This is the SEC, and road games in the SEC are always something to be concerned about. Tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats came well prepared, and despite some anxious moments midway through the first half when Georgia looked like they might be ready to break form and shoot the ball well, the Wildcats dispatched of the Bulldogs comfortably.
Georgia came into this game understanding that it would be difficult, and they played really hard. The trouble was, Kentucky found the gaps in their zone defense, and as so may teams have found out over the last two years, zoning Kentucky is a really dangerous thing to do if they start making shots -- they just seem to spiral out of control, and a 1 point lead can suddenly turn into a 12-point deficit. The Dawgs gave good effort, but they are young and just don't yet have enough size and firepower to handle a top ten team, even at home.
Make no mistake, though, this Georgia team has some pieces, and is well-coached. If they can hang on to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Nemanja Djurisic for a couple more years, they have the nucleus of a team that can challenge for the SEC championship. They need to add some size and more shooting, but even though the Dawgs didn't look great tonight, the time is likely to come when this game will be much tougher for Kentucky than it was tonight.
For the Wildcats, the effort was there, and for the most part, so was the execution. There were segments of the game where I though UK kind of lost a bit of focus and played really below their capability. But unlike last game, this game showed signs of a young skilled team that is beginning to play like a less young, skilled team. There were moments tonight when I thought that Kentucky looked far and away the best team in the land. That would be followed by a couple of minutes that left me scratching my head -- just as it probably should be at this point.
Calipari even sprung a surprise on us and trotted out a 1-2-2 zone on one possession that actually confused Georgia and worked. I suspect we'll see some of that again in upcoming games, but if you blink, you'll probably miss it.
Overall, I'm happier with this game than with the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, but Kentucky still has a ton of room for improvement. Yes, I know some people reading this will say, "But we won on the road by 13!" Yes, but Georgia is also not the Syracuse Orange or the Ohio St. Buckeyes.
For the present, though, I think we have seen progress. That is a good thing. Next up: The LSU Tigers on the road Saturday.
0 recs | 147 comments
Doron Lamb got a haircut.
That is his problem – and the extent of it. His play will improve as the hair grows back out.
GriffinRC - January 24, 2012
I Disagree
I am thinking like ppat a few years ago, the haircut will eventually be the good luck charm :)
memphis wildcat - January 25, 2012
That is the beauty of it,
there is a ton of room for improvement and we are still winning while we get there. What is that stat about not winning on the road as #1 since the 70’s or 80’s?
kywineman - January 24, 2012
It's like watching Secretariat pulling a covered wagon. You know
that Big Red can run, but watching him do it while pulling a load is painful….
And we have a whole team of Secretariats…..but we must be pulling some kind of a load.
I will however offer up this. Cal said the last week that his squad needs to get beat, it would get their attention. Could it be possible that he is just holding the reigns really tight in an effort to keep the thoroughbreds in check until he feels like it is time to let them run?
I know the SEC is tougher than people think. And I know about Cal’s “Superbowl” mentality, but maybe winning tough is better for them than winning big??
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Or the reverse for a few minutes..
You know, something like you are the number 1 one team. Go do what YOU, and we’ll go home. Then he had to say to them, “Are you kidding me?”. ’-)
a2d2 - January 25, 2012
onea2d2 - January 25, 2012
I'm not sure I would consider a 13-point road win "winning tough."
Just sayin’
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
In today's college basketball...
winning on the road is tough especially in conference play. Doesn’t matter who you are or how high you are ranked it’s going to be tough to win. We saw that last season with the Cats. I will take a 13 point win on the road any time any day.
maysvilleblue - January 25, 2012
Well, the "winning" part never seemed to be in jeopardy.....
and the game was well in hand early on, they just seemed to be allowing Georgia to hang around longer than they should have. I assume everyone is attributing that to being at Georgia, and that’s fine, but I would be much more comfortable with our post season chances if this team would develop that “killer instinct” .
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Not a tough win, but a tough game.
