Vicky Graff Photo
How did a team that has been playing as well as Kentucky make 14 turnovers, get beat on the boards, and not defend enough to keep Texas A&M from winning 97-87 Friday night in the SEC Tournament in Nashville?
Kentucky freshman guard Reed Sheppard, who had 14 points and four assists, credited Texas A&M for playing physically and guarding Kentucky well. However, he also blamed himself and his teammates.
“We didn’t play like we’ve normally been playing. We didn’t share the ball. We got selfish and tried to make home run plays, just try and take over the game by ourselves,” Sheppard said.
I think he’s right. I also think it is unusual for a freshman to be confident enough to own a defeat like Sheppard did and make no excuses.
“We’ll learn from it. We’ll get better. We got a bunch of dudes that know how to play basketball. We’ll continue to get in the gym, watch the game, learn from it, then just continue to get better,” Sheppard said.
Sheppard said the Aggies did not surprise UK with their play based on what happened in the first game or what coaches had told them to expect.
“The coaches did a really good job of preparing us for the game. You got to give Texas A&M credit. They came out, they fought, they were physical. We knew it was going to be a physical game. We didn’t play like we needed to play,” Sheppard said.
“They hit shots. We got selfish. They deserved to win the game. They played better. But this was on us. The coaches did a really good job of preparing us and getting scouted for the game.
“We played ’em once, so we knew what to expect. We’ll continue to get in the gym and grow from it.”
52 Responses
Instead of the Kentucky Wildcats we are the Kentucky Hole Diggers.
Game after game we continue to try to come from behind and win.
When the same players feel so comfortable in their position on the team, they know they don’t have to play hard.
I know Groundhog Day is in February but we’re stuck in Groundhog Day every March.
That might be what Cal meant by being "Being Built for March"
Stop it!! If you can’t get behind them then find another team
They need support this week for sure
This is my team. But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns!
No it is not
I Agee 100%
Cal needs to start Sheppard and Dillingham.
Kentucky lacks effort and when you lack effort, your not physical, and your defense is horrendous this is the type of scenario every time. I get frustrated watching every team we play be hungrier than we are. Our players are spoiled they think they have won the game win or lose. Our fan base follows the team win or lose. They fill the bleachers win or lose and I understand having a bad year and maybe even 2 at Kentucky with 2 being unlikely but 5 years of bad basketball is a major problem. Calapari. can say the conference tournament doesn’t matter but 1-5 in the last 5 years is unheard of especially when we have done nothing in the NCAA tournament over the same 5 year stretch. So you can’t lie and say the SEC tournament doesn’t matter. Just like the regular season doesn’t matter just like the NCAA tournament doesn’t matter I guess with our results over the last 5 years.
You are so right and that’s real talk
That is exactly what I have been saying maybe than they will get off to a much better start.💯
Dillingham makes to many turn overs. I like that he. Drives to goal an draw some fowls. Need to protect the ball better
"Cal needs to start Sheppard and Dillingham" is the understatement of the decade.
The real question is why doesn’t Calipari (The Fraud) do just that?
It is all driven by the next NBA draft night and green room appearances for this fraud.
It should be obvious by now that Calipari needs to start Shepherd and Dillingham and bring Wagner, Edwards or Thiero off the bench. It makes no sense to have their two best scorers on the bench at the start and then be in a hole when they come in.
He will not change
Why Larry?
I have been wondering if he gets some extra green from Agents of certain players for profiling them to the NBA??
There must be a reason besides just stubbornness.
He said awhile back that he is King and he’ll do what he wants when he wants and how he wants.
There is something going on with that Old Fan. 15 years from now maybe one of those kids will spill the beans about it.
Good question!
