Kentucky Wildcats 76, Arkansas Razorbacks 77:  Postmortem

his body, on the “turnover” there at the end. How that doesn’t get called, I don’t know.

But, allowing 40 points in the paint to Ark. (that has to be a season high) is unforgiveable, and the reason for the loss, at least in my eyes.

I agree – it was a real confidence killer. This team has a complex about winning on the road like the Football team has about playing Tennessee. A close win could have had this team turning the corner. But alas, no.

It’s almost as if this team is losing all the close games that it should have won to balance out last year’s team winning all those close games they should have lost.

What’s missing? Swagger. This team has none, and we need it to win the close ones. And in the NCAA, anything past the second round is going to be a close one.

And as soon as the guys with the white coats leave here, they are headed west on 64.
Don’t fear though. As soon as I talk my way out of that jacket by morning, I will be okay. If you need sprung, just chant GO BIG BLUE over and over (my plan) and they will think society is safe, once again.

but, I’m at the point where I’m about ready to rip the bandaid off and wish this season was over…. I’ve lost all hope in this team…. I really don’t think that neutral courts will make much of a difference to this team now… I feel they’ve lost all confidence that they can win this thing out…. you don’t see it in their steps or in their eyes…. I pray that they can turn this aournd, but my fiath that they will……. well, it’s doubtfull…. hope I’m wrong.

You said it all…very well…Where do we go from here? No doubt, there can’t be any confidence left in a close game…

has ever lost 6 straight road games. Pathetic! I have no confidence in this team for the remainder of the year. Why should I?

And its starting to get old to use the refs as an excuse! Just sayin.

Hello everyone. UK lost the game when Arkansas guard Clarke hit 7 free throws in a row to take a one point lead, mostly due to some bonehead play on UK’s part.

I was watching this on ESPN3 when dinner was called (about 7 minutes to go). Without hesitation I powered down and enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner because I pretty much knew UK would lose. This team has pretty good talent, but a weak heart and a low basketball IQ. I’m through investing very much emotion into this team because they refuse to invest much in themselves. This team’s regression since December has been noticeable and persistent, but I remain and will always be a UK fan.

Incidentally, dinner was rosemary pork chops with a marmalade glaze, baked sweet potatoes, and a nice mixed green salad with goat cheese and beets accompanied by a not too bad red vin ordinaire.

You people have got to be kidding me if you don’t think they had a drastic influence on this game.

First, let me say that I don’t like to blame losses on the refs. The book is out on UK this season and every team in the SEC has read it. Play UK physical on your court, where you know you will get a few calls, and you have a shot to win. This isn’t the refs fault, this is UK’s fault.

Having said that, when the officiating is this bad, they have to take some blame. It isn’t just this game, NCAA officiating has been going downhill for years as the age of the refs continues to go downhill. But, I digress. Liggins did not foul Clarke, but OK, it is at Arkansas so he gets that call. The technical was completely unwarranted unless Liggins gave the ref the one finger hello as he was running. What gets me though is they call touch fouls all night on both sides until the last minute of regulation when Josh had a rebound and an Arkansas player was literally draped over his back swatting the ball from his hands. Seriously, look at the game again and you will see him bent over his back. That kind of call HAS to be made, I don’t care where you are.

Should UK have won the game? Yes. Do they need to play tougher on the road? Absolutely. Did they do all kinds of things wrong that cost them the game? Uh huh. Did the refs influence the outcome of the game by making bad calls? They. Did.

Execution, Execution, Execution………..or lack thereof. We’ve seen that movie all too often this yr. We had several good looks but couldn’t find the hole. Personally, I didn’t like the 3 attempt at the end of reg. I like to attack the bucket in that situation. Ark. doessn’t want to foul.

ORB-While we got 19, which is good, we gave up 22. That’s right……….22! Sometimes with 3 of our guys right there. Frustrating.

PIP-Ark. put on a layup clinic.

3pt. defense-Remember I posted that we should pay close attention to our 3pt. defense? By my count, we closely contested 7 of Ark. 21 attempts. Two of those by Clarke were makes, incl. a 4pt. play. On another, he was fouled by Josh. That’s 2 times in this game, and seems like every game now, we fouled the 3pt. shooter who just happened to be the other team’s best FT shooter. Only 1 time did someone other than Clark hit a contested 3, and it was huge. Ark. shot 33.3% from 3 and we shot 16%.

But, as westcoastKYfan noted above, the game was really lost on that sequence when Clarke hit 7 straight FT. We went from up 6 to down 1. I don’t know what Ligs did to get the T, but it came at a bad time. A close game on the road, and UK was starting to get something going.

