Mississippi Rebels 62, Kentucky Wildcats (1) 77: Postmortem
by Glenn Logan on Feb 18, 2012 6:27 PM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
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This was a game where the Kentucky Wildcats were seriously challenged in the first half, and Anthony Davis wound up in foul trouble, which exacerbated the problem quite a bit. Ole Miss was on a roll, and the Wildcats on their heels. But they responded late in the first half in a way that will make coach John Calipari proud.
Well done by the Mississippi Rebels. Ole Miss has some significant talent, they just don't quite have the confidence to sustain a challenge against Kentucky. Terrance Henry is a very talented player, and for a while, he absolutely owned every Wildcat who guarded him. As the game wore on, he wore down and began to shoot poor shots, but he is a very skilled player. Jelan Kendrick, the troubled but extremely skilled young man who was dismissed from Memphis showed his great skills, but he simply doesn't have the mentality it takes to win at this level yet. Good try by the Rebels in a tough situation.
Let's face it, though -- it is impossible to zone Kentucky at home. It isn't just Ole Miss, if this had been the Syracuse Orange, the outcome would have been the same. You cannot zone the Wildcats and survive, they simply have too many weapons at too many positions, and they will make three pointers from somewhere. Darius Miller started out cold, but then began to rain on the Rebels, as did Doron Lamb and Kyle Wiltjer. If you can't play Kentucky man-to-man, you can forget about winning.
Superlatives:
- Terrence Jones. A double-double, and even though he had some moments in the first half where he played like an eighth-grade girl rather than a talented NBA-bound stud, he rediscovered his manhood and finished the game strong. 7-11 shooting, 15 points and 11 rebounds. Game ball.
- Darius Miller. Miller deserved serious consideration for the game ball, but I thought Jones was just a tiny bit better. That dunk he put on Reginald Buckner will be a SportsCenter highlight for a while. 14 points including 3-7 3's, a rebound, a block and a couple of steals.
- Kyle Wiljer was also considered for the game ball. All he did was shoot a lights-out 3-4 from 3 and 5-6 overall, for 13 points, a rebound, and an assist.
- Marquis Teague continues his excellent point guard play. 8 assists, 3 turnovers, 5 points. Great game.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did a lot of good things, but he is still having trouble scoring. He's doing everything else, though, and his intangibles are off the charts. He had 7 rebounds, 4 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.
- Doron Lamb continues to do what he does best -- score. Today, he scored 16 points, made 4-6 threes, and all his free throws.
- Anthony Davis had a relatively quiet game with only 10 points, 4 blocks and 6 rebounds, but he was limited quite a bit by fouls.
Not so superlative:
- Free throw shooting.11-17 sucks, pure and simple.
- Basketball IQ. We have to realize that we cannot have Davis picking up his second foul trying to draw a charge on a 3-on-1 fast break in the first half. Forget that crap, we need him in the game. Just give up the basket and move on. This is a basketball game, not soccer.
- A touch of immaturity. We clearly lost focus when Davis went out, and even a little bit before. There is no excuse for that from this team, they are no longer freshmen, they are sophomores and juniors. We should expect better.
Overall, the Wildcats played well, especially in the second half. I loved our response to the Ole Miss challenge, and the Wildcats showed why they are the #1 team in America. Kyle Wiljer really showed what he brings by making open threes and some good moves closer to the basket that kept Ole Miss from building a significant lead.
All things considered, I'm pleased with the victory and it was a convincing one. The Wildcats seem to be on the right path to get to the NCAA tournament as a top seed, and the SEC regular-season title is no longer really in doubt -- it is inconceivable that Kentucky will lose their last four games. After that, win or lose in the SEC Tournament, Kentucky is likely to be in an excellent place to challenge for the 2012 NCAA Tournament title, and hang #8.
Go, 'Cats!
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My thought process during this game
1st 6-7 minutes: “Yup, another blowout”
Remainder of 1st half: “Holy noodle lord Batman, what the what?!?”
2nd half: “This is more like it”
I was really disappointed by a lot of the decision making in this game – this team is way smarter than what they showed today.
OTOH, I really liked Miller aggressively attacking the basket even though he missed a good number of shots and Jones playing well. Kyle stepping up and hitting some key shots in the 1st half when they really needed them was great too.
Statistics is the part of mathematics that God didn't invent. - Ethan Smith
I thought Wiltjer played very well, too..