Because it Is about pre-promises made behind the scenes to certain individuals that the CANCER wants to promote as the top NBA draft prospects –its certain guys every year, and it is given the entire year every year whether it’s earned or not-this year it’s Edwards and Wagner. Because pre-season and last summer, Edwards was thought to be the best pro prospect in this year’s class, so he was promised a starting position the entire year no matter what. Then the same with Wagner, but in DJ’s situation, there are personal factors involved in addition to just the general NBA draft prognostications–with DJ, u have the personal relationship that the CANCER has had with the Wagner family for decades–DJ’s father was CAL’s first one-and-done prospect in the modern college era at Memphis, and DJ’s grandfather was the assistant coach on that Memphis bench at that same time. So u know good and damn well DJ was going to be an all-year starter on this team, whether he had earned it or not. I have said for the past year that if CAL had decided sometime last season he was ready to hang this up, that he definitely wasn’t going to leave before DJ played his one season, because u know that he has promised that family that he would make DJ a millionaire, even if he had decided he was ready to leave, he wasnt going to do so before finishing this season and making sure he got DJ drafted. But I could see him having decided privately that he would step down after this season, esp if either he were to win a championship–which then he could go out on top and give the fan base a middle finger while doing so, saying "see? I did it MY WAY—now good luck winning without me!" OR–if they were to go out the first weekend of the tournament again, which after last night, that conversation is back in play again–in that case, I could see him not wanting to stick around and deal with everything that would be coming down after that. Anything In between those two, then I’m not sure. But regardless, this is why the starting lineup is what it is, and why it won’t change. And u see that it isn’t changing even when everybody in the whole country knows it should. The starting lineup is never on the floor together any other time of the game than those first 3,4,5 mins, and every game begins with the team in an early deficit of some kind, which begs the natural question why is that group ever on the floor together at ANY POINT of the game? Because it’s about prepping certain individuals for certain NBA draft positions based on certain pre-season promises made to certain individuals. When the CANCER says "my teams are built for March", what he’s really saying is "my teams are built for JUNE—and by ME!!!"
BINGO!!!
We Have A Winner!!!!!
I don’t see the promise being made to the kids. I think Cal is making promises to the Agents so they will keep sending him their top talent. Such an agreement can’t be traced and the Agents nor Cal would ever admit to it. It can’t be proven. That is the only reason I can think of to cause him to continually give players time they have not earned on the court. A line up of Reeves, Dillingham, and Sheppard would be the best he can get from this team and those 3 should be playing 30-35 minutes.
You’re exactly right, you spelled it out 💯 %
💯 % correct!!!!
Exactly!!!!
If a team is playing selfish and it continues through the game, that is still on the coach for not taking them out. Also, I don’t understand Reed’s comments, because offense wasn’t the problem. Being the only team to allow A&M to score 90 points this season (twice) shows that defense has been and still is the problem for this team.
I’m not seeing built for March type team defensively that’s for sure
They aren’t playing any defense at all. Didn’t stop anyone from shooting lay-ups.
Larry, you are so right. I watched Dillingham,Sheppard and others get in their defensive stance and then let the opponent just blow by them . Calapari would never have made the HOF in coaching if it was based on his success in the years since 2015.
Why exclude 2015?
His ways of playing favorites for his PETS cost UK the game against Wisconsin.
That ending for the 2015 season was as bad as any recent seasons’ ending. Ditto for the ending in 2010.
This guy is a fraud and has taken the UK basketball program into mediocrity that has not occurred with UK basketball since prior to 1930.
That’s true
C
oaching contracts have incentives and goals built in, he doesn’t need them. He was appointed coach for life. Look what good defense did to Tennessee. Track meets are cool to watch but results pay the bills. Bring Payne back for the bigs.
Calipari panicked.
Lines ups started switching. Players in and out nonsensically.
Two or three bigs and two guards instead of what has been working.
These players might be built for March. The Coach is not.
Kentucky lacks effort and when you lack effort, your not physical, and your defense is horrendous this is the type of scenario every time. I get frustrated watching every team we play be hungrier than we are. Our players are spoiled they think they have won the game win or lose. Our fan base follows the team win or lose. They fill the bleachers win or lose and I understand having a bad year and maybe even 2 at Kentucky with 2 being unlikely but 5 years of bad basketball is a major problem. Calapari. can say the conference tournament doesn’t matter but 1-5 in the last 5 years is unheard of especially when we have done nothing in the NCAA tournament over the same 5 year stretch. So you can’t lie and say the SEC tournament doesn’t matter. Just like the regular season doesn’t matter just like the NCAA tournament doesn’t matter I guess with our results over the last 5 years.
