Kentucky Wildcats 73, Tennessee Volunteers 62: Postmortem
by Glenn Logan on Feb 14, 2010 12:13 AM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
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PrintThis was another one of those games where serenity struck me like Cupid's arrow will strike tomorrow -- gently, but deeply.
The Tennessee Volunteers used every trick in the book to defeat the Wildcats today despite some significant injury problems. Their best player, Wayne Chism, was banged up and Cameron Tatum was on the bench in street clothes. But the Vols were having none of excuses, as Bruce Pearl trotted out a 3-2 zone defense, something the Wildcats have not seen all year. The 'Cats have seen plenty of 2-3 and even some 1-3-1, but a 3-2 was new, novel and effective. The Volunteers also took the air out of the ball and made big shots late in the shot clock, which gave them a chance to pull off the big upset, and deep into the second half, it looked like it might actually happen.
But the serenity that consumed me was there for a reason. I knew that it was unlikely that Tennessee could continue to make big shot after big shot. The Vols shoot the ball well, but not well enough to beat a team like Kentucky with one shot per possession, and offensive rebounds were almost always headed in Kentucky's favor. Not only that, the Vols were playing a shorter than normal rotation, and even though they never did put on their trademark press because of their short bench, it would have taken near perfect execution for them to pull this off. I was okay with a loss under that unlikely scenario.
As we all now know, their execution was very good, but far from perfect. More after the jump.
As I sit here enjoying a nice big tot of Four Roses Single Barrel and listening to the post-game show, waiting for Calipari's comments, I am pondering the fact that Kentucky continues to play surprisingly mature basketball for such a young team, with certain exceptions which we will get to later. But the raw talent and court presence of this team is almost like that of a senior-dominated team, and the last time I looked at a second-half deficit, however small, with near disinterest was during the era of the Suffocats.
This team is not at all like them, but they have that same ability to create a sense of the inevitable, and validate that feeling with remarkable aplomb. That's sweet. Anyway, here are my observations:
- DeMarcus Cousins was waaaay to "up" for this game, and it worked against him. But he was a beast on the boards. He needs to lose the frustration, it gets in his way. All his missed free throws can be attributed to his highly emotional state.
- Game ball to DeAndre Liggins. I know Eric Bledsoe had maybe his best game of the year, but I'm going with intangibles on this one. Liggins changed the game when he came in, every time he came in.
- Another nice effort from Daniel Orton. He changed twice as many shots as he blocked, and even though he only got a few rebounds, he was responsible for UK players being able to get to several others.
- Darnell Dodson played, and he made one big shot and got a steal. But for most of the game, he was invisible.
- Darius Miller was invisible.
- Perry Stevenson did some nice things, but had no impact on the scoreboard. His effort was terrific.
- We needed John Wall to score today, and he did. He turned the ball over too much, though.
- Patrick Patterson had a very good game, even if it was quiet. He was robbed on the goaltending call, that block was clean.
- Eric Bledsoe did really good work in the second half. In the first half, he was invisible.
- UK needs to quit trying to make the spectacular play. Just make the simple play, get off a good shot, and if it ends the possession, forget about it and get back on defense.
- Too many transition baskets for Tennessee tonight. Way too many.
- This was a great day for Kentucky basketball on many, many levels. ESPN Gameday, beating the highly-ranked Volunteers in a tough, physical game, being talked about on ESPN all day ... this was a great, great day for Kentucky basketball.
- The referees were awful -- on both sides. I guess it equalizes out, but it sure is frustrating, and I'm sure the Vol fans were frustrated, too.
- Great job by Calipari getting a better attack on the 3-2 at halftime. He took the blame for the first half, but he clearly made up for it in the locker room at halftime.
I am very pleased with this win. The Vols made it tough, but in the end, our superior talent, depth and health was the difference. Kentucky continues to win games, easy or tough, and some they make tough that should be easy. This wasn't one of them, though, and the 'Cats should be proud, particularly of their second-half effort.