..he really did step it up after Davis went out in the first half — I think Cal said during post-game that UK has seven starters now…
Thought they looked a bit rusty during that first half, after we got out to the 16-5 lead
Started heaving up long jumpers and not attacking the zone. Credit the Rebs for getting back into the game when we let them.
Good methodical 2nd half, though.
Teauge
The begining of the game would have been quite a bit different if Teauge had hit the layups and easy/open shots that have been falling for him recently. I’m not sure if UM would have caught up if even some of those shots had gone down.
On the hugely positive side, Teauge seemed to recognize it was going to be “one of those days”, stayed very cool, didn’t force shots, and really setup his teammates. Yet another sign that he is really getting the job that Cal has laid before him.
by SirTanksAlot on Feb 18, 2012 6:50 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Game ball
I might have given the game ball to Darius and Kyle. Their offensive games were superb. On the other hand, you expect both those guys to grab more than one rebound apiece. Terrence had his moments where he was the beast, but other moments looked like he lost mental focus. So much for holding opponents under 40% FG. Ole Miss shot the ball well, and much of that was less than stellar defense. FTs? Can’t understand why some games are diamonds and some games are stones in this area.
Really impressed with Kyle
I think he paid for his scholarship today.
Murray 34-25 at the half
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
the Racers are killing St. Mary's
It’s too bad the Gaels are missing their starting backcourt – that’s going to detract from what otherwise is a really impressive game. I just hope they end up in a different region from the Cats, I want to be able to pick them to go a long way.
Statistics is the part of mathematics that God didn't invent. - Ethan Smith
I'm guessing ...
It would be a 5 pt game if St. Mary’s had all their starters. In a way, I’m glad they didn’t.
Murray is impressive, especially Cannon.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
This was my first chance to watch them play.
I am really impressed. That is a good team. It’s great to see the other KY schools doing so well. If Western can get going again in the next few years that would be really great.
Statistics is the part of mathematics that God didn't invent. - Ethan Smith
I've seen them play twice
They remind me of Ky in that they seem to like each other. They play well together. I think they will be a tough out in the tournament. They do love to rebound .
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
They were only missing one starter; Dellavedova started and played the entire game
Still, a HUGE win for the Racers.
A Win Is A Win
but I just don’t think the guys took Ole Miss seriously as an opponent today. Kids, and they are kids, read the papers and watch SportsCenter just like we do and after Vandy completely took their manhood the other night they had to think that they would just come to Rupp and roll over for the big, bad number one team in the country. They didn’t and Ole Miss was more than a handfull inside the paint. But give the guys credit, when they realized they were in a game they stepped it up and played a decent game, not beautiful, not up to the standards that we are used to seeing from this team but a win.
Thought our defense was not as crisp today but hey, 50 in a row is quite some achievement. However, we all know that everyone has got to step up their game on Tuesday. It’s going to be a war down in Starkville.
Cal said he told Darius
If you can do that, do it every time.
This sbn app won't let me rec that
Or I am dumb. BUT Bravo. That is a fine photo.
by sweasyf on Feb 18, 2012 7:37 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Love the facial expression
dead serious, isn’t he?
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Shades of his sick 1-handed alley-oop
Against St. Johns.
He was all business after that one too. Miller is one cool cat.
Statistics is the part of mathematics that God didn't invent. - Ethan Smith
Keep our freshmen from scoring?
Okay, we’ll just let the sophs and a senior pick it up, and throw a little in from the seventh man to boot.
I had a little bit of a question as to why ‘Loy wasn’t in to help the defense in the first half, but Cal’s the coach, and I’m just watching on TV.
Solid comeback except for FTs.
Two things don't last: dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars.
by oldcat'69 on Feb 18, 2012 7:21 PM EST via mobile reply actions
+1 oc
Would have liked to see Vargas play more than two minutes with Ant playing only 25.
The versatility on the offensive end for this group is outlandish – remember, only a few years ago when the only three Wildcat scorers one could rely on were Crawford, Bradley and Patterson, and when PPat went down, it left only two guys who could fill it up – Well, I like this better.
