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Men's Basketball

KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

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6 years ago

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The Cats are coming off an absolute embarrassment to Tennessee as they lost 71-52 and recorded more turnovers (17) than field goals (14). Kentucky will head down to Oxford for a late Tuesday night game against a win desperate Ole Miss Rebel team.

Ole Miss has been the surprise of the SEC this season. In the preseason, the Rebels were picked to finish 13th in the SEC. The Rebels were at one time ranked this season and are currently in a 5-team tie for 4th place in the SEC. After two straight losses, Ole Miss is currently projected as 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and are in need of a quality win to secure their spot. Let’s take a look at what the Wildcats need to do to hold off the Rebels and redeem themselves after Saturday’s performance.

Energy

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Following a 19-point loss and in a road environment, energy shouldn’t be an issue. I’m sure Cal has made sure that the Tennessee loss has lit a fire under this team heading into the last week of the regular season. One promising sign heading into Tuesday night, Kentucky has followed every loss this season with a double-digit win.

12-point win against Southern Illinois following Loss to Duke

27-point win against Utah following loss to Seton Hall

11-point win against Texas A&M after loss to Alabama

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17-point win against Tennessee after loss to LSU

Kentucky seems to have learned a lesson. On Monday afternoon Immanuel Quickley said, “We learned we have to fight every game”. Quickley went on to mention at least four more times making it apparent that its been a point of emphasis for the team. Lets see the Cats put their talk into action and come out with the sense of urgency that wasn’t seen on Saturday.

Be Better Offensively

Kentucky is coming off their worst offensive game of the season and one of the worse in the Calipari era. Kentucky recorded season lows in field goals made (14), shooting percentage (31.8%), and their lowest mark in points since the 2013 NIT team (52). The Big Blue Nation had to endure nearly 16 minutes of scoreless Kentucky basketball.

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I would expect that poor of performance could not be so easily replicated and the Cats will shoot much better on Tuesday night. The Cats will make more shots but PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson specifically need to bring more production on offense.

PJ and Keldon are almost certain to enter the NBA draft this summer and are the two most talented players on the roster. Last week, neither played great in either game.

Last Week Averages

Keldon: 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 31% FG, 17% 3P

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PJ: 11 points, 4.5 rebounds, 31% FG, 0% 3P

Losing Reid Travis has no doubt has forced more defensive attention to Keldon and PJ, but they simply have to be better and be the superstars they can be.

Terence Davis & Breein Tyree

The Kentucky Guards will have to be better than what they were Saturday as they gave up 27 points (11-15 FG) to Jordan Bone with little resistance. Ole Miss guards Terence Davis and Breein Tyree make up one of the best backcourt duos in the SEC, if not the country. Davis a senior, and Tyree a junior, have both played against the Cats before and last season they combined for half of their team’s point in their matchup at Rupp Arena.

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Ole Miss @ Kentucky 2/28/18

Davis: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 44% FG, 33% 3P

Tyree: 13 points, 7 assists, 46% FG

In terms of defense, how do the Wildcat guards respond? Limiting the Ole Miss guards will be the the Cats’ primary defensive focus. We may see more Jemarl Baker and Immanuel Quickley if Ashton Hagans and Tyler Herro don’t respond, expect them to see a little more time on the bench than usual.

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Guard the Perimeter

The Rebels are a good three-point shooting team, and one of the best in the SEC. While they shoot a balanced amount of shots from three, they make them. The Rebels play a guard heavy lineup with four guards shooting 35% from three and playing at least 24 minutes. Kentucky’s early season struggles with perimeter defense have now become a relative strength. Kentucky’s guards will need to be prepared to extend out on shooters.

Don’t Foul

While Ole Miss doesn’t get many free throw opportunities, they capitalize on them when they do. The Rebels have the best mark in the SEC and the 8th best in the nation. Kentucky will need to stay out of foul trouble and play intelligent defense unlike Saturday against Tennessee. If the game is close enough to become a free throw shooting contest, the Cats could be in trouble.

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Prediction

With a 9 p.m. ET tip-off, expect the environment in Oxford to be sold out and rowdy. Not to mention, bringing Kentucky to town will certainly bring more attention to the hate group protests by the Rebel basketball team. With what is on the line for Ole Miss, I expect this game to be a fight, especially in the first half. I believe this team will respond as they come out sharp and focused and make a statement on the road against a quality team.

Kentucky: 72

Ole Miss: 65

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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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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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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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