They played us even for the first 14 minutes (23-22) and for the entire second half (19-18). So for 85 percent of the game, it was a one-possession contest. That’s pretty tough against the No. 1 team in the country.
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
Hmm
That’s a really eye-opening way to look at it. Interesting point, Wheatgerm.
Acdixon - January 25, 2012
Defense!
Great work as usual Glenn. I have come to the conclusion that every team we play will hold the ball and make it a half court game. I think that plays into Kentuckys hand though. Our Defense is our strength. We will get points on offense, the question is can the other team score enough points to win? With the way this team plays D it will be VERY hard to beat us.
michael26 - January 25, 2012
I Agree....Defense!!
When your offense is scoring 57 points…..you seem to be struggling. But, then your defense holds a SEC team, at their house, to 44 points, you are playing some awesome “D.”
It is a great coaching accomplisment to get all these McD AAs “thinking” defense and not offense. What Coach Cal has done with the team, and individual, mindset is a tribute to the coaching staff.
It is great scoring 85 points a game and fun to watch, however, that type of offensive production is hard to sustain game in and game out. SEC teams are not going to run with us, they are going to hold the ball and grind it out. These kids are learning to adjust to that type of game and winning while doing same.
The stat that sticks out to me…was the 41-26 rebounding advantage. Now, if they would ever block out!!
Darius and MKG, nice games. AD is just a beast! Teague, the type of effort we need from him. TJ and Doron seem to be very up and down, no concern, yet. Wiltjer, is coming along.
The defense is winning games. Outstanding defense DOES make us very hard to beat. GO Big Blue. Wondered when we would see a zone.
Nice writeup, Glenn!!
seattlekat - January 25, 2012
Just getting in from the game...proud to say I was part of those "Go Big Blue" chants that had dawg fans seething - once again meeting some nice UK fans on the road..
Great postmortem as usual … I was most impressed with our defense tonight. It’s the reason I think we have a great chance to win it all. To hold an SEC team to 44 points on the road is quite an accomplishment. Can’t say enough about Kidd-Gilchrest and Davis they are really game changers.
I was happy to see Miller scoring almost at will .. it was about this time last year that he really started to hit his stride … hope he repeats the feat this year. I also thought Lamb could have had more points and Cal said as much on the post game show …
I was intrigued by the showing of the zone defense and wondered why Cal chose to trot it out and quickly return to the man??
Great win on the road for the #1 team in America …. GO CATS!!
ukcris - January 25, 2012
ESPN called AD the Human Eraser
Qiuite apt. Frankly, I could not remember who was the Human Eraser…it was Marvin Webster. Dude averaged a 20-20 along with 8 blocks a game in college.
Sad ending, though. He died of coronary disease at 56 and his son had a heart attack and died at 19 before his sophomore season at Temple University.
wingke6 - January 25, 2012
Zone
I, too, was surprised to see th 1-2-2 zone by the Cats. I’ve always loved that zone, because it allows pressure on the wing shooters while still allowing coverage in the paint. With MKG at the point, it could cause serious pressure if the Cats learn to perfect it. Hardly any coaches agree with me, since you don’t see that configuration much anymore, but I love it. Can’t imagine which one of the staff came up with that idea.
If Miller continues to play that way on offense, look out. That’s the Darius we’ve wanted to see for a long time. I especially loved his attack and dunk off the baseline in the second half to break a field goal drought for the Cats.
Davis took a serious body bump on his alley-oop goal in the second half, with no call. That guy continues to amaze me how he gets his hand on some of those passes.
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
Agree
That was an amazing shot with the control he had with one hand. Couldn’t believe the announcers didn’t even react to it. It definitely was the play of the night. Sometimes I wonder if they are even watching the same game as we are.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Announcers Once Again
Follow up to the announcers missing things, as rarely as it is for UK to play zone they never even acknowledged it. I noticed it at once but they totally acted as if it was just another defensive series. Just irritating that these guys get paid so much and I notice something different about the game and they don’t.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Jimmy D is pretty good, but he missed the call
I’m not a fan of zone defense (like saying I’m not a fan of syphilis), but if they run it why not the 1-3-1? I think MKG would eat up the baseline, Teague/Lamb could hold the point, and the three bigs could swat away at the 15-18 footers.