I think Ole Miss didn't have a real big physical threat down low
or else Vargas would have come in, probably. The Rebs didn’t do much at all in the way of trying to attack Wiltjer when they were on the offensive end.
expectations are premeditated resentments - cheshirecat
Great on the recap Glenn .... Calipari was happy with the play of the team - gave a lot of credit to Ole Miss
Agree with you on this one …. “If you can’t play Kentucky man-to-man, you can forget about winning.” … I can’t think of a team in the country that can play us man-to-man …. maybe some sort of a junk defense might be effective … but this team looks pretty solid …
He meant it is impossible to zone Kentucky at home.
In our previous game, on the road, UK went 3-14 from three. Soon as Vandy cut the lead to single-digits, they went zone. And we had trouble.
So frustrating
Killing ole miss then Davis try’s to take a charge. Then Teague doesn’t run the O as he should and ole miss takes the lead. Wake up call and pretty much a runaway from there.
Does anyone know if coach said something ‘rough’ to DM before that dunk? He looked very hard in the direction of the bench. And coach is right, if you can do it do it.
Glenn on target re the zone. I liked KW at the elbow even more than DM. Catch and shoot from 15. Beautiful baby.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 18, 2012 8:26 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Darius was a little withdrawn to start the game. After that dunk, he looked at the UK bench and said something. From his facial expression I would think that it was rather emphatic.
He may have said, “How’s that coach?” Hee
I got the same impression from his reaction
I like the version of Miller that goes for the 1-handed throw down like it’s business as usual.
Statistics is the part of mathematics that God didn't invent. - Ethan Smith
He's so darn versatile, it's difficult to remember how big he is.
His upside is huge. I think we all know the potential of most of the team. I think DM has the most upside of all. Most of the sctous/draft sites treat him like an afterthought. I see a 10-12 year NBA vet like Walter McCarty in DM.
Go Darius, this is gonna be a special senior game. (Of course, they all are – but DM should get a HUGE response).
I was at the game and haven't had time to watch the recording
but if memory serves me correctly, Miller had turned the ball over on the previous offensive set and Cal had some “advice” for him. Then he comes back and does that. Wow. And yes, he was definitely communicating to the bench on the way back up the floor.
Making waves in a sea of blue.
That's right
He did have a TO on the previous posession
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 18, 2012 8:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
TJ's Back
Now we just need to get MKG back to form. He looked a little down today especially after missing those two free throws.
MKG has been in about as bad a slump as I have seen a player be in
he is having a hard time making the right decisions, and his shots aren’t falling (somewhat interconnected). He’s been great on the break still, but those are not as plentiful as they were earlier in the year.
expectations are premeditated resentments - cheshirecat
A Little Off Subject
but did anyone hear or talk to anyone as to Nerlen Noel’s little visit today. They showed him on camera and man What A Haircut!
Dang that is close
and the SkyWalker was a heckuva player. (I missed a bunch of his games – I was in the Navy and spent most of those years out at sea).
I feel your pain. No coverage of the game on AFN last night.
On the bright side, I get to see the next three so I’m a happy girl.
Don't think he was wowed by the crowd.
Ole Miss quieted the crowd for much of the first half. And we grinded much of the second with clock-wasting half-court offense. A little boring. Let’s hope had had a great visit with the players and the coaching staff.
Im Wondering About Nerlens Noel 2 ............
Any News ?
Any Interview ?
Anything Guys ?
by RIP SEAN TAYLOR 21 on Feb 19, 2012 4:43 PM EST up reply actions
Infiniti Coaches' Challenge
Cal is behind Huggins. We need to vote every day.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Relatively quiet game?
Glenn,
I’m not questioning your view in context, but yet I have to laugh. ONLY 10 points, 4 blocks, 6 rebounds. Take those away and we might have a different ballgame. We have come to expect so much from this young man-child that anything less than phenomenal stats are seen as pedestrian.
you saw the game?
I’m jealous. Perhaps I should have come over to your place to view? I missed it entirely. Didn’t order the Full Court package this year that I have for like the past, oh I don’t know, like 10+ years and I’m kicking myself for it. Anyway, glad you got to see it, but I do have to say that everybody had down days at work, right? We came out ahead. Moving on……
BSC...Do you know about ESPN3? ESPN3 games on a 13" PC screen stinks..but not as bad as not watching the game at all.
by blue oregon on Feb 18, 2012 11:05 PM EST up reply actions
thanks.
Yeah, I know of it, but unfortunately my internet provider doesn’t offer it. I really shouldn’t complain, it’s sort of my own fault. I usually order the ESPN full court package but this year, of all years, (so dumb) I decided to be cheap and didn’t renew it, so I’m missing the games that are on the SEC Network or whatever.
