SamKat has also been watching UK's 2010-2011 season. Even the great (and I mean great, as in Adolph Rupp great) John Calipari, is discovering brand new territory with this team. Five of the best players from the 2009-2011 roster have gone into the pro ranks and are now millionaires. Of the 2010-2011 regulars, three are freshmen (just out of high school) and two are juniors and one a senior with only bench time experience. Every division 1 team has outstanding players even though the NBA picks up the very best. Basketball competition is at the very highest level on all fronts.
Put me firmly behind Coach Cal. The guy has fought against the odds and won and will continue to win.
I am looking forward to our hoped for retribution in the SEC tournament in Catlanta and we will see what happens beyond that.
Same old script for Kentucky
Posted on: February 12, 2011 5:08 pm
Edited on: February 12, 2011 5:23 pm
Score: 150
Log-in to rate:Log-in to rate:Log-in to rate:Posted by MATT JONES
NASHVILLE --- It happened again. The law of averages would suggest that if a team puts itself in a position to be in enough close games, eventually it would back its way into winning at least one of them. Kentucky came into Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt 0-4 in the SEC in road games decided in the final two minutes, with three of the losses by 2 points or less. So with the game tied and 5 minutes to go in Memorial Gym, this would most certainly be the game that the randomness principle would push the Wildcats to a victory. Right?
Wrong. For the fifth time Kentucky found a way to collapse down the stretch, this time losing in Nashville 81-77. The specifics for this loss were slightly different than the games prior. Vanderbilt shot lights out from three point land, going 11-20 and hitting key baskets whenever UK threatened to make a run. Underrated Commodore guard John Jenkins had a career high, dropping 32 points on a myriad of amazing outside jumpers. And when the game was close down the stretch, the Commodores made their free throws, going 87% on 20-23 shooting from the line.
Even with all of that, Kentucky once again had a chance to win down the stretch. With five minutes to go in Saturday’s game, Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezili made a layup to tie the game at 66. As in all four of UK’s previous losses, the table was then set for the Cats to execute down the stretch and get a much-needed road win. But like in all four prior games, they found a way to wilt.
With the game tied, Kentucky immediately came down the court and missed an open jumper. The Cats were slow getting back on defense, leaving Jenkins wide open for a key three. Then, needing an answer, Wildcat junior Deandre Liggins turned the ball over on a boneheaded pass attempt, leading to a runout and another Jenkins jumper. Within a minute, a tie game became a five point deficit and Kentucky was unable to play catch up over the final four minutes.
But focusing on the specifics of how Kentucky lost this particular game misses the big picture on this edition of the Wildcats team. For whatever reason, this group simply doesn’t have what it takes to win in a hostile environment on the road. When the game is close and Kentucky doesn’t have the Rupp Arena faithful to provide support, this Kentucky team retreats. How it does so varies from game to game, but the consistent theme remains. Calipari’s group simply can’t close the deal.
On paper it doesn’t make sense. Freshman Terrence Jones has been the best player on the court in every game he has played in conference and scored 25 huge points on Saturday. Deandre Liggins is on an offensive hot streak and is probably the best perimeter defender in the league. Brandon Knight is a deadeye shooter with a high basketball IQ who would seem to have the point guard poise necessary to not get rattled on the road. But at the end of Thursday’s game, all three made huge, critical turnovers that caused their team to fall apart and lose down the stretch
One can point to the usual criticism of Calipari’s team and say, “well it’s all the ‘one and dones’ with no experience that kill you in close games.” But that doesn’t explain last year’s Kentucky team, younger than this group, but 8-2 in games decided in the last two minutes. For his part, John Calipari thinks the group is close to getting over the hump and after the game, said he was “encouraged” by the young Cats performance.
Maybe so. But at some point I need to see this Kentucky team actually win one of these games. It is not enough to be merely be close. Kentucky is so talented that it will always be close. It must find a way to turn close into a win. The Wildcats have found ways to lose down the stretch in a purely non-discriminatory fashion. Whether a rugged, defensive group like Alabama, a soft, athletic team like Florida or simply a one-man shooting show like Ole Miss, Kentucky has lost every time, each a bit more heartbreaking than the last.
There is of course still time for this to turn around. Pundits from Seth Davis to Greg Anthony to Gary Parrish all still believe this Kentucky team has the talent to make a run to the Final Four. I agree in theory. But I have also watched this team lose on the road in as many diverse fashions as one could ever imagine. When the going has gotten tough, this Kentucky team has found a way to get going...directly onto the bus after another loss.
Outside of Ohio State, Texas, Kansas and maybe Duke, there isn’t one team Kentucky will face in the postseason that has a top six on its roster stronger than the Wildcats. While UK lacks depth and could use another big post presence, every team outside the Top 5 has serious weaknesses and Kentucky’s are no greater than those of the rest of the contenders. But how can I believe in a team that hasn’t yet shown an ability to win one close game? Am I supposed to assume that at some point the litany of close losses will end and this team will learn to be clutch down the stretch? Logic says it should happen, but my eyes tell a different story.
After today’s loss to Vanderbilt, Kentucky is 5-5 in conference and at the bottom of the SEC East. The Wildcats’ record going into March will surely improve, as most of its final games are in the comfy confines of Rupp Arena. However it is hard for me to believe that this team is headed for a run deep in March. No matter how good the talented Cats look when they are at their best, down the stretch we see the team at their worst. The randomness principle would suggest that will change eventually. Results suggest it will not.
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