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Flop or Flagrant Foul: Immanuel Quickley and Yves Pons

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For the first time ever, I attended Thompson-Boling Arena yesterday for the Kentucky vs. Tennessee game. The arena is nice, the fans I sat around were nice, and the game was fun. Some drunk Vol fans were chanting “f*** Kentucky!” and talking trash about Lexington when we left, but otherwise, it was a fun experience.

One thing that has been consistently terrible in college basketball this season, well other than North Carolina, is college officials.

I didn’t think they were terrible in yesterday’s slate of games, but there were two egregious no-calls. One in the UT/UK game and one in the Duke/UNC game. One cost a team the game, the other didn’t, but one was much worse than the other.

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I didn’t see the play happen live, all I saw was Immanuel Quickley lying on the ground and he appeared to be unconscious because he wasn’t moving. The refs didn’t even blow the play dead and finally John Calipari got the refs attention and walked out onto the floor. The refs wouldn’t let him on the floor at first but Cal won the battle as he walked out with Vol fans erupting in boo’s.

Should they have stopped play? Yes. Kentucky had possession and the ref was literally right there when it happened. Instead, all he did was shake his head.

I woke up this morning to see a lot of fans suggesting that Quickley flopped and that it was a good no-call. I couldn’t believe it. So let’s break it down.

Quickley isn’t even looking

It’s pretty clear that Kentucky is running a play to get Quickley open. No one else is moving besides him and Keion Brooks is setting a screen for him.

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The thing that makes this even weirder is that Tennessee is on defense. Why on earth is Pon trying to set a screen? If he is simply trying to keep Quickley from running the baseline, this isn’t the legal way to do it.

Not set and leans in

If you watch the video closely, Pons isn’t close to set. He’s moving before he gets in front of Quickley and he clearly leans his shoulder in Quickley’s direction before they make contact.

I know one photo doesn’t do the play justice, but here’s the moment of impact.

Shoulder

I pretty much already stated this above, but I need to emphasize it a little more. Pons clearly sticks his shoulder out toward Quickley before they make contact. I wouldn’t really have a problem if he just moved laterally to get in front of him, but he clearly swings his shoulder at Quickley, making it even worse, and a dirty play.

The Ref

To cap it all off, there’s a ref standing right there and he does nothing. In the background, Nick Richards sees the play and goes nuts, the refs simply shakes his head, suggesting there’s nothing. I don’t know how you can see that in live action and do nothing.

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Flagrant Two

This is clearly a Flagrant Two foul and Pons should’ve been thrown out of the game. He swung his shoulder at Quickley and made contact above the shoulder area. The play was completely unnecessary and wasn’t anywhere near the ball. Like I said, it looked like Quickley got knocked out because he went to the ground and didn’t move and was there for a lengthy amount of time.

For the ref not to even blow his whistle is absurd. There’s no way that’s a clean play in basketball. I would go as far as saying the ref should be suspended. He watches the play, doesn’t blow his whistle, shakes his head, and doesn’t stop play for an injured player on the team with possession of the ball (the rule).

After the game, Quickley tweeted this:

And to make it even better, the blind mouse that missed that made this call:

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Don’t get me wrong, the refs made some bad calls on both teams. But, like I said above, unless your a homer who hates UK, this is an obvious foul call and an ejectable foul. No way is this a play on.

Thanks SEC refs.

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BB Recruiting

Top 20 Transfer Prospect Jaland Lowe Commits to Kentucky

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Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe has committed to Kentucky.
Pitt Athletics

It’s been a rollercoaster week in the transfer portal for Kentucky. We have seen San Diego State Magoon Gwath change his mind at the last minute at stay with the Aztecs, and top target Yaxel Lendeborg commit to Michigan while remaining in the draft.

On Saturday morning, the Wildcats got their second commit of the portal season, Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe.

KY Insider reported on Thursday that the staff was recruiting other players with the prospect of playing with Lowe.

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Lowe was a top 100 recruit out of high school, committing to Jeff Capel and the Panthers. After two successful seasons in Pittsburgh, Lowe is a 4-star, top-20 transfer prospect (EvanMiya). He becomes the highest ranked commit for the Cats thus far.

