Vanderbilt 26, Kentucky 33: Second Half Live Thread

That was a disappointing half of basketball, for me at least. The Kentucky Wildcats did not play well, turning the ball over almost as much as the Vanderbilt Commodores and making a mess of a game in which they should be leading by double-digits. This was the kind of half that I feared after two very strong outings — the Wildcats have been reading their own press clippings and decided to take Vanderbilt lightly, not on defense, but on offense. I have rarely seen more fundamental errors made in ballhandling and decision-making than I did in this half. If Kentucky were a less-talented team, they’d be down ten rather than up seven.

First Half Stats

UK vs. Vandy halftime box score. Dakari Johnson leads all scorers with eight points. Willie Cauley-Stein has 5 boards pic.twitter.com/YNSF9SIiQs

— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 21, 2015

If you get the idea that I hated the first half, you grok correctly. I hated it. I don’t want to see it again, and I hope not to in the second half. Let’s see some sharper offensive execution, better passing, better rebounding and better basketball fundamentals. The defense has been good, for the most part, but the offense has looked like an AAU team.

Let’s hope for better in the second half. Go, ‘Cats!