Gotcha! I also bought ESPN Full Court until last year when I switched to ESPN3. Also...
everyday I listen to LEX WLAP sports talk…game day….pre-game and post game shows on I heart radio for free on my laptop or now on my smartphone. When I visit with my 3 brothers who still leave in KY, I often have more UK info/news than they do. Really a good way to stay close to the program. As they say “Kentucky Basketball Never Stops!”
by blue oregon on Feb 19, 2012 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
Yes I Did
I’ll send an email later to explain.
The Greatest Picture that Never Happened - Anthony Davis Says Shut Up Edition
Looking thru Everything Kentucky Online this would have been awesome……
by OvaDwayneBowe on Feb 18, 2012 11:07 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Wanted to come home and see the whole thing before I commented, had to be gone today when game was on and only caught a few buckets.
Miller could probably play any position on the court, given the opportunity. He is just that versatile. I wonder just how much more of a contributor he would have been without this Sea of Blue talent we have seen at UK the last three years. You put Miller on the Ole Miss team and he is a 25 pt a night guy.
Davis got muscled a little again today…..that’s good for him to have to deal with. He handled it. I had to laugh at my uncle tonight, when we sat dwon to watch the replay, he said, “I’ll just warn you, they can win without Davis, but he just makes it so much easier.”
I want Terrence Jones to come with me to play ball at the park down here in Wayne Co. some Sunday afternoon……all I am going to do all day is feed him lobs…..I want to see if he can tear down these steel posts we have.
We got a little flashy a couple times and it backfired, but over all…..someone better tell the rest of the country, this year’s NCAA is going through us……
Doron Lamb……you 3pt goggle anyone you want to son…..anytime you want to…..lol….my only regret is that Bobby Knight isnt going to be on a sideline when you have a chance to run by him and do it.
Marquis had another pretty good day….a couple of miscues…..but really greay play.
And my boy Kyle…..I saw him drive the lane and shoot, I saw him fight for rebounds, and I saw him light up Ole Miss like a Christmas tree…….I almost cried…..
I do love this group of young men so……
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 18, 2012 11:09 PM EST reply actions
How long is the list of teams that could guard UK man-to-man?
Three? I count Michigan State, North Carolina, and Syracuse (file them under “could, but won’t”). And I have some doubts about Carolina.
When folks say that UNC has all the pieces to win the NCAAT they're probably correct
But when we played and beat them back in early December we weren’t half the “team” we are today – no comparison. Number eight on the way.
A man is nothing more than a summation of his scars!
UNC fans said the same thing last year.
They beat UK in December and that was before Marshall was starting and Larry Drew III saw the bulk of their minutes at pg.
Then again, I’m in Alfred E Newman mode for the rest of the season.
I'll echo GoLightning here
We aren’t the same team but neither is UNC. Yeah, they’ve gotten pummeled a couple of times. I’m sure ol Roy beat into their heads that you slack off just a little and the other team is playing the Super Bowl (They think the same way we do), they will stomp you.
I don’t really care for them, but I have a ton of respect for that program. 13-22 says they can do more than hang with us both recently and traditionally. They are one of the teams that scare me this year. (Another one we got a W on, Kansas, is looking good also). The cream may get diluted when stirred, but always rises to the top.
26-1 Is Hallowed Ground
Only the 1966, 1970, 1996, and 2010 UK teams have gotten to 26-1 (or better) in my lifetime (born August 1951, so 1951 Cats don’t count).
by FortyYearCatFan on Feb 19, 2012 9:37 AM EST reply actions
Pretty good time to be a fan isn't it?
This really reminds me of 96 more than the others because when you look at the quality of recruits we have on the horizon, we may have another 3-5 year run coming. (Heck, we are in a good little run right now, we just need to take that extra step). I still don’t like Coach Cal asking for folks to go nutty on us. I seem to remember Mike Bibby going nutty keeping us from what might have been 3 straight.
The reason Coach Cal
made the “nutty” comment is about facing the type of challenges that happen in a championship run. He is absolutely on the right track to say it would be good for us to face that situation now while we can recover and learn from it rather than in the one and done tourney.
I was glad to see Ole Miss give us some trouble last night. We will learn more from that game then we would have beating them by forty. We will face some serious challenges in the next four games and the SEC tournament. While many would like us to comfortably win out, that will not improve our game.