Believe me, I much prefer UK defense (that is, M2M) but if not then at least take advantage of our unique talent
BeachBubbaTex - January 25, 2012
He was busy making his rim run at the time.....
BCinVA - January 25, 2012
Bada Bing!
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Soon as Darius made that baseline dunk,
Cal jumped off his seat, ran to Terrence on the bench and said something in a very animated manner. In my imagination it was something like, “Did you see that? That’s what I’ve been begging you to do for two months now!”
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
Noticed that also, monkey see monkey do
Stuck in Cincy - January 25, 2012
You said monkey do ... (snort)
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
Yup
There were a couple of moments like that. TJ just thinks too much for his talent. He has a history of committing himself to the shot too early, but I would much prefer that he “let ’er rip” (ala Elway on Tebow) than turn into offensive dead weight.
BeachBubbaTex - January 25, 2012
Just OK
Honestly I did not think this game was worthy of the number one team in the country. I wish I could look up how long we were stuck on 50 points. It seemed forever. Georgia is not very good this year and I feel like we played down to their level, shouldn’t we be better than that?
A few things really bother me about the game last night: (1) why does TJ get his shot blocked so much?, (2) AD is a monster on defense but only so so on offense, (3) on at least 3 occasions we went way too deep in the shot clock and whoever had the ball with 5 seconds to go threw it back to Teague essentially saying you try to do something with it (4) why is Cal so angry all the time? I’m afraid he’s not going to make it thru the season at his level of emotion and (5) is Vargas in the doghouse for something?. Second game in a row he hasn’t seen a minute of action.
All in all a win is a win but why do I keep being Underwhelmed by some of the performances of this team?
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
First question
Jones brings the ball up from his left shoulder when he shoots. That means the ball is low and available for blocks by players that should not be able to block his shot.
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
On top of the left shoulder issue
That means the ball is in line with the defender’s right (strong) hand.
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
Then
how in the world is he going to get it off in the pros?
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
I imagine the scouts are asking just that same question
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
We were stuck on 50 for 3 minutes, 51 seconds.
Per ESPN’s Play-by-Play. Channeling Glenn, there are moments with Terrence that make me say “wow.” Followed by other moments that leave me scratching my head. Like when other teams find it so easy to block his shot under the basket. This morning my wife put a nice spin on it: “Didn’t Terrence come back to be great? If he doesn’t live up to expectations this year, maybe he’ll come back next year!” She added that all bets were off, of course, if we won the national championship.
I never considered the possibility, but you know, I’m not ruling it out. He could be so much better. Any yet, the first four mock drafts I looked at this morning all have him as a late lottery pick.
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
I think she's right.
Who knows what the rest of the season holds. But right now, seems to me that the same reasons TJ came back for his sophomore year would apply to his junior year as well. Is he any more ready for NBA competition today?
hgabenne - January 25, 2012
I'm sorry, but...
I have a real problem with this post. Holding a team to 44 pts isn’t worthy of #1 in the country? What more could you ask for?
Did you miss the game where Davis put up 27? When he is on he’s on, when millers on he’s on, when MKG is on he’s on. This team has 1 individual high scorer pretty much every game while the rest sit around 10 pts. Davis didn’t need to score tonight and I believe Cal didn’t call many plays at all that resulted in a Davis bucket.
I believe they were working the shot clock on purpose based on the look of teague. They had opportunities all night long and just pulled it out and ran the half court stuff. He is looking for execution and practice executing as opposed to dropping 80 on a poor team.
Cal is so angry all the time because he is aware he has a team of no-less than 6 NBA players and they do not always play as such. He gets what we all get, “WOW, NO WAY!!” followed by, “Oh your kidding me, get him outta there.”
