The Kentucky Postgame Report

#1

cncchris33

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#1
Well, final result was what most expected. Kentucky wins 66-48. I think I had predicted 69-51 in another thread, so I got the spread right, though the game played out differently than I imagined. I had expected it to play out much like the LSU game where UK would jump up on us early by 25 or 30, and then we'd cut the score down late. In this game, we played UK toe-to-toe for 30 minutes, and then talent amd depth took over in the final 10. Can't be too disappointed in that effort.

The Good...
1. Kevin Punter played an entire game and was a factor all night instead of disappearing. 14 pts, 2 rebs, 1 stl, 1 blk, and 2 TOs. He actually got to the lane and hit some pull-up jumpers and shots at the rim. Outside shot wasn't going, but neither was anyone else's.

2. Armani tried his best, but teams like this are the kind his lack of height will really show up against offensively. 5 pts, 8 rebs, 1 asst, 1 blk, 3 stls, and 2 TOs. Only 2-7 from the field and 1-3 from the line. FT shooting is inexcusable, but he just doesn't have the size to score inside against two 7-footers. Not his fault.

3. Willie fouled out...obviously, but I thought he played ine of his better games in recent memory. 4 pts (2-2 from the field), 2 rebs, 1 asst, and 0 TOs. He is obviously not even half as skilled as any of UK's big men, nor is he as big, but he didn't play intimidated like he did vs LSU, and there were no WTF plays that I recall.

4. JRich struggled, as UKs plan was to guard him from anywhere inside halfcourt. It wore him down and frustrated him a little to constantly have to be guarding against Ulis or Harrison pestering him trying to set up the offense. Pretty smart move by Cal actually, and UK has the depth to extend their defense for that long and that level of intensity on him. Still finished with 10 pts, 3 rebs, and 1 asst, but had 3 TOs and looked visibly frustrated as his shot just wasn't falling. Likely a product of fatigue.

5. Absolutely floored that we played that team even on the boards. A credit to our effort and hustle. No way that UK team should ever get outrebounded, or played even like that, especially by a team as vertically challenged and undermanned as Tennessee. 19 offensive rebounds!!! Seriously strong effort from our guys.

6. Another "Wow!" stat; we outscored UK in the paint, 34-22. Are you kidding me? Who saw that coming? Our gameplan worked perfectly. Pack the paint defensively, play them close on the boards, and force outside shots. Unfortunately, they hit some tough 2s, and a few more 3s than us.

7. Tariq Owens I thought bounced back nicely following the LSU game. The shaved head makes him look even skinnier (if that were possible). 5 pts (2-3), 3 rebs, 1 blk, and 1 TO in only 8 minutes.

The Bad...
1. Unfortunately, we seemed to be our own worst enemy in this game, which is somewhat uncharacteristic. We committed 15 TOs and only forced 11, which is out of the norm.

2. Along those same lines, we shot 4-10 from the FT line. How are we so Jeckyll and Hyde from the line? 85% one game, 40 % the next.

3. The shots just weren't falling. 2-17 from 3 is so so so bad. And at home no less. Shoot just 41% from there (7-17), and just 60% at the line (6-10), and your right there with UK at the end. Part of that gameplan was predicated on us making some outside shots and hitting our FTs, and we failed to execute that aspect.

4. Hubbs really struggled again. 2 pts (1-6), 5 rebs, 1 asst, and 3 TOs.

5. Derek Reese didn't play terribly, but he just seemed noticeably absent from most plays. 2 pts, 4 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl, and 1 TO. He just seemed to blend in. Obviously out of his element banging down low with 7-footers, but no fault of his own.

6. Detrick Mostella struggled shooting. He just never got going. 0-6 from the field (0-4 from 3). On a night when we needed someone to step up from outside, he failed to deliver. The talent is there though. He just needs a serious commitment to getting stronger and adding 15 lbs of muscle to his frame this offseason.

