. It’s a regular thing – with UK teams that have a lot of talent.
Despite NBA talent on this team, I can’t foresee a successful March based on the way this team has played and is being coached.
I posed this question for years
. Does Cal care more about getting players to the NBA and if we win we win , it’s a by product of what he really cares about. I don’t know.
I will keep on cheering, but it’s pretty obvious that there’s some changes needed in our basketball program. It used be that teams had a fear of playing us at home not anymore. It’s going to be interesting how this team will respond from here on and out, but it’s not looking good from my perspective.
79, we are all cheering on the Cats, but you’re right, things don’t look good for this team.
There are two changes needed.
Barnhart must go, and then
Calipari must go.
I am moving toward the view that Stoops must go, but I am not quite there YET.
This team is in measurable decline. It’s decline is not from some lofty perch worthy of top 4, or even top 10 consideration, but top 20, consistently holding a rank in the 15 to 18 range. However, over the last 2 weeks, that rank is in decline, down to abotu 25.
These NBA Draft targets only care about one thing, completing their 1 year in college purgatory without injury to their body, their mind, or their brand. That’s it. It has been this way from the begining, but fortunate for the BBN, Calipari’s kids blended in with some experienced players, and they caught lightning in the bottle in 2012.
This team will finish the first weekend of the Big Dance, in either the 1st or 2nd round, but this is not a Sweet 16 team.
This season is classic Calipari.
He is right that this program is not for everybody. Many of us have learned that Calipari does not want the program to be for me and other long time fans.
I thought towards the end Pitino had a bigger than UK ego.. The difference is , Pitino in my opinion was / is a better basketball coach . And its not close.