Vargas and the rest of the “supporting cast” will get their time when we play at Rupp, I’d be willing to bet. These road games and road atmospheres are being used fro the starters who will need it come march.
Someone, maybe a little further down, said Cal has yet to unleash this team, and the more and more I watch them the more I think that person is correct. Miller’s 19 looked effortless tonight, and he is probably our 5th or 6th most talented player.
Stuck in Cincy - January 25, 2012
It's not the 44 I Question. . .
It’s the 57.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Why is that a problem?
The game was a slow game, played by a deliberate team determined to make each possession last as long as possible. Every NCAA coach knows that a high-pace game favors the more athletic, more skilled team. The more possessions a good team gets, the better their chance of hanging a lopsided win on you.
This game was played at 56 possessions, by far the slowest of any game this year. If it had been played at the average pace for Kentucky, the score would have been 69-53. Kentucky held Georgia to under 0.8 points/possession, and under 40% eFG.
Kentucky’s offense has been better, but it has also been worse — against Louisville, ODU, Kansas, and Tennessee. Defensively, this was one of their better games, and it was on the road.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
Was Just Thinking
That a team as talented as UK should be able to impose its will on an inferior opponent.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
I don't think we tried to
We held the ball not because of no open looks but because we could. I think Kentucky chose to play a slower game last night.
StLHugo - January 25, 2012
Maybe we did.
A lesser team might have lost to Georgia.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
In the end, I think what we're seeing is individual inconsistencies...
MT – Great line as a PG, not so much as a scorer. Given this team, I’d rather have the PG stats as opposed to the scorer’s, we’ve got plenty of people that score. Glenn had it right last night, we can lament his poor shooting but if he doesn’t shoot Cal is going to be on him. And, him shooting, even if he doesn’t make ‘em, pulls the D to him. And he seems to have lost his touch at the rim (sorry a2d2) after Cal has been bragging on him…
DM – Hot shooter, but no rebounds, steals, blocks or assists, and 3 turnovers?? What??
DL – Where’s our shooter gone??
The list can go on, as all of you well know… If we can get a “good” game, from all 6 guys, on a consistent basis, then you’re looking at a real championship caliber ball club.
Oh yeah, happy with a road win, regardless of score!
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
Cal once said he wants Teague to shoot
only to keep the defense honest. Emphasis on only. That doesn’t mean hoisting from beyond the arc with 15-20 seconds left on the shot clock. He has options at that point. Drive the ball. Dish if you can. Do what you’re good at. What he’s not good at is making 3s (30.2 percent and falling). As a point guard, you have to distribute the ball to someone who’s in a better position to score. He has nice options. But he’s been settling these last two games.
If he doesn’t make his outside shots, there’s no reason to defend him out there. They’ll just pack it in, as they do when Davis has the ball beyond 15 feet. Until you prove you can hit it, they’ll gladly give it to you. If I were an opponent facing all the weapons UK has at its disposal, nothing would make me happier than to see Teague shooting 3s. Now, he took only 3 against Georgia, and that’s the limit. In a close game, that’s probably too many.
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
He probably
doesn’t even take 3 in a close game. I think your misunderstanding what a good shot is. Teague is a point guard. A little guy. If they pack it in on him because they know he has incredible driving ability and it comes to late in the shot clock, why the heck not take that 3? Under 5 seconds, you find yourself with a defender playing at the elbow and 6 feet to shoot the ball as a point guard, I say any PG pulls that trigger in any game. If they pack it in and dare him to shoot he HAS to begin making them, and I believe he will. Look at kendall marshall. Against UK they dared him to shoot, and he did. He wasn’t a great shooter coming in, but worked at it and was able to score when it mattered when he had too. Teague will get there, his stroke is actually looking more fluid than it was in the beginning of the season too.
Stuck in Cincy - January 25, 2012
I agree, if it's late in the shot clock.
And he has no options, not even a lane to drive, as he usually finds with a high pick. My concern is how early in the shot clock he’s taking these 3-pointers. 15 seconds is a lot of time to find a better option.