By the way, I owe Ken and his lovely wife a round later on this month. I had under 10, and he had 10 or more. It will be a pure pleasure to pay off that bet.
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Honesty
I didn’t pick up on UT’s 3-2 zone until about 4-5 minutes into the second half … shows what I know.
I thought UK looked unusually befuddled in the first half, but man, the final 10 minutes of the game they played beautifully.
I also thought UT played their hearts out. That team plays hard, hard, hard, and even though I’m a card carrying UT hater, I have to respect the tremendous effort the short-handed Vols gave.
This upcoming week, @ MSU and Vandy will tell us what the guys are made of … and ditoo, ditto, ditto to what Tru wrote about DM.
One more thing ...
if UK would have won by 8 or 9 points , I was gonna drive to Lex and kick DM in the shins. All 5’8", 160 lbs of me:)
by Ken Howlett on Feb 14, 2010 12:32 AM EST up reply actions
This is what the
rest of the season is going to look like. Ugly stretches but as long as we find a way to win, that will be all that matters.
Not sure the 3-2 will be seen often by the 'Cats
Considering the way UK attacked th 3-2 in the second half (very effectively), I would think most coaches would be reticent to pull it out. And if Cal actually starts practicing against the 3-2 … I think this team would master how to be effective offensively. Thy’ve sure done a good job against the 2-3, which is probably why Pearl dusted off the 3-2, that and the element of surprise.
Honestly, I didn't pick up on it until reading the writeups this morning
I don’t recall the ESPN crew mentioning it once last night. It was really effective for about 3/4ths of the game, wasn’t it.
Chism
I was listening to the pregame show, and either Oscar or Dick (can’t remember which one) said the difference in the game would be Chism’s 3PT shooting. Whichever stated the comment, stating “let Chism hit his first, because after that, he’ll keep shooting—which keeps him out of the paint,” was brilliant. Chism hit his first 3, and went 1 for 7 after that. Patterson is much more selective w/his outside shots. And it showed today:
PPat 1/3
Chism (wearing his Yamaka, of course) 2/8
Major factor in the game, if you ask me. Glad the ’Cats won, of course! 24-1 BABY!!
Interesting...I wasn't aware that Chism took so many 3's, since he can be so effective in the paint.
Chism being injured or banged up also contributed to his lack of scoring tonight…a healthy Chism in 2 weeks will make beating the Vols that much more difficult to beat.
I agree with Wineman…bumpy roads ahead with this young team but also “spurts” of brilliance…that is just where we are at with so much youth and inexperience….at least for now.
My daughter and I were discussing at half time that there are 6 regular season games. 3 or 4 SEC tournament games and a maximum of 6 NCAA games. A total 15 or 16 games left in this UK basketball season to watch PPat, Wall, Cuz and maybe Bledsoe. Although it can be very breathtaking, edge of your seat viewing…I am going to enjoy any and all victories because this
team is so special and very soon a significant part of this year’s team will be gone to the NBA.
Yamaka...now that made me laugh.
We were discussing how he wears it so high it looks like a baby band.
Good game cats!
I am sort of concerned about UK....
not sure if they are getting better. I think we just have more talent and have been gettin by on that so far. I am looking ahead towards tourney time and 1 loss and its over. I still think this team can should beat just about anyone but one bad matchup (syracuse) and it could be over.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
True
I’m with you on that; and ‘Cuse is not the only team I’d be afraid to play in the tourney. UK is pretty resilient though. I think we can afford one more regular season loss (if I had to choose, it’d be at Vandy), then win the SEC Tourney and sweep through the NCAA’s. We’ll see though.
Syracuse is definitely one of those teams that I would not want to meet in the tourney though, for sure.
I am not afraid
for them to meet anyone in the tourney. If they can’t beat the best, they can’t be the best. Bring ‘em on!! We are only as good as we are, and we can’t hide and win number 8.
