Jack Givens, shown autographing his new book about his life, knows UK had no excuse for its play against Ohio State. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Did Kentucky have a letdown after beating Louisville that led to its 20-point defeat to Ohio State?
Did enjoying the trip to New York too much and looking ahead to a short Christmas break contribute to UK’s lackadaisical play in the 85-65 loss to Ohio State?
Could it have been that going through semester exams took away from UK’s focus leading up to the game?
Did Kentucky just overlook Ohio State because a week earlier it had lost by 38 points to Auburn?
Former Kentucky All-American Jack Givens knew the excuses some — not Kentucky coach Mark Pope — might want to use to explain UK’s loss. He knew better.
“I guess if you are hungry for excuses I will go there with you but that was not the first thing that came into my mind,” Givens said on the UK Radio Network postgame show. “Ohio State had finals as well and they came off a butt kicking Auburn put on them.
“It is funny what a real good spanking does for a team. The steam they still had from that loss you saw by the way they played. Auburn beats them 40, they put up no resistance and Kentucky comes in thinking this thing will be a lot easier than it was.
“If you want excuses, I follow along but Ohio State came in with a chip on its shoulder and Kentucky did not respond. That is the reality.”
Givens said Kentucky has faced physical play this season but Ohio State got physical in a different way that led to a season-low 29 percent field goal shooting by the Cats.
“They made it just physical enough in that they kept Kentucky off balance. They were physical on the perimeter. Those guards controlled our guards. The shots they got were rushed and challenged,” Givens said.
Kentucky missed 16 of 23 “layups” that Givens said were “as easy as an open as you can be” on a shot at the time. He also said UK“fumbled passes that were right on the money” that took away more inside shot attempts.
“Was there a lack of focus? At times it sure seemed like it,” Givens said. “For me it was a very frustrating loss. It’s one you know Kentucky could have won if Kentucky was as focused and on point as they have been for every other game this year.”
7 Responses
Don’t beat the Browns Basketball team brains in and thump your chest. You should. Its a cupcake . Kinda reminds me of Billy Clyde’s squads.
Buying into a common goal which should be winning a championship is easier said than done.
This group of players have never played on a team that was the opponents biggest game week-in-week-out. UK is the team everyone wants to beat and they give their all to prove it. Playing for UK takes a completely different mind set, focus, and preparation. It was a good learning game and I think they will be fine. Just have to put it all together and learn to bring your best every game.
Sounds like you’re saying that Ky is every teams "Super Bowl".
Well I thought they all said coming come to Kentucky was their dream school . Sounds like they knew what they were getting into
I don’t think a player truly knows what they are getting into until they experience being a UK player, be it the good or the bad.
Kentucky has been labeled as being soft on both ends of the court. Until they prove otherwise, expect every team to come out throwing rocks and daring the refs to blow the whistle.