Bottom line...
Nothing to be embarrassed about from this outcome. It's about what most expected, and we played them tough for 3/4 of the game. Our gameplan was executed for the most part, but UK hit some tough outside shots and their FTs, and we just didn't. Beating them in the paint and playing them even on the boards impressed the heck out of me, and is a testament to their fight. They appeared to learn some things from the LSU game that they implemented in this game. UK played 9 guys last night, and every single one will play in the NBA.
 
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#2
#2
I think that we can all agree that the Tyndall Terror Defense was on full display against the #1 team in the country and possibly the best college basketball team in history. Two years down the road, I think we'll be right there with them. If the NCAA does indeed pass the freshman ineligible rule, and if Kentucky goes undefeated this season, look for that to happen, it may become the great equalizer. The other major conferences are pushing hard for that. It would be a major upheaval of college basketball. I am still hoping we get to the NIT, but I stlll think we need 17 wins to do that.
PS Once again, nice job, Chris. It takes a lot of work to put that together. Sure glad it was easier than the LSU game. The conference is strong, they lost to A & M and South Carolina rolled into Georgia and beat them.
 
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#3
#3
They were simply too talented.

Only reason we outscoured them in the paint was due to the KY guards shooting it too much instead of passing it into the post players. Play them 10 times and KY wins 10 times.
 
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#4
#4
They were simply too talented.

Only reason we outscoured them in the paint was due to the KY guards shooting it too much instead of passing it into the post players. Play them 10 times and KY wins 10 times.

I agree that they'd probably beat us 10 out of 10. I think our defensive gameplan had a lot to do with keeping the ball out of the paint. We forced a lot of those outside shots by playing tight in the paint.
 
#5
#5
Great effort. Great defense. This game we were actually outclassed. We played tough and UK played dumb. Good job but to be expected.

SD don't diminish their efforts and good play with your hyperbole please. UK is nowhere near the greatest team ever. They are good and we played a great game. No need to add a bunch of bs.
 
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#6
#6
Great effort. Great defense. This game we were actually outclassed. We played tough and UK played dumb. Good job but to be expected.

SD don't diminish their efforts and good play with your hyperbole please. UK is nowhere near the greatest team ever. They are good and we played a great game. No need to add a bunch of bs.
You are not aware that that is exactly what Donnie Tyndall said in his presser??? Heard the same thing on SEC network this morning.
 
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#7
#7
Love the effort!!!! Just don't have the bench to rest our players. showed bad with Josh.
We beat them in the 1st half in my opinion!

GBO
 
#10
#10
I think they are still playing awesome, yea lov for them to win but the job CDT is doing with this make shift playground pickups in a short amount of time.

But U put Josh on a team with some players he will excel, NBA will be calling him as he develops.
 
#11
#11
If we had some shooters we'd won last night. We shoot worse than most middle school teams some nights, and we continue to make to many turnovers. The 37 mins a night is really starting to show on Josh as well. I don't know how much he has left in the tank. Great team effort none the less.

Also, I hate KY fans with a passion...:finger3:
 
#14
#14
Another great postgame report. This is probably one of the best if not the best Kentucky team assembled. Our depth hurt us of course, but we out hustled them for 36 minutes of the game.

It must be hard to call a college game with some consistency.

I for one am so tired of hearing the Announcers, commentators, analysts use the word "Kentucky" in every sentence. It gets old. It's like they have to force themselves to say the opposing teams name.

Kentucky fans on this board, I agree Kentucky is great, they are No. 1 and the best in the country. It is a no-brainer. Act like it versus acting like an this is your first time being there. Most Kentucky fans do not realize that there will be no where to go but down from here. Enjoy it, be humble about it and don't act like it is the first time you have been there. Ky Fans don't get it.
 