Well, I think
Tru made an excellent point about the fact that the team needs to stop trying to make the spectacular plays. That’s a matter of continuing to mature though and knowing that it’s okay to make the simple plays instead. And that comes down to being patient enough to let those simple plays come to them.
You also have to keep in mind that each game presents a new experience for these freshmen. Each game is a first for them. But, like pinata, I also love the resilience these guys have shown all season. The Alabama game was one of the uglier games they’ve played all season and I thought the Tide played a terrific game, but our guys found a way. Tennessee gave a magnificent effort tonight, but once again, our guys found a way. They have showed this tremendous will to win all season long. I fully expect they will continue to do so. They won’t look spectacular every game, but they also won’t come without that will to win every game.
The thing is though that Alabama stinks IMO....
and I know that is just one example but UK will be playing much better teams than they are playing in the SEC once they get into the tourney. The point is that they can’t skate on talent and expect to win it all. Come tourney time the teams will be better and the intensity will be higher. No home courts to lean on and no one bad night to fall back on. We are far from the tournament at this point. But my original point was that the Cats will need to be better when it really matters,
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
We
are fighting family now. They know us better than the teams we will face on neutral sites in the tourney and we have to play some of them twice. The cats will get better with each challenge and I think they will be ready for a deep run in the tourney.
The deep run
is where I think the talent pays off. They will have learned how to accomplish many things as a team but they will run into challenges they have not faced. Their record is pretty good at overcoming those challenges. When it comes down to one play with the game on the line, I think talent trumps experience.
Or we might not reach the maturity it takes to win a Championship this season
but I think it will be hell of a ride either way. We are where we are with a team of very young and inexperienced players and a 1st year Coach. 24-1, ranked in the top 5 all season.
And according to Cal,
we are helping. With 22,000 + at GameDay and 24,000 + more 9 hours later, recruits are learning this is the best place to play ball. :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Exactly. Been on Sports Center all day and in the morning as well...
Espn focused on the last 10 minutes of the game…as Cal said on his post game you can’t buy that kind of pr for recruits.
Did you hear his radio post game?
He asked them if they knew which school would break yesterday’s record crowd. It seemed they got very silent as is to say… WHAT?? He laughed and said KY, next year. :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
And I agree
that they can’t settle on their talent alone getting them by. And while Alabama may not be so good right now (hell, the entire Western division of the SEC is looking a bit ugly right now), do remember that everyone…EVERYONE…plays their best games against Kentucky. And why? Because Kentucky is the best (in the SEC) and EVERYONE wants to beat the best.
No one can argue though that this team definitely still has some learning to do before tournament time. But, I do believe Cal will get their best when it matters. It may not end with a championship, as much as I hate to say that, but the Cats are back on the right track nonetheless.
I really don’t think any of us could have guessed that our guys would would be 24-1; 9-1, first in the SEC, ranked #2/#3 and in the national championship discussion with six regular season games remaining in Cal’s first season. I knew we would be much much better and that Kentucky basketball would be fun again, but they’ve far exceeded my own expectations and I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that.
Seven. I understand your comment and agree with your assessments but...
we may be asking too much from this years team’s youth and inexperience.
Right,
while it would incredibly wonderful to hang # 8 from the rafters, and I hope they do soon, but if that doesn’t happen, I am totally fine with that. Kentucky basketball is fun again, and I love it. The guys are having fun, and Chuck Hayes said he thought they were too. :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
I hate to be that guy
But I am really worried about this team too. Talent? Yes. But it all seems so hard, and percentages be derned, I do not think we are that good of a 3 point shooting team. At least, no one hits one with a hand in the face. We seem to thrive on wide open 3’s, but not the kind Delk, Sheppard, Bradley (sr yr only) and Meeks hit with guys all over them. And I think it will hurt come tourney time. Tell me I’m worried over nothing.
What good is sitting
around and worrying going to do you? It won’t help the cats win their next game, it will only bring you down. If they lose, then there is time enough for that. Enjoy the ride, they are 24 and 1 for God’s sake! Quit worrying, be happy!!!
a2d2
can’t settle down and go to sleep either?
