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Kentucky vs. UCLA: Postgame Recap and Three Things to Know

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2 years ago

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UK Athletics

On Saturday, the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Madison Square Garden to play the No. 16 UCLA Bruins in the annual CBS Sports Classic. The contest offered a chance for redemption for the Wildcats, as they played their first-ranked opponent since a demoralizing loss to Gonzaga back in November.

Through the first five minutes, both teams traded baskets, and it seemed pretty even. Cason Wallace even got off to another quick start, scoring 5 points in the opening 90 seconds for the Wildcats.

However, Kentucky was forced into difficult shots for much of the half and played uncharacteristic defense as the Bruins’ steadily built a 13-point lead with more than six minutes to go in the half. Thanks to the energy of Chris Livingston and Lance Ware, Kentucky was able to chip the lead down to eight going into halftime, 35-27.

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Their energy earned them the right to start the second half. Ware immediately answered as he fought for an offensive board and kicked it out for a Sahvir Wheeler three, which was followed by three straight baskets by Chris Livingston to tie up the game at 38.

UCLA quickly responded to go up 46-40, but the Wildcats kept fighting keeping the lead within reach. In the end, the Wildcats made far too many mistakes to beat a legit top-25 team, falling by a final score of 63-53.

Up next, Kentucky returns home next Wednesday to host Florida A&M.

Now, here are three things to know from the game.

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Sluggish State, Offensive Woes Spell Doom

Coming into the contest, KenPom had UCLA ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency and Kentucky top 10 in defensive efficiency. However, in the battle of strengths, the UCLA offense reigned supreme.

In the first half alone, the Bruins shot just five threes and that was because they were not forced to take them. The Wildcat defense allowed UCLA to shoot 50 percent from the field, getting nearly anything they wanted.

When the defense isn’t up to par, the offense needs to step up, and that was the real issue for the Wildcats. Yet, down just 55-53 with 4:31 to go, Kentucky still had the chance to win but they didn’t score for the remainder of the game. 53 points in a regulation game vs. anyone is awful.

On the game, they were abysmal in nearly by nearly every offensive metric, shooting below 35% from the field for the game while having more turnovers (18) than assists (14). This offense is a major problem. And until it gets solved, Kentucky will keep losing to quality foes.

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Who Steps Up?

In the first half, Kentucky only had three players hit more than one field goal: Oscar Tshiebwe, Cason Wallace, and Sahvir Wheeler. To add insult to injury, the rest of the team was less than lackluster, shooting a combined 3/15 from the field. This put the Wildcats in a hole early.

Oscar Tshiebwe had a bad game by his standards with eight points on 4/12 shooting but did grab 16 rebounds. Other than that, Sahvir Wheeler had 11 points, and Chris Livingston had 14, but Jacob Toppin, Cason Wallace, and Antonio Reeves combined for 18 points on 6/35 shooting.

Yikes.

If this team wants to reach its full potential, then they have to receive consistent contributions from key players, something that has yet to happen.

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How About Lance? And Livingston?

While the Wildcats didn’t receive a lot of help outside of Tshiebwe-Wallace-Wheeler, there were two players that stepped up, Chris Livingston and Lance Ware, giving the Wildcats a fighting chance.

For weeks, John Calipari has been quoted that he needs to play Livingston more. On Saturday night, one of the biggest stages in basketball, Livingston made his case for more playing time. In his best game of the season, Livingston recorded 14 points on 5/9 shooting.

As for Lance Ware, he has been another player that has received inconsistent playing time, but has carved himself out a role on the roster in his three seasons.

That role? A high-energy player off the bench, which he provided again on Saturday.

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Recording just two points and five rebounds, Ware’s value beyond the box score was on display. As proof, he led the team in plus/minus, with +8. This ultimately helped Kentucky make this a game when all hope seemed lost.

At this point, the Wildcats have lost all three of their ranked matchups in the non-conference and will kick off an even more challenging SEC schedule at the end of this month.

Personally, I don’t like to be negative. Yet, it is now fair to question, when or even if this team will start to click.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

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

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3 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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5 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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6 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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