Making waves in a sea of blue.
I get what he was saying
but you gotta be careful what you ask for, you just might get it – and not the way you envisaged it. Regional finals for example, as in he who shall not be named 100% shooting.
Wish out loud about about getting tougher, or hoping the guys respond well to adversity. I just don’t like daring an opponent to have a career day against you.
Again,
Cal was not wanting this for the tourney, he was wanting this during those games that prepare us for the journey ahead.
What is the alternative? Come into every game praying that someone doesn’t play well enough to beat you? I hope the remaining games give us some real pressure to perform.
Making waves in a sea of blue.
1996 (And 1997) Recruits Were Very Disappointing
In 1996 UK replaced Walker, Delk, McCarty, and Pope with Magloire and Evans. Nowhere close.
Then in 1997 UK replaced Mercer, Anderson, Epps, and Prickett with Bradley, Anthony, and Hogan. Once again, nowhere close.
Pitino’s recruiting really fell off the table then.
by FortyYearCatFan on Feb 19, 2012 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
Good info Forty
but three of those four teams broke my heart.
Got that right
I was only eight years old, but I can still hear the disgust in Cawood’s voice as he called that ridiculous charging foul that ended Dan Issel’s career vs. Jacksonville. First time the Cats ever scored 100 points and lost.
And for the young whippersnappers in the audience, imagine a time when the #1 team in the nation is playing a regional final, and a young fan living in the Commonwealth has to listen to the game on the radio because it’s not on television. Granted, we only got three channels up on Rock House Creek back then, and none of the three were even from Kentucky.
And in just a couple of years Dan and Artis composed one of the best teams in either the ABA or NBA
A man is nothing more than a summation of his scars!
And Casey Was Injured (Redshirt) Plus McCowan And Pool Booted From Team
The UK team in 1970 (at full strength) could easily have undefeated.
Well, perhaps.
by FortyYearCatFan on Feb 19, 2012 7:23 PM EST up reply actions
Upon Further Review
Missed second half thus most attention paid to those 20 minutes. In toto two things are obvious:
1) If there was ever a doubt, Anthony Davis is UK’s MVP. For whatever reason — my guess is that it’s more mental than physical — his teammates are quite dependent on his presence both defensively and offensively. Whether the 10 minutes without him was beneficial is problematic but I’d just as soon not find out again.
2) Man for man, position by position Ole Miss is the most athletic SEC team that UK has faced and probably only UNC is a more athletic team on the schedule. Fortunately they (UM) are not well-coached.
To say that UK wasn’t mentally prepared is merely stating the obvious and the early 16-5 lead only contributed to the notion that it was to be a blowout. As usual the laxity of attitude shows up in those areas that require quick reaction, i.e. defense. That Rebs/Ackbars/Black Bears shot well is proof enough. In the minutes UK lost the lead I don’t believe the Cats ever allowed the shot clock to ever get under 12 seconds — impatience=loss of focus.
Game ball? Cut in half: Miller and Wiltjer.
The MK-G? Two sub-par games in succession= freshman wall, I doubt it. Hasn’t lost much defensively — did you notice that he had responsibility for Henry in second half and the senior only had 2 points. Offensively I think he is just having difficulty deciding what he wants to do: drive, pull up, penetrate, perimeter? Indecision kills, plus he’s not gotten much if anything off transition.
TJ’s offensive repertoire continues to grow with the floater being the latest addition. Bodes well for his NBA future. Step through right hand wasn’t bad either.
I like Teague’s progress but I can’t help but wish he was more like Wolverine’s Trey Burke. If you saw Michigan’s win over Buckeyes you saw just how valuable a dribble-penetrator PG can be late in a close game.
Zone offense? Good when they had the patience to attack it, but it must be said that the Ole Miss zone wasn’t exactly impenetrable even though they had the length and quickness to play it. Coaching and/or coachability — again.
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
by Wild Weasel on Feb 19, 2012 4:50 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Rebounds Oversight
Neglected perhaps brightest statistic: UK winds battle of boards: 29-22 and more impressively the offensive boards 10-4 versus the SEC’s best OR team. Reason? Blocks down, boards up? Bounce of the ball more likely.
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
In regards to the shooting success of Ole Miss,
several of their shots were simply unblockable amazing shots. You cannot stop them all and when good shooters are on a roll, they will get some scores.
Making waves in a sea of blue.
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