I thought BK gave it his all. My man, Lamb, was nonexistant, tho.

is that we lost Kanter. That, and Jones is just not ready for the big-time….all I can say.

Myself and others took a lot of flack for saying that this team was lacking. Lacking in size,lacking in numbers and lacking one other thing. They don’t seem to grasp the team concept. There is a lot of I and Me. There is no I in team. I will keep on following as I have for 60 years. But there is not far to follow.

That being said, if we win out I believe we still get a bye. Does not feel that way but that is the situation.

After the close ones we lost earlier, the kids could have folded. By my count the had 3 chances to win on a last second shot and did not quit. they are fighters. I just wish they would fight for 40 minutes.

I disagree that the no call on the to was a no call all night. But the team needs to play better so that the no call has no impact

UK won every statistical category except 3pt percentage, and lost anyway. Horibble turnover at the end of the game, and horrible last shot. Don’t know what else to say.

that we could have fairly expected in the first couple of weeks of the season. Not this far in.

A few observations after re-watching on DVR several times:

• The BK to DM “turnover” was a clear foul that contributed to the wayward pass. The official should have made that call.

• The no-calls on BK’s drive and put-back at the very end did not bother me too much. I would expect no-calls on those.

• The BK to DM pass that stays with me the most is not the “turnover”- but rather the pass that never happened. After making a sensational rebound of his own missed shot with a little over 4 seconds to go, BK put up another contested heave while DM stood wide open a few feet away. DM could have squared to the basket and got off a really good look. I realize he didn’t take the shot against Ole Miss (or whoever it was), but I am pretty confident that he would not have passed up this open look.

This team is so far away from being able to make the plays at the end of the games. And the most puzzling aspect is that they do not seem to be getting any closer with repeated opportunities.

,

and is not going to get better. After 27 games, they are who they are. We could easily drop out of the top 25. We’re not even listed in ESPN’s Headlines this morning. Replaced by Cincinnati’s win over the Hoya’s, I suppose.

I agree with Cal that he has good players and that his team lacks something… toughness, a will to win, leadership…

If they ain’t got it by now; well, they probably ain’t ever gonna get it.

I’m done hoping. That left the building with those missed rebounds toward the end of regulation and that last errant pass when we were up by one, in OT.

I’m sure that is partly due to the cumulative effects of all the road losses,

BUT it is mostly due the the fact that this Arkansas team is so weak.

I can handle the loss to Alabama or to Georgia; they’re on the rise.

But if this UK team can lose to this Arkansas team, they can lose to most anybody.

I’m not giving up on them. I’ll watch every minute of every game they play.

But I am managing my expectations.

I think I"ve seen in the 31 years I’ve been watching. At least with BG’s teams I didn’t have very many expectations, but this team is Jekyl and Hyde at home and away. We know the talent is there and what they are capable of, but nobody is stoking the fire at all. They can stay on their feet for round after round, but just can’t deliver a knockout punch to save their lives!

Where was Doron Lamb? Why the hell was he sitting on the bench? 2 or 3 points from him is not acceptable at all! Also, yeah the refs sucked it up some but like Glenn said that’s going to happen and you have to play through it. Once again we had a chance to win it and just folded……….AGAIN! At the end of OT that ball should have been in Jorts’ or Miller’s hands IMO. Knight was whooped and you could tell it. I give him big kudos for playing so long with 4 fouls though.

As far as the post season I don’t believe neutral courts will help this team much. They just don’t have the confidence or inclination to win a close game wherever it is (except for Rupp). They’ll end up with maybe a 7 seed in the tournament and maybe make it to the second round. I’ll continue watching and rooting for them, but my expectations have dropped exponentially in the last few weeks.

This game was a killer and the worst time ever to give Pelphrey his first W against us. Like KSR I blame it on the curse of Eddie Sutton. Damn you Eddie! BTW, he looked really really bad!!!

I’m sorry, but I have to be honest — that’s what this game was, an epic fail by inches. The failure is so complete and comprehensive not in the context of the entire game, but in the minutiae that led to the defeat, that it is very much like being killed one centimeter at a time.

I was yesterday when the game began. UT winning gave us the chance to be #2 seed, win out and move into the NCAA on a roll. Losing to a very bland Ark team just sent me over the edge. I yelled and cursed at the TV this game more than any all year. I really really did not want to lose this game. This is such a disappointment. That’s just the way I feel.

That this Arkansas team isn’t as horrible as many of you guys are making them out to be. They aren’t Auburn or LSU, at the very least. Arkansas has beating Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, and now Kentucky. I’m not sure if any other team can make that claim in the SEC; Alabama lost to Vandy and still has to play Florida. It’s a very, very, very streaky team this Hogs. So there is that, at the least.

