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Kansas and North Carolina Meet in the Championship. Kentucky Blew Both of Them Out. What Happened to the Wildcats?

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3 years ago

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Photos by Chet White | UK Athletics

On December 18th, 2021 the Kentucky Wildcats took on the North Carolina Tar Heels and won in 98-69 rout. A little over a month later, on January 29th, 2022, Kentucky took on the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse and won in a lopsided 80-62 victory.

On April 4th, Kansas will take on North Carolina for the National Championship, while Kentucky has been sitting in Lexington since being upset in the first round by Saint Peter’s.

After beating these teams by a combined 47 points, what happened?

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Injuries

The most obvious thing to point to that hurt Kentucky is injuries. Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington, and Jacob Toppin were all key players, and all suffered injuries that caused them to miss game(s) towards the end of the season.

One can argue that the most significant injury was when TyTy Washington sprained his ankle for a second time on February 12th (I will mention this date a lot) against Florida. Following that game, TyTy just never seemed to return to 100%, averaging 11.6 points but on an inefficient 35.6% clip from the field and 36% clip from three.

As a team, that date seems to point to where the team changed and could never readjust to form. In their last nine games following Florida, Kentucky finished 5-4 and never returned to form.

Kellan Grady

As great as Grady was at times this season, he was just as bad in the last five games. The best shooter in the SEC went north pole type cold, going 5-22 (22.7%) from three in his last five games.

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Outside of his poor shooting, the veteran wasn’t providing anything else on offense or defense. In the last five games, of those with 10+ minutes per game, Grady was ranked as Kentucky’s worst defender with a 112.6 defensive rating and had the team’s worst player efficiency rating at 9.1 (Real GM).

That’s not to say Grady did not contribute to this team. Despite the finish to the season, Grady still finished as the 5th best three-point shooter in school history by percentage (Big Blue History). However, his play at the end of the season is something we should try to forget and not remember him by.

Offense Became Less Efficient

Prior to the season, Calipari knew he had to bring in shooters (and makers) and he did. Kellan Grady, CJ Frederick, Dontaie Allen, and TyTy Washington were seen as the best shooters on paper, and outside of Frederick, who missed the season due to injury, the rest lived up to those expectations.

As a team, Kentucky shot 35.1% from three up to February 12th, which would have ranked top five in the Calipari Era and top 100 in the NCAA this season. However, after that dreadful day, the Cats plummeted to 29.7% in their last 5 games, which would rank as the worst shooting team in the Calipari era.

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Without the shooting ability to spread out the floor, Oscar was still able to produce, but it congested the spacing, limited other players, and the offense as a whole was never as effective.

Towards the end of the season, you could really see this team’s need for a stretch four. While Toppin and Brooks could make the mid-range jumper, they were not nearly as consistent as they needed to be to spread the floor. In my opinion, that is a definite need for Calipari to fill this offseason.

Defensive Woes

Kentucky let Saint Peter’s, the 232nd ranked offensive, shoot over 50% from the field and three-point land (KenPom), but the defensive troubles started before that.

Prior to February 15th, Kentucky had only allowed 100 or more points per possession in six of their twenty-five games to that point. Following that point, they allowed 100 or more points per possession in eight of their final nine games, with the lone game under being the regular-season finale at Florida. (Bart Torvik)

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In terms of overall defense, Kentucky was 35th in defensive efficiency (KenPom). However, just looking at their last 10 games, the Wildcats ranked 163rd in defensive efficiency (Bart Torvik). This was the worst of any top-12 seed. However, an interesting note is that Duke ranked 158th in their last 10 in defensive efficiency.

Despite the promise Kentucky showed through the regular season, when the defense regressed and the team lost its shooting touch, the writing was on the wall for an early exit. With that said, seeing two teams that Kentucky absolutely handled earlier in the season, play for a championship, is pure frustration.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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17 hours ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
ESPN

Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Receiving High Praise in Power Rankings, High as No. 2 According to One Analyst

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2 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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The Kentucky Wildcats are the early surprise of the college basketball season, receiving high praise after a big win over Duke.
Chet White | UK Athletics

It was different to see Kentucky ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Poll, their lowest since the 2008 season. However, a week and a half into the season, they are already climbing the rankings.

Jumping to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll this week, the Wildcats will take another good jump when the updated polls are released Monday, after defeating sixth-ranked Duke in the Champion’s Classic 77-72. They will likely fall in the 11-14 range.

That said, some analysts believe Kentucky is a top 10 team, including one from CBS that has them ranked as the SECOND best team in the country.

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Let’s take a look.

CBS

2. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)

It took all of three games for Mark Pope to capture a signature victory at Kentucky. UK outlasted No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, nailing 10 3s in the win and downing Duke despite a huge game from Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

ESPN

8. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)
Preseason ranking: 23

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At halftime during the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky could consistently get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of 3s, the team’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some smart tweaks offensively, using Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created matchup problems. The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with their second-half showing.

If the Wildcats are able to maintain this momentum and keep themselves high in the rankings, they will truly be one of the best stories of this college basketball season. A storied program, with a new coach and an entirely new roster.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN Anchor Discredits Kentucky After Win Over Duke, “They’ve Already Peaked”

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2 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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An ESPN anchor is discrediting Kentucky after their big win against Duke. "Where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked."
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of a statement win against Duke. However, many of the national stories shortly after the game were about Duke and Cooper Flagg. Now one SportsCenter Host, Shae Peppler, is even discrediting the Wildcats, suggesting they’ve already peaked.

“It’s only their third game of the season,” Peppler said. “You talk about how he [Pope] totally rebuilt this roster from scratch and did it in such a short time. Now where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked, it feels like.”

To his credit, former Duke guard Jay Williams took up for the Cats quickly after they defeated his alma mater the night before. “No, no, they’re not peaking. You have a team full of veterans that know how to play.”

Mark Pope said postgame that he will be keeping the team off of social media, to prevent them from getting too high or low. This is a perfect example of why.

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In just a few weeks, the Wildcats will have another big test as they take on the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle. They will look to prove themselves right, and prove the doubters wrong, again.

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