I’m not as sanguine about his ability to improve in this department over the next 1-2 months. I think it is what it is. We pretty much know what he’s able to do.
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
Seven shots for Teague was probably too many for this game.
I would have liked to see him keep it at 5 or less.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
There have been lots of games where other guys (I'm thinking Lamb in particular) score a lot but don't do anything else
But Miller is the only one who is consistently questioned if he doesn’t score 15, grab 5+ rebounds, dish out 3+ assists, has 2+ blocks+steals, and only 1 or 2 turnovers. Other players can score a lot and do little else and they are praised for it. Miller just gets criticized for all the other things he didn’t do.
I’m not picking on you in particular Eagle, but this kind of double standard is nonsense.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Understand what you're saying JL...
But in rebuttal, DM’s a Senior 6-7 SF who didn’t get a rebound?? That tells me one of two things… Effort on the D end, or the D assignment he’s been given is keeping him on the perimeter. Without reviewing the game with an eye on D, I can’t answer that one…
And let me phrase it another way… If one of UNC’s 6-7 SF’s scored a bunch but didn’t have any rebounds, what would be said about that individual?? I think (note; think) most D1 teams expect their SF to grab 3-7 rebounds a game, I don’t think that’s being unrealistic… DM is our SF, so I’d expect him to get a couple/three boards in 20+ minutes of court time…
And to continue, do you really expect your shooting guard to do much of anything but score and play D?? Maybe the odd garbage rebound, an assist or two?? Maybe I’m more critiquing the position than the individual…
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
I'm a little surprised that Miller didn't have a rebound
But he tends to be on the perimeter a lot defensively so I think a lot of it is due to position more than effort.
To rebut your rebuttal, Darius has had a number of games in his career where he has done quite a bit of the non-scoring things, and people are quick to say “yeah that’s nice, but he should have scored more”
So which is it? Either scoring is so much more important than the other things that the lack of them shouldn’t detract from a terrific scoring game, or the other stuff is important enough that a lack of scoring along with contributions in other areas is perfectly okay.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
I can't rebut your rebuttal... :-)
In the end, you’re exactly right, you can’t have your cake and eat it too… Let me ask this, is “positional averages” tracked anyplace?? ie, what’s a PG average for his skill set; steals, assists, TO’s. Same for the other positions… It would be interesting to compare, nationally, what MT is going vs all the other PG’s in D1. Same with DM, and the rest of the players.
As fans, we are always overly optimistic while being overly critical… Maybe we should temper our expectations??
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
not explicitly that I am aware of
I think we all develop our own informal baselines for positions, but over the years I’ve come to rely less on whether a player reaches particular number thresholds and tried to judge games based on whether on balance they contributed more positive than negative, regardless of where those positive contributions come from.
It’s easy to say “He should have done more in Category X” but in a particular game there are so many things beyond effort and ability that dictate how many raw numbers a guy gets that I don’t know that it is useful to hold that opinion.
As an example: a low assist total could indicate that a player isn’t making good passes, but it could just as easily mean that other guys aren’t hitting shots. One would indicate a poor performance, the other does not. But it’s impossible to tell from the raw total which situation occurred in the game.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Fair enough...
Grant your point, but the door swings both ways. TO’s are an obvious indication of how well a player is playing, or not. Rebounds, for your bigs, are the same… With what you’re saying it would be OK for Uni to bag 20 points, but if he only grabbed a couple of boards and didn’t block a shot, would that be a good game for him?? Maybe so in your eyes, but not mine… The 5 needs to clean the glass, as a general rule, and based on his past performances, with no blocks that would an “off” game for AD.
Fun discussion… :-)
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
yup - I like good discussions like this one!
To your Davis example, I think a lot would depend on the other parts of his defense – did Davis defend a lot of shots that missed even without him blocking them? If so then the lack of blocks wouldn’t concern me much.