Home Record: 13-0 (100% Wins)
Neutral Site Record: 4-1 (80% Wins)
Away Record: 2-7 (28.57% Wins)

Away games left: 1 (< 30% chance of a win))
Home Games left: 2 (Good chance to win both)
Neutral Site Games Left: ? ( 4-1 odds on winning the next one, but improving odds with each subsequent win)

I like our chances…(somewhat)…So I’m not giving up on this team, just yet!!!

You notice I didn’t use team. Is not playing as good as they did earlier. Would hate to face UofL again now. I know most of you don’t want to here this but, it all comes down to coaching. Cal can rant,cuss and tell us that they aren’t doing what he tells them. The end result belongs to him.

.
I guess we know who the above play with 12.4 seconds was not being designed for….
.

.
I think Miller could have gained some redemption from the Ole Miss game if given this open look with 4.6 left. That’s actually quite a lot of time.
.

This team is really not any closer to being on the “same page” than it was back when BBN was so high on them after the exhibition games in Canada and the early season wins over the smaller schools.

And the above pictures do not show problems with coaching, in my opinion. In the first photo Cal is obviously coaching, isn’t he? And in the second picture, it just comes down to the players. The players have to trust one another, and make the choice between an open look and a desperation heave with 4.6 seconds left on the clock.

.

It’s to late to teach young men at the game. The real coaching takes place every day in practice. He can draw up anything he wants. They need to know how to execute it.

Didn’t watch the game until this morning. Wish I had checked the score first so my day wouldn’t have started off so crappy.
Came away with this thought: this team does not relish the opportunity to pursue greatness; they are afraid of failing and play tighter than the bark on a tree.

For myself, my huge expectations for them do not do them any favors, but I wish they could just look in the mirror and say to themselves: we are a great basketball team; let’s go have some fun and show the world how good we really are and just win baby!

Their home record versus their road record indicates they just don’t have what it takes between the ears.

C’mon man!

He was the only player on the team that showed true heart and no fear. He has made great strides this year becoming a good to great college point guard. We just don’t have anybody that can adequately give him a spell at his position. Great game Brandon – you gave you’re all.

End of game right there. I immediately thought after giving up the lead there that the boys had their excuse-to-lose now, and thus the loss was coming. Before that I thought they had held things together pretty good and they’d even built a small lead when that sequence gave them their “out”. They really didn’t have to bust their butts now because they had their excuse to lose.

This team is really missing some toughness/joy of winning/competitiveness or whatever. I know Coach Cal has been busy trying to find “it”, but “it” still isn’t there.

……..certainly don’t help. Also, the three point shooting was horrendous. They looked like last year’s team against WV, and they are a much better perimeter shooting team than last year. 3-19 is waaaaaaaaaaay off their average. Lamb’s benching due to lack of defense really hurt. If Lamb gets double the minutes he got last night, Knight and Miller get more of a breather and maybe fresher legs to hit more of those threes. It’s another possible factor anyway……….and yes, I am just speculating. Helps me stay sane 8^ )

Some teams overachieve given their apparent talent level (‘58, ’66, ’03, etc, etc). Some teams underachieve (’70, ‘10, perhaps ’11-and before you ask, I consider a team with five first-round NBA picks to have underachieved if they don’t win the NC). The difference, in my somewhat less than humble opinion, is chemistry. Some teams have it, some don’t.

Why is that, you may ask. Personally, I think there are three factors. First, some critical element(s) is/are lacking. To the point at hand, I think, for the current team, missing are a true point guard, a true “back-to-the-basket” center, and an in-your-face team leader.

Second is a complete trust in each other. You’ve all heard me decry the AAU system before. It teaches kids to trust themselves rather than their teammates.

Finally, this team, in some of its players, lacks an attitude that leads them to give it all for each other. Call it love, call it respect, call it whatever you will, but it just ain’t there. And it’s not the same as trust. I have trusted a lot of people who I didn’t care for at all. I could depend on them doing their job; I just wouldn’t give everything I had for them.

Unless we see a turnaround, this team may have only one or two more wins. With a catylyst to improve the chemistry, perhaps several more.

Caveat: None of the above is meant to disparage any of the young men on the current team. They are who they are: products of their respective environments. They are surely as frustrated as we are, as is Coach Cal.

thats a lot of comments

just a note to the bettors. this team ranks 329 (out of 345) in a kenpom.com statistic called “luck”. the factor is based on how well a team’s record matches how well a team plays (from purely a statistical standpoint). if this team’s “luck” ever changes, some of these type of road losses will turn to road wins.

that is… if their head doesn’t explode first.