The problem with this team is too much hype! One week all the talk is about them being national champions, the next week the sky is falling, Cal needs to go. These freshman guys were playing high school ball this time last year for goodness sake! And every week these ridiculous NBA mock drafts. This garbage along with the transfer portal and NIL contracts, are ruining college athletics. These freshman need to stay in school for at least a couple of years and concentrate fully on the present without all the distractions. The teams that have been national Champs here recently have had core guys that have stayed. These other factors are creating an environment of who is the highest bidder. It sure would have been nice if Oscar had stayed. He could have definitely helped with team’s deficiencies.
Fair observation Shawn
Cal is the best recruiting coach, but just doesn’t know what to do with them after he recruits them but hey Cat fans let’s keep cheering them on.
Cal probably has to much..
Hey people is there any defense played in the nba no there’s not so why teach them
Good analogy!
I’m a Ky fan out of Ky, and a retired high school boys basketball coach in Atlanta of forty two years with 876 wins and blessed to be going into the Ga Coaches Hall of Fame with six state championships on June-01 of this year. Growing up in Ky, all levels of basketball was played with a high level of emphasis on defense. Cal’s teams can’t guard a damn bear in a phone booth .Neither do they play defense- no player movement- just one on one and jack it up.Joe B Hall, Tubby Smith, Arrogant ass Pitino all coached defense.In the old days, defense and rebounding were considered the great equalizers . If a player scores 25, and the person he is supposed to be guarding had 30 that game because your total lack of defense, then my math says we are still 5 points in the hole. Tell all of my friends that Ky has passed a law that it is illegal and against the rules to play defense. I expect them to be one or two and out of March Madness!!!!!!!!
Congrats on your wins and for taking time to add these perceptive remakers David
I’ll say this.. You can’t blame the amazing fans . Made 2 games this year @ Rupp. Florida and Arkansas.. The crowd was awesome. I’m sure they were in Nashville too. Problem is Cal always has excuses. To young etc.. then don’t have young teams. I’m sort of a no nonsense kinda guy. Excuses get old.
BILLY DONAVON…………………………..
Have these kids ever heard of help and recover defense or how to take a charge. It takes guts and heart to take a charge, I’m just curious if this stuff ever gets talked about from any of the coach’s. Go back to fundamental’s, you don’t even have to be a coach to understand that. There are a lot of really good teams that have lost this weekend, but our cat’s are the worst defensive effort I have seen.
Damn it would be easier just to go fishing and quit being so bummed out over basketball. But the true fan in me says watch til the end. But I just don’t see this team waking up and playing DEFENSE all of a sudden.
Keep cal to recruit, if you want to win national championships, bring Rick back
I,m true blue,cal,is for the kids going to nba,we need a coach for Kentucky,and teaches defence,the offense will come but this team has not played d all year.it really is getting old,how long do we have to wait.
A little off topic, but there needs to be some structure to the NIL—no the PCA Professional College Athlete system. University presidents, athletic directors and whoever else need to get together and come up with some system similar to the NBA/NFL/MLB. The chaotic situation we have now is just not sustainable.
If we want to get back to winning championships then Cal needs to go. Talent is going to come to Kentucky because it’s Kentucky. Bob Huggins would have already had 3 rings with these teams.
Cal doesn’t care about winning a SEC championship. It’s all about how many guys he can claim he got in the NBA. Like they wouldn’t have made it without him. His biggest night was when Kentucky had 5 guys drafted in the 1st round of the draft. Greatest night In Kentucky basketball history he said.
We may get the best players but that has never translated into the best TEAM. The best teams are the hungry teams. Have any questions about that, ask Tennessee. College basketball is all about the NBA and money. Everyone one wants to move up in the draft. That translates into $$$$$$’s.
The Reed Shepherd’s are few!