I watched the game
at some friend’s house and they talked about other things throughout most of the game, so I am just now sorting out my thoughts about how it all turned out. Maybe after I finish here, feed my fish and dogs, I will finally settle down.
Not a lot of fun,
if they aren’t into the game. I don’t sleep much normally, so I am used to it.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Well,
the sweet arms of morphia are reaching out for me so I think I will call it an evening. 24 and 1 baybee, are you kidding me? Good night Mrs. Calabash, where ever you are.
Good one wineman,
I hadn’t heard that one in forever. His Frosty will always be the best. ;-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
In every game
we have some trouble
but when we worry we make it double
Don’t worry, be happy
Oh Lord help me, this song will follow me to my dreams tonight. LOL
Oh now
you’re just rubbing it in. HA HA HA
Well, I guess it makes for better dreams than…
Good Ole Rocky Top
Rocky Top Tennessee
Look at it this way....
get close enough to Wall and Bledsoe to get a hand in their face on a three and all you will see is their backs as they flash by you on the way to the basket with two of the Big Cats ready for a pass underneath or another Cat ready for the open three.
Tru - comments dead on...
the first 30 minutes, i was somewhat concerned as i did not want to lose to ut under any circumstance. about the time i took a deep breath and relaxed, uk went on a great run to end the game strong.
i hope everyone we play uses a 2-3 or 3-2 from here on in. it is clear no one – and i mean no one – has a shot of beating us playing man to man (the few times UT played man on the inbounds and stayed in it, wall took it to the basket and scored). the more practice they get, the better we will be when/if we get syracuse in the tourney.
i know it sounds strange, but i thought this one of our better games. did not think it for the first 30 minutes, but the team kept battling, figured out the 3-2 and ended as strongly as any game so far this year. to me finishing strong is what we have needed to work on the most and they did it.
did not remember seeing ramon at all…
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Feb 14, 2010 1:17 AM EST reply actions
Razor Ramon...
did not play. And do be honest, I don’t think he would have been much of a factor in this physical of a game. Orton and Liggins did enough on the defensive end to compensate for his absence for sure; and the upside to that—> they even produce a bit on the offensive end.
I like Ramon, but he really needs to develop SOME kind of offensive game to get ample playing time—even if it’s garbage buckets off of offensive rebounds.
With Liggins playing as he is
Ramon won’t be seeing much time. I hate it for the kid, but Liggins has become an important factory for this team.
4th In Line
Dodson, Liggins, Miller ahead of him at “3” spot for PT.
by FortyYearCatFan on Feb 14, 2010 7:49 AM EST up reply actions
Understand ukcris, but...
It’s all based on production on the floor. DD’s defense has gotten better, which equates to more minutes and Spider’s offense is coming around, which also equates to more minutes. Cal’s only got x minutes per game to split between the guys and he has to get his most productive folks out there.
Crayfish & Razor may play like gangbusters in practice but they don’t do it during game time and that’s what really counts! Perry played 8 minutes last night but look at his stat line… All goose-eggs except for one turnover. So Cal has to base his substitutions on that… I agree with you, Seniors should play, but if you are out on the floor just taking up space, well, guess what??
If your wings don't sweep....
I thought Liggins-
Was a huge factor in this game. His effort and energy rub off on everybody. I thought he should have the game ball, and even posted during the game that he should start next game. He is playing with a lot of confidence…
"You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't"
Spider's gotten his head right...
Gone from the outhouse to Cal’s schoolhouse!! And the results show on the floor… His stat line shows that he shot OK (3-8 overall) but he had 5 boards and a better than 1:1 Assist/TO ratio (barely). But the energy he brings on the D end is just ferocious!!
Agreed, POG, even though Eric got it “officially”…
If your wings don't sweep....
Absolutely a factor
Even my wife will look at the game when there are bodies on the floor and say “Liggins?”. Usually she’s right because he’s in there hustling and diving for balls. AND he has perfected calling time-out from the prone position.
