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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Kansas: Postgame Recap

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2 years ago

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

In early January, the Kentucky Wildcats looked dead in the water, especially after a home loss to South Carolina, who has still yet to win another SEC game. After that game, the players had a “come to Jesus” meeting and have responded in the best way, by winning.

Kentucky ignited a four-game winning streak to put themselves back afloat and back in the NCAA Tournament conversation. On Saturday, they were given the opportunity to really bolster their case with fellow blue-blood, No. 9 Kansas visiting Rupp Arena.

With a sold-out Rupp Arena just waiting to cheer, Jacob Toppin gave them a reason to after scoring on the first possession of the game. As the game progressed, it was clear that both teams came ready to play. After 15 minutes, the score was 32-29. However, poor free-throw shooting and rebounding eventually caught up to them as Kansas was able to extend the lead out to seven at halftime, 41-34.

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To start the second half, the back-and-forth continued. At one point Oscar Tshiebwe and Cason Wallace went on a mini-run of their own to cut the deficit to 1 with just under twelve minutes to go. However, Kansas with five straight to push the lead back out.

Kentucky once again narrowed the lead to just two under five minutes. However, even with Kentucky answering in between baskets, Kansas converted on four well-defended three-pointers over their next five possessions to extend the lead out to seven.

In the end, Kansas’s last push was too much to overcome. While frustrating, a loss against a top-10 team is nothing to cause too much concern. As John Calipari said after the game, “We are not where we need to be, but we are certainly not where we were.”

Let’s take a closer look.

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Poor Three-Point Shooting

Over the last two-three weeks, Kentucky’s opponents have played defense one of two ways with the Wildcats’ new ‘Basketball Benny’ lineup. One, teams choose not to double Tshiebwe and focus on shooters, or two, teams do choose to double Tshiebwe which leaves shooters open.

The Jayhawks chose to do the latter, but unfortunately for Kentucky, they could not capitalize on their open opportunities. For the game, the Wildcats were just 2-13 from deep, both coming from Cason Wallace in the second half.

Kentucky’s two best shooters, CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves combined to shoot 0-8 from three. On several occasions, Kentucky had a chance to make three to regain the lead, but it never happened.

When your ‘shot makers’ aren’t making shots it makes it much more difficult to win. However, chances are slim that neither hit a three in a game again, and despite that, it is promising to see that Kentucky had a chance to win.

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Losing the Rebounding Battle

Kentucky is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and against an undersized Kansas team, that should have been one area where they succeeded. However, the Wildcats never matched the level of physicality of Kansas.

Losing the rebounding battle 34-29, Kentucky was neutralized on the offensive boards. For the game, Kentucky grabbed just four offensive rebounds and scored ZERO second-chance points, which has typically been a large part of the offense.

In their four-game winning streak, Kentucky averaged over 38 rebounds per game, and outrebounded their opponent by more than 13 per game. Each player must do their part, and Kentucky has to get back to rebounding as a team.

Great Atmosphere

Students started lining up at the doors at 6 AM on Saturday morning, over 12 hours before the game. That line continued to grow and before they opened the doors the line stretched the length of Rupp Arena.

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While the student section was at its best, the common fan showed up as well. In true Kentucky fashion, Rupp Arena was packed from upper endzone to upper endzone and provided arguably Kentucky’s best home environment since 2019.

Kentucky couldn’t pull out the win, but John Calipari is still confident and had a message for the fans at the end of his pregame show. “I wish we would have rewarded you, but we’re gonna reward you before this year is out.”

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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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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7 days 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."
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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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