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That was an inferior first half of basketball by a team that has absolutely no excuses for putting it out there. Not only did the Wildcats miss shots, they turned the ball over with wild abandon, as if it were a good thing, and looked really bad doing it. It was a first half played with absolutely zero heart and, and describing it as listless and brain-dead is a very mild criticism.
Box score
All 10 Wildcats scored, but UK managed just 0.87 points per possession. Here are halftime stats: pic.twitter.com/6TG7T5tpJo
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) November 16, 2014
The only numbers you need to pay attention to are:
- 10 turnovers
- 34% shooting
- 21% 3-point shooting
Kentucky has been getting point-blank shots and wide open threes once again, and over half of them have either resulted in a turnover or a miss. That’s unacceptable at any level of play, and it is directly traceable to a lack of intensity and taking the opponent too lightly. This team is playing as if Buffalo were an NAIA school instead of defending champion of a DI league division.
Obviously, this has to change a lot in the second half. The big men must keep their feet instead of falling for every ball fake. The guards have to get out in transition and defend, and the bigs have to defend the rim better. Kentucky managed just two blocks in the whole first half — Buffalo had more.
We deserve better than this, and I demand better. Let’s get this done.