I agree you have to put your best guy out there ...
And obviously Liggins has really stepped up his game and we really need that … it just seems like we need our experienced guys to show some leadership on the floor at times too – but Harris has to step up – I didn’t mean he should get a free pass to play just because he’s a senior.
People,
put it all in perspective. Look at where we were last year at this time and how that season ended. 24 and 1, and some of us are worrying. Basketball is supposed to be entertainment so enjoy the fact that we are much better off than last year, definitely headed to the Big Dance and with a legitimate chance to win it. We are winning, we could lose (who out there is guaranteed victories?) but we have come a long way. Quit making yourselves miserable.
These young guys know they are good
and they seemed to of learned a great lesson from the SC game. You can see the desire to win in their faces. They might be so young they don’t realize how hard it is to win all of these games. The SEC competition is good practice for the NCAA’s and that competition will be much harder than they have faced all year. Hopefully they can survive a game in the tourney that makes them understand they have to go hard all game. It sure is nice being real good again. ENJOY IT!
The league may not be overall as strong this year as in some years past, but
There are still a bunch of teams that can flat out play defense, including Alabama and, yes, the Vols. No one has mentioned, but I know we haven’t forgotten, that this is the group that beat KU at KU.
What happened to Ramon??
Anyone know why he didn’t play?
I am a big Harris fan but....
Liggins has been outplaying him. That is exacty what has happened.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
I agree with seven
I hadn’t realized he didn’t play AT ALL, and that makes me really sad. I am a big Harris fan. I love our all star-talented guys naturally—I do love to win, after all—but I’ll always have deep appreciation for the glue guy, hard-nosed, blue collar player, whatever cliche you want to use. A team needs those too, and Harris is a favorite of this type, for his hard work, embrace of his role, killer D, and apparent love for UK basketball. But Liggins (who of course fits those terms too, just as a former McDonalds All American) is contributing so huge right now, we need his production. Gotta feed the hot hand, I guess.
Playing time and starting lineups are some of those things having to do with the team that, as a fan, I really do not consider it my prerogative to have a strong opinion on. I just don’t think fans can be even remotely qualified to have a halfway educated opinion on that, since a coach is dealing with a million factors thats fans can know nothing about. Harris (and Harrelson and Krebs….) are still important parts of this team, even if they never see game time. That said, I do hope this was a onetime thing, and Harris will be be back in the rotating lineup in some capacity : )
by blue kentucky girl on Feb 14, 2010 9:32 AM EST up reply actions
Ramon said on twitter last week
something similar to his being under the weather a bit. Maybe he is, I know he always plays hard when Cal puts him in. Just sayin’, :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Many posts
have been about whether or not the Cats have progressed this season. Ramon’s lack of playing time in the more recent games is probably an indicator that they have in some areas. Early on, his experience was better than the talent that his younger competitors have but now that they are developing better skills they have moved past him. No knock on Ramon but what you see is what you get. While he can still improve and more playing time would help, his upside is far short of what Dodson, Liggins and Miller have.
It really is amazing how far this team has come
since the start of the season. The rest of the sports world can think what they want about us, but I could not be more proud of the players, or the job that Coach Cal has done.
And as pleasantly surprised as I have already been, I think these guys aren’t even done yet. It won’t be easy of course, but I think they are going to really make a run at hanging No. 8. I wouldn’t put it past them, that’s for sure!
Go Blue!
by Sonic on Feb 14, 2010 2:56 AM EST reply actions
I am very proud of them all too Sonic,
Almost didn’t recognize you in the shadow….lol ;-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Liggins
has been playing great, but I sure wish Miller can get it going, He has so much talent, it’s just frustrating seeing him struggle like this. He can be the key to this team because his offensive game can be a huge advantage. Here’s hoping he gets it going.
That's what she said.
They call it a "sophomore slump"
He’ll come around.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I really hope so, but it's been awhile since he's been productive
Wonder if that international play this summer has him somewhat worn down?
