Connect with us

Men's Basketball

What does Kentucky need to do to beat Tennessee?

Published

6 years ago

on

Rupp Arena is going to host one of Kentucky’s highest profile home games in the last decade with #1 ranked Tennessee coming into town this Saturday on a 19 game win streak. This is the same but improved Tennessee team that last years Wildcats held double-digit leads against in both of their regular season matchups and beat in the SEC tournament championship. What can Kentucky do Saturday to avenge their loss to LSU and beat the Volunteers?

1.Win The Rebounding Battle

This game is going to be extremely physical and priority number one is to win the rebound battle. This actually works in Kentucky’s favor as Kentucky ranks third nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (38.3%) and Tennessee ranks 259th nationally at allowing offensive boards (30.4%). If the Cats are struggling to make perimeter shots, crashing the offensive boards will be key.

Advertisement

2. Three and D

As Calipari has said many times this year, this is the best shooting team in his 10-year tenure at Kentucky. At least that is a case that can be made with the eye test but that hasn’t exactly translated to the court. The Cats are shooting at a decent 35.3% from deep which ranks 130th in the nation. Kentucky needs to capitalize on its inevitable open three-point looks against Tennessee’s subpar perimeter defense.

At the beginning of the season, Kentucky’s perimeter defense was a primary weakness. Kentucky’s defense has drastically improved, especially in SEC play. Tennessee is shooting around 37% from three as a team, with many coming off transition. It will imperative to keep Tennessee in check, but we have seen over and over again how well opponents shoot from Rupp.

3. Finding the Right Matchups

Advertisement

Tennessee is a very versatile team that can pose some matchup problems for the Wildcats. Ashton Hagans has been in a slump but with the bulk of attention on defense going to Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, we need Hagans’ defensive presence against Jordan Bone as he is capable of scoring 20+ points. Any casual college basketball knows the impact Schofield and Williams have for the Vols and containing them down will be key for the Cats to have any chance on Saturday. Williams will most likely be matched up with Reid Travis or PJ, and matchup wise Keldon will most likely match up against Schofield. This is an opportunity for Keldon to showcase he is not a defensive liability and to make a statement.

Since December 10th, Kentucky has played eight top 50 kenpom teams (6-2), in that same time Tennessee has played two (2-0). This season Kentucky has simply been more battle tested and it will be interesting how that compares to Tennessee’s experience. There is just an aurora around this game and the atmosphere at Rupp will be one of the best in the Cal Era. Give me that Cats in tightly fought battle.

Advertisement
Related Topics:
Advertisement

Men's Basketball

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

Published

3 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

By

Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

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.

Advertisement

“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 .

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

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

Published

5 days ago

on

November 16, 2024

By

Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
IMAGN

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

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

Published

6 days ago

on

November 15, 2024

By

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending