Vanderbilt could not figure out how to stop Amari Williams. (Vicky Graff Photo)
For SEC Network analyst Patric Young it was not hard to explain why Kentucky outscored Vanderbilt 41-21 in the second half on Wednesday night to win 82-61.
“It was understanding that their front court is unstoppable,” said Young. “They kept pounding the ball in the paint and that is deflating as a defense when you can’t stop them and then that opens 3-point shooting.”
Kentucky got outscored inside in the first half but let Andrew Carr and Amari Williams operate inside early in the second half to take control of the game.
Williams was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 at the foul line to score 17 points and Carr had 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting. That was the most points he’s had since returning from his back injury.
“In the second half Carr got them going and the big fellow Williams got them going,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “They compromised our defense. We tried to stop them in the post and gave up more 3’s. I thought (Kentucky coach Mark) Pope put them in a great spot to be successful and those guys executed.”
Williams also had six rebounds and four blocked shots and dominated the paint at times.
Byington said Williams’ size makes him difficult to defend.
“His arms are incredibly long. He is tall. We know he is going to his left hand. Everybody in the country knows he is going to his left hand, but it is still tough to stop,” the Vanderbilt coach said. “We were a little undersized, and we did not want to double because he is a great passer.
“So, if you double, then he gives up 3’s. The first game we played him—I thought we did a good job of keeping him from getting to a deep post position. Today he did a really good job, and like I said, especially in the second half, it was a problem for us.”
Williams said he often saw open lanes and “tried to take advantage of it” against the smaller Commodores. He also felt like the Cats trusted each other more to get the offense rolling in the second half.
“We were moving the ball. Just giving confidence to each other. I felt like every shot some guy took on our team, the whole team was behind him, so I feel like that made the difference,” Williams said.
The 7-foot Williams admits he has gained confidence and become more accustomed to the physical play, especially in SEC games.
“I was not used to the physicality and kind of trying to figure it out still, but now that I’ve figured it out, I realized how I can bang up against some of the other bigs. I took advantage of it and it’s working out well,” Williams said.
SEC Network analyst Daymeon Fishback praised Williams constantly during the game.
“I don’t think there is a player on the court who can stop him tonight,” Fishback said. “He can get whatever he wants inside and Vanderbilt just has no answers for him and Carr because they are bigger than anybody Vanderbilt has.”
Carr said his back had been feeling better and he was “trying to get back in a rhythm” in practice to prepare for games.
“It has been a lot of hard work every morning with the training staff and everything. It has been a long road, and so we knew it was a matter of time before it was going to be like today again, so to be able to see results is awesome,” Carr said.
Just being able to practice regularly recently has also made a big difference for Carr.
“I think being able to go through as much in-game simulation as possible in the days leading up to it gives you confidence in your abilities and allows you to get back to what you can do,” Carr said. “Injuries have a mental impact as well, sometimes. So, I have been using practice to get back to being comfortable in my body.”
Carr certainly has a fan in UK Radio Network analyst Jack Givens. He noted that Carr might have felt more comfortable being back in the starting lineup but also knows Carr makes the best of any situation.
“What I really like about Andrew is even when he could barely stand up (because of his back injury) he did not let on he was hurt that badly,” Givens said. “He just keeps going about his business.
“He doesn’t want any sympathy. He just wants to do what he does. He is still not 100 percent but if you ask him he just wants to play.”
2 Responses
We still need to be a pass first team, but Williams and Carr can take most defenders to the basket and score if we clear out the middle for them to do so. With that being said, Carr is capable of making 3s and needs to shoot them when the opportunity to do so arises.
The biggest change we need to make is to stop thinking we can outscore teams. We tried that in the first half last night and only had a one point lead at halftime. In the second half, we came out shooting, but we also defended and rebounded much better and blew the game open. We can play that way the entire game, why don’t we? We still have too many turnovers but we did hit ALL of our freethrows last night. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be shooting at least 90% at the line. It comes down to practice and focus, just like playing defense and rebounding. We owe Bama an asswhooping. Chandler will have to guard Sears and Carr will need to slow down Nelson. Bama is beatable. Let’s go kick some elephant ass! Go CATS!!!
Carr is a old school kind of guy! He plays through pain which is extremely rare nowadays! Guys sit and don’t play for alot less than Carrs injury and it shows how tough he is! I’d say he’s about 80-85% health wise and we need him to be 100% for the tournament or close to it!