To me the most impressive thing was that some very young players saw a new zone that challenged them, but they kept it close went into half and were able to take instruction on how to attack it and immediately apply that in the 2nd half. That’s some quick processing, especially for Wall and Bledsoe, who were dramatically better the 2nd half. That’s encouraging.
WORRY?
I have NO worry when it comes to our CATS!!!! Young (yes) Talented (yes) When will the hammer drop again———(don’t know) do I care (yes) Will I die (NO—NO—NO) To quote West Virginia’s state border signs (ALMOST HEAVEN) These young guys (now men) have done everything that has been asked of them. (more than I ever got from my kids) Their talent is what any school would die for——-and when the 1st half looks a little ugly——-that’s when the higher power takes over. THANK YOU JOHN CALIPARI FOR LOVING KENTUCKY AND PUTTING THE FUN BACK IN OUR LIVES!!!!!!!!!! You and your young men have put our families back around the TV’s or Radio’s. Gameday is family time as much as Church)
THANK YOU CAL AND ALL OF YOUR YOUNG MEN THAT PUT IT ******ALL****** on the line for our enjoyment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO BIG BLUE!!!!!
you go there, sis!!!
and the responses by those young men, is awesome!!!…Cal has put sooo much into this team and they know it!!!…we know it!!!…and LOVE ALL of them for the effort and production!!!…
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please."...Mark Twain.
IF I MAY QUOTE
one of my favorite “philosophers”, a little-known Austrian psychologist whose contribution to the field was to introduce the inferiority complex- a major component of understanding the psychological make-up of a “boys” (the UK players are boys here psychologically you realize). He has a great quote (not related to inferiority though):
"What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning – and some of them many times over – what do you find? That you can swim! Well – life is just the same as learning to swim. Do not be afraid of making mistakes, of jumping in the water, for there is no other way of learning how to live! One cannot just sit on the side of the pool- you MUST JUMP IN!"
The Cats will nearly drown, and have for stretches in many games. Heck, they may even lose one or two more- but I contend that at the end of the tourney, they will succeed. National Champions? Ceratinly they are a contender- no one can accurately predict- there are no “sure things” this season. But, as many have pointed out, the fact that UK BASKETBALL is BACK, due to Cal’s coaching/recruiting, is irrefutable. THAT is 100% certain.
So, given that, be existential… tomorrow will come, so do your thing anyway… yesterday was fun but it is now gone…. LIVE IN THE MOMENT! (And, a tumbler or two of Woodford Reserve enhance that whole attitude I’ve found…)
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
to KYguyinGA
i like your thinking!!!…we are ALL having Fun this year!!!
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please."...Mark Twain.
A win is a win
We won’t win it all, however, unless we fix some things: The spectacular pass as opposed to the good pass; is why we are having so many turnovers originate from the guard postition. As well as WHEN they pass, a good solid pass will do.
Our guards refuse to feed the post now. If Big Cuz gets a touch every position we win it all. Period. He is working his butt off, and they are ignoring him. I bet he is giving Wall and Bledsoe hell behind the scenes.
If our season comes down to Wall and Bledsoe taking over, that’s fine; but it never gets to that point if Patterson or Cousins touches the ball on every posssession.
"all the way"
The old Billy Clyde method.
The problem with that is Big Cuz still just throws the ball up sometimes hoping the ball goes in. He struggled big time last night just to get in a position to take it to the hoop.
by Grasslands1 on Feb 14, 2010 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
BCG did not have DCuz
He was getting fought hard for position, but he was winning. UT did not have the depth to continue to fight him low. Wall is fantastic, but he took the same contested shots and 1 on 3 drives all game long. It is when they started finally falling that he “took over the game”
"all the way"
You could not be
more wrong. We can’t go very far if we become that one dimensional. Many of our turnovers come when we try to force passes into the post. Tennessee played defense designed to keep Cousins’ touches to a minimum and they did it very well. The team found another way to win. If the team were ignoring Cousins, how come he gets so many double doubles?