In Lowe’s sophomore campaign last season, he averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 4.2 RPG. As a playmaker, there are not many better, with an assist percentage of 31.2 percent. Some might see his shooting slits of 37.6% FG and 26.6% 3P and worry. While they are not great, he had to carry a lot of the burden on offense, with a usage rate of 30%.

Lowe will come to Kentucky with two years of eligibility remaining and will join Kam Williams in the ‘Cats portal class thus far.

Scouting Report (Sports Illustrated)

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He has natural lead skills as a game manager and passer, with the ability to be a primary point guard for an NBA team, even if it’s off the bench. He’s also a reliable 3-point and free throw shooter, boasting a smooth jumper with fluid mechanics and the ability to play off-ball. His overall offensive game needs to become more efficient during his sophomore season, but Lowe is a legitimate offensive engine as a combo guard. 

Although he’s not the biggest or strongest guard relative to his future peers at the NBA level, Lowe is crafty and has ways to combat that. He’s a smooth lefty who knows how to get to his spots and leverage any advantage he can create on the offensive end. His deep range as a shooter from beyond the arc extends the defense which allows him to create space for himself and teammates. 

On the defensive end, Lowe will need to show NBA scouts that he can play within a scheme and prove to be a good team defender. He lacks size, but has quick hands and can be pesky on the perimeter at times. That’s the side of the ball in which Lowe has the most to prove when it comes to draft stock. 

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Kentucky Receives Prediction for Highly-Touted Transfer Forward

After a slow week in the portal, blue smoke has finally begun to rise once more with an official crystal ball for a forward recruit.

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Kentucky basketball target Alvaro Folgueiras has received a prediction to Kentucky.
Robert Morris University

After a week of near radio silence following Kam Williams’ commitment to Kentucky, blue smoke is finally rising once more with an official crystal ball prediction being logged for a forward out of Robert Morris.

Now, that may not set the player’s allegiance in stone, as the BBN learned painstakingly just a few days ago, but few signs bode better for a player’s final decision than a crystal ball from a reputed insider.

This time, it came by way of On3’s Pete Nakos, who logged a prediction for Kentucky to land Alvaro Folgueiras. The 6’9″ sophomore forward nearly averaged a double-double this past season, posting an impressive 14/9/3 panel on 55%/41% shooting splits. He’s a high-level scorer who posted a career-high 35 against Northern Kentucky this season, a performance that undoubtedly caught the eye of power-five programs everywhere.

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Folgueiras was also the recipient of the Horizon League Player of the Year award. Clearly, Mark Pope has a knack for recruiting guys with hardware.

As far as his fit at Kentucky goes, he’d presumably slot into the starting power forward slot in lieu of Andrew Carr. His stretch four capabilities and special offensive proficiency paint a fitting picture within the Pope offense, and with two years of eligibility remaining, he has the potential to be one of the most reliable cogs in the machine going forward.

That is, assuming he commits. ‘Cats fans will follow along closer than ever as the portal continues to push forward, losing names by the day. Folgueiras would be a fantastic addition for Pope and his staff, patching a crucial opening left by his first-year roster full of seniors.

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Kentucky Schedules Zoom Meeting with Transfer Jaron Pierre

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Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre is being pursued by the Kentucky Wildcats.

Jaron Pierre is one of the hottest names on the board on Kentucky’s transfer portal shortlist, and for good reason. The 6-5, 190-pound transfer from Jacksonville State is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, scoring a nation-high 777 points last season.

KY Insider first reported on Tuesday that Kentucky had contacted Pierre, and that Pierre was “definitely” interested in the Cats. Tonight, we can report that a Zoom has been scheduled for Pierre and Kentucky for Friday.

Talking with Pierre and his agent, Kentucky is making a strong push. Mark Pope and associate head coach Alvin Brooks visited Pierre in Dallas immediately following his visit to SMU on Wednesday, before the recruiting dead period hit (April 3rd-10th), selling them on the “Mecca of college basketball.”

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Per the NCAA, a dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.

The two coaches were fresh off a visit to Minnesota where they visited Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe, and discussed with Pierre about the two potentially playing together, among other players. This is interesting, as some believed that it would be one or the other. It also says that Kentucky is looking to have Pierre play more off the ball if he were to come to Kentucky.

According to Pierre and his agent, April 7th is a date that they are keeping an eye on as the NIL landscape could completely change, and they could make a decision as soon as this weekend. However, they do not want to rush this process.

More updates to come.

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