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#15
#15
I think that we can all agree that the Tyndall Terror Defense was on full display against the #1 team in the country and possibly the best college basketball team in history. Two years down the road, I think we'll be right there with them. If the NCAA does indeed pass the freshman ineligible rule, and if Kentucky goes undefeated this season, look for that to happen, it may become the great equalizer. The other major conferences are pushing hard for that. It would be a major upheaval of college basketball. I am still hoping we get to the NIT, but I stlll think we need 17 wins to do that.
PS Once again, nice job, Chris. It takes a lot of work to put that together. Sure glad it was easier than the LSU game. The conference is strong, they lost to A & M and South Carolina rolled into Georgia and beat them.
I try not to get drawn into these threads as I'm another "senior" fan and I understand what it's like to be a long time, devoted fan, but a couple of points.

1) KY is not the greatest team of all time. If they kept these players together for three-four years, maybe, but this bunch is too young for that kind of hyperbola. Heck, there are many teams in the last few years which could/would beat this team. Any one of the Tennessee teams in 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2010 would have beaten that Kentucky bunch last night. Cal's team which had DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall was as good or better than this team. I know what Tyndall said, but coaches say crap like that all the time. It's what they do.

2) The NCAA isn't going to make freshman ineligible. That genie is out of the bottle, never to be put back in. For one thing, it would endanger the revenue they make from basketball and another thing, they'd be buried in lawsuits. Ain't happening.
 
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#16
#16
2) The NCAA isn't going to make freshman ineligible. That genie is out of the bottle, never to be put back in. For one thing, it would endanger the revenue they make from basketball and another thing, they'd be buried in lawsuits. Ain't happening.

I agree. This will never happen. The NCAA would be abolished if they took that stance. It would open up a can of worms and if it happened for BB it would be an across the board change. Football, etc.
 
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#17
#17
If we had some shooters we'd won last night. We shoot worse than most middle school teams some nights, and we continue to make to many turnovers. The 37 mins a night is really starting to show on Josh as well. I don't know how much he has left in the tank. Great team effort none the less.

Also, I hate KY fans with a passion...:finger3:

15 TOs for this team is a little uncharacteristic. For a team with no true PG and very few ball-handlers, we are 7th in the SEC in TOs/gm, and well into the top half nationally at #145. We average 12.4 TO/gm, and UK leads the SEC at 11.0 TO/gm, so we aren't that bad/far behind by comparison. Last night though, we were very careless with the ball in a game that we couldn't afford to be careless.
 
#19
#19
Kentucky should be ashamed that a team of undèr talented, under manned, misfits played them that close for 3/4 of the game. With that said all of our players left it all out on the floor. They gave their all for CDT and TN. Words can't say how proud I was of our young men. Good times are coming and it won't take as long as most think. GO VOLS. As for the kitty's I look forward to seeing you get knocked off in the tournament.
 
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#21
#21
I came away from that game with the following thoughts:
--Tennessee is very young and athletic
--Tennessee plays very hard (a lot of heart)
--Tennessee does not have a lot of basketball talent (consistent shooters & ball handlers)
--Tyndall is a basketball genius. Vols need to keep him at the helm.
--Couldn't help but think of what would have happened if last year's team played this hard.
 
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#22
#22
Kentucky played poorly. If we could have got the three ball going, would have been interesting. Was really impressed that we played with them on the glass and how much we got in the paint. This team could come out of no where in the SECT.
 
#23
#23
Also, Devin Booker and WCS are two of the most annoying Kentucky players I've ever seen. I can't remember disliking a kentucky player as much since Cousins or Rondo.
 
#25
#25
Also, Devin Booker and WCS are two of the most annoying Kentucky players I've ever seen. I can't remember disliking a kentucky player as much since Cousins or Rondo.

Booker looks like a claymation character, but dang can he play ball. WCS is a really really good defensive player, and super athletic too, but I can't stand his cocky attitude. Probably one of thise guys you love if he plays for your team, and hate if he doesn't. I liken him to Joakim Noah.
 

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