You know wineman, you hit a nail....
“Found another way to win”. The team might have a lot of turnovers, and shoot poorly every now and then, but I think that comes from a lot of speed from our young guys. I think sometimes, slow it down a little, but then I think, that speed might very well be what helps them dig down in a close game and come out on top. Then I say, run it like you want guys….LOL
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
you are wrong
Cousins had good position in thepost and they ignored him. When they did pass it to him, they were trying to be the second coming of Earl the Pearl. Instead of being one dimensional, it opens up shots and lanes for other players. If our winning and losing is based on whether or not one guard gets hot; then I would much rather be one-dimensional if that one dimension is Cousins.
"all the way"
Actually, he is not, Cousins couldnt get into the lane most of the night because they were using 2-3 guys to
force him to the outside to catch the ball……watch the tape……everytime Cousins caught the ball he was outside the “circle” he loves to play in.And quite a few times he was outside the paint all-together.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
"Every time he caught the ball"
That assessment is true; I’m talking about when he had posittion and THEY DIDN’T GET HIM THE BALL.
"all the way"
will watch the tape...
for the fun of it, as my memory serves me, you’re right on top of it as to what was happening with my Big Cuz…and IMO this is what had him so frustrated in this game…the ability to be multi-dimensional is the one BIG plus of this team…they really didn’t respond in this manner in the SC loss, but look what they’re doing now!!!…everybody is playin’ real smart, and i love it!!!
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please."...Mark Twain.
Folks, I have watched over 100 games this year in almost every conference(thank you George Mason)
Our concenrs with the Cats and their ability to play with other top teams from other conferences are unfounded and I will tell you why. Every team in the top 10 counts on an up-tempo game to get their team in the drivers seat. In most of the other conferences I have watched, the reason that teams get themselves in trouble against a Syracuse or a Villanova or a Kentucky is that they try to run with them. Yes the other teams out there are talented and play well. But there is not one team in the land, and yes I include Kansas in this, that is as talented a team from man 1-14 as the Cats. And no one has made bigger strides as a team in this season as the Cats. Remember when we were all discussing what the Cats had to do to be able to win it all???
Smart guys were saying that they had to be able to win all ways, fast, slow, pretty, ugly, starters, bench…..that means that the team has to be able to pick itself up when one part is not having a good game. Cousins and Wall are prime examples. Cuz didnt have a great game last night but he had a really good game. Scoring aside he had 12 boards, and kept 2-3 Vols busy at all times inside with that 3-2 zone crap they ran. As soon as the guards started listening to Cal and taking what the Defense gave them, we started punching their lights out. Wall steps up big time, Liggins and Bledsoe hit a few threes and voila!……
Every other team this year has had the same problem. They have all had slowdown games, and schemes run against them to try and control tempo. By the time we hit the NCAA tournament, there wont be a zone defense of any kind we have not seen and defeated. There wont be a type of player we can face that we wont have seen and defeated. We face some extremely talented coaches in the SEC. Some of them do not yet have the athletes they need to implement their strategies due to not being in their positions very long, but they are all top-flight coaches. They earn their living by managing to knock off big time teams.
We are better than 99% of the teams we will face this year, and as good as the other 1%. We have things to tweak, but some of us are acting like we are 15-9 or 18-7……we are 24-1….we are 6 points away from perfection in a season that has seen NO ONE BE PERFECT……. We have not only overcome a lot of our shortfalls, or players are starting to sense them and pick up for their teammates as the game progresses. Cuz let a team throw his shooting off, big deal. 1st time it has happened all year. Cal will get Robic to straighten him out before Tuesday and we move on. John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, and DeAndre Liggins play so well together that it is not even funny. Patrick caught on about 8 minutes in last night and he played like a beast inside the way he should. Not a boatload of points, but UT couldnt get boards inside that they needed to control the points.