The lack of rebounds would be more puzzling because Davis plays a position where even with minimal effort he should get at least a few. I would be inclined to find that part of it disappointing for that reason. However, if someone else on the team had a huge rebounding game, like 15+ or if a couple other guys had 10-12+ that would change my opinion on how Davis did.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
You're forcing me to think JL, and it's making my head hurt!
I think this is where the “efficiency” stats really brings things to light… If AD only blocked one shot, but only had 3 shot against him, well, that’s pretty darn good! If they shoot 30 attempts against him, well, not so much… Be interesting to see what your scorecard bubbles to the surface on this game.
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
In this particular game
Miller was matched defensively with their shooting guard. On the offensive end he played more of a guard role as well. He had quite a size advantage on the Georgia player and this plus having a hot shooting hand for the evening resulted in the great scoring effort. I don’t see where he should be criticized as long as he is playing his matchup role for the game. If UK didn’t dominate on rebounds and he was playing a position in the post, then it would be different.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
Don't forget, Miller is competing with Davis, Jones and MKG for rebounds, too.
That’s a lot to ask.
bob in bg - January 25, 2012
Didn't seem to bother Teague last night...
He grabbed 7 boards! Did he steal ’em from Darius??
Look, I’m not down on any of our players, just looking at the completeness of their game based on their postion. wineman answers one of my questions above, which was who was DM guarding on the D end?? If he’s on the perimeter, then I’d expect his rebounds to go down, against the average, because he’s out of position. But I’d still think he’d get a couple, Doron got a garbage one so why didn’t Darius?? When you put a goose egg in a column for 20 minutes of play, it seems to start a lively discussion…
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
Just for the record, I didn't think you are down on DM
But I think your comment that started the whole thing is indicative of other comments I’ve read in postmortems since at least Miller’s sophomore year.
You’re a smart guy – I figured you could handle some disagreement ;-)
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
See ^ post... ;-)
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
My understanding of the term garbage
in basketball is that the ball comes to you not as a result of your playing good position basketball but by being in the right place on an ugly play. Not everybody gets a garbage rebound every game.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
This is a point that doesn't get enough attention I think
In the NBA there’s been a lot of work done that shows that elite defensive rebounders take rebounds away from their own teammates. At the team level that’s no big deal – as long as someone on the team gets the rebound it doesn’t really matter who. But on the individual level it makes it appear that other players are doing a poor job rebounding when often that’s not really the case.
While I would not say that Jones, Davis, and MKG are individually elite (although Davis is really close), in combination they form an excellent trio on the defensive end and that really just leaves “bounce right to you” rebounds for everyone else.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
I remember a few games back
that Davis and Jones actually interfered with each other a couple of times going for the rebound and we lost the ball as a result.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
I think I remember that play too
Or one just like it – I think that has happened a number of times this season. On the one hand it’s a great sign – guys are going after the ball. On the other hand, if you see a teammate going for it maybe you should back off ever so slightly and let him take it?
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Miller played the SG and the PF positions last night
MKG played the SF for 37 minutes.
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
RE: Lamb's performance....
Darius Miller: “We have so many weapons,” he said. “Anybody can go off on any given day. We just look for the guy with the hot hand.”
Sometimes players just have an “off” night, and the others standout and get more opportunities. Lamb was only 2-8 FG, but both were 3pters. I wouldn’t call that a bad night, just not an outstanding night. I think he’ll be around when we need him. We have so much talent, that sometimes you just go to the guy that is HOT. That is bball player etiquette, and most of us that play understand that…give the ball to the guy that is on FIRE (Miller in most of these cases).
kentuckyrules - January 25, 2012
Overall im happy...
Nice to see Miller have a great scoring game, although some rebounds would be nice. Great postmortem as always. Man that dunk was filthy.
JohnPike - January 25, 2012 via Android app
play the bench more
I really think Cal needs to start going to the bench more in games like this. 1) bench needs the experience and 2) starters could get hurt. And if said starters do get hurt, bench won’t have the experience! Especially when we were up by like 16 with 2 minutes left.
MNBlue - January 25, 2012
Experