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Men's Basketball

What Went Wrong? Kentucky vs Gonzaga

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2 years ago

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UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Spokane to take on the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs, with the goal of avenging their loss to Michigan State and getting their first ranked victory of the season. Yet, that is not how the game played out.

The first half couldn’t have been any worse for the Wildcats. Shooting just 25 percent from the field (8-32) and zero percent from three (0-11), Kentucky had just one player that had scored more than one FG, Oscar Tshiebwe. Pair that with being outrebounded y double digits, and the Wildcats entered the half with a 16-point deficit.

As for the second half, Kentucky cut the Gonzaga lead down to 4 at one point. However, Gonzaga extended that lead to back 13 after Oscar Tshiebwe picked up his fourth foul with more than 13 minutes left in the half.

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The Wildcats continued to fight, but their poor first-half performance was just too much to overcome as they lost the game by a final score of 88-72, the same deficit they entered the first half with.

What went wrong? Let’s take a deeper look.

Dysfunctional Offense

Against inferior opponents, Kentucky’s offense has looked extremely dynamic, averaging 92.7
points on 52.9 percent shooting from the field and 47.8 percent from three.

However, against their two ranked opponents, the Kentucky offense has looked vastly different, averaging 74.5 points per contest on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 26 percent from three.

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From the jump, Kentucky looked rattled and John Calipari said as such. In the postgame press
conference, Calipari said that the Wildcats “blew” the first offensive play of the game. “It was so embarrassing, we couldn’t even run a play.”

While the Wildcats missed several open shots, ineffective lineups and no clear offensive
structure hurt them, especially in the first half. This was seen with some erratic shot selection
early.

When Kentucky was able to make their run, it was with Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves-Toppin-
Tshiebwe, a lineup has five offensive threats with various strengths.

Foul Trouble

Fighting back from a 16-point deficit, Kentucky played the second half with a lot of energy on
defense, which led to some opportunities on offense. This continued as the lead dwindled to just four.

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At that point, the momentum was halted as Tshiebwe was called for his fourth foul with more
than 13 minutes to go in the second half; then Lance Ware with more than 10 minutes to go.

This allowed Drew Timme to score 8 of 10 points within a span of just over three minutes, due to the lack of aggression that Kentucky was forced to play with inside. This in turn helped Gonzaga extend the lead back out to double digits.

In comparison, Kentucky had 11 fouls called against them in the first 15 minutes of the second
half, whereas Gonzaga had just 4 fouls called against them.

Looking at the final box score, there were four Wildcats with four fouls, with three of them being starters (Tshiebwe, Wallace, Wheeler). This definitely impacted the game down the stretch.

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No Fight

There are several areas where Kentucky struggled Sunday night, but the most worrisome was their fight or lack thereof. With both teams coming off disappointing losses earlier in the week, a battle was expected, but it was one-sided for much of the first half.

This was most evident when you see that the Wildcats were outrebounded 24-14 in the first half. The second half was much better, as both teams played very evenly, but there shouldn’t be any worry about effort when playing against the No. 2 team in the country.

Senior Jacob Toppin was the first to admit it. “We had no fight in the first half and we put
ourselves in a hole that we couldn’t get out of,” Toppin said in the postgame press conference.

John Calipari echoed the same sentiment a little later. “The main thing is just to fight. We had no fight in the first half.”

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Going forward, Calipari said he will find players that are willing to fight.

“I’ll just play different guys, whoever wants to fight,” Calipari said. “I’m going to play different
guys. We got enough guys. I let those guys get in there and fight.”

Kentucky doesn’t play another KenPom Top-100 team until Michigan on December 4th. That
gives this team 14 days to find some things that work and are effective offensively, and two
games to experiment.

When they take on the Wolverines in London, I hope a rejuvenated and more efficient Kentucky team can be seen.

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Men's Basketball

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

Published

1 day 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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