We will overcome everything that gets thrown at us because now they are taking it personally……..Wall has decided it is time to make the world understand he is not here to lose to anyone. The next 5 games will be won on his sheer determination if nothing else. But I suspect we will see some big numbers out of Cuz the next few games…..now that he has seen that he can be gotten to in his head…..he will correct it…….Cats win the next few games without a close one…….
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Teams that have near our talent level, but more experience
Will give us fits; IE KU, Texas. Not Cuz’s fault, he could not get a decent feed from our Spotlight hungry PG. In non-nationally televised games, Cousins gets fed well. Surely these guys know that they are going to be drafted; no need to showboat.
"all the way"
that is not showboating in Wall's game. It is the way he learned to play the game. Ask anyone he has been involved with
Assuming Kansas can get to us, we win…….because one of the guys on this team will beat them. Not sure who, because they all get hot, but one of them will……..
No one has a better team than us……no one……period.
Why is it that one one seems happy with these guys unless it’s a 25 point blowout and the entire starting lineup of the oppositions team is fouled out on the bench???
Cuz had a bad game….it happens…..Wall and Bledsoe and Liggind picked up the slack….its no crime.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I'm excited about that
If Wall and Bledsoe can just turn it on any time they want, we win it all for sure.
"all the way"
Well......
Why is it that one one seems happy with these guys unless it’s a 25 point blowout and the entire starting lineup of the oppositions team is fouled out on the bench???
‘cause we’re rabid Kentucky fans that want to take no prisoners and give no quarter!
Okay, that might be over the top but the game last night showed me flashes of PPat of last year. With the Cuz having an off game (for him) PPat got a little more playing time under the basket. Was it me or did he reveal a little bit of the beast down low? I’d like to see Coach Cal run a double low post with Cuz and PPat since PPat seems to elevate his game the closer he gets to the basket. After all, PPat spent a lot of time last summer in San Francisco building up then gets moved away from the rim. Might be the recipe to get him out of the shadows and into the discussion.
Another thing: This team is obviously better than the beginning of the year but the time to show how much better they can be is quickly running out. We’ve played 25 games and after the next 10 or so we’ll likely have a couple of sure wins in the tourney then the one and done games really begin. Considering we’re two thirds of the way through the season are we two thirds as good as we can be?
we can always be better, that is a given. No one knows what this team's true potential is, because they
will never be together enough to realize it fully. John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins as seniors??? But they are improving something every game……every game…..and it is a boatload of fun to watch
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I did not observe any
basis for this comment.
why am i just so darned agreeable today???
oh, i remember…24 and 1…ok…and yes, we do have the Best Team in the land, i’m sooo happy for them and us!!!…the most profound statements here are “picking themselves up” and “relying on the up-tempo game”…great analysis, ABC…and the tweaking is truely amazing to watch…how smart is Cal?…how smart are these kids?…John Wall is such a “killer”…love to see tha look on his face!!!…scarey good for our Cats!!!…they are having fun, happy to say…cause they’ve passed that bug on to all of us!!!…GO BIG BLUE!!!
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please."...Mark Twain.
Keep Finding Ways To Win
I was on the road last night so I had to listen to about 95% of the game on the radio but what I see with this team is they keep finding a way to win. I know Coach Cal has a lot to do with that,but you have to give credit to the players also. And those players are young,for the most part. I think all the close games we all sweated through early have paid off in SEC play,just as Coach said they would. I also have to give huge love to Liggins for what he is doing for this team.Considering how deep he was in the doghouse,to come back from that and be one of the best 6th men in the country is one heck of a story that is being missed by a lot of media folks. Not to mention how valuable he is for this team. I do think however,Patrick Patterson has to get more active. He is just too talented to be scoring 10 points or so a game and 6 or 7 rebounds. They got to get more than that from him to go deep in March.
Look at this this way...
…at a time when many blue-blood teams are winning championships in their sports (the Lakers in the NBA, Alabama in football, the Yankees in baseball), it’s certainly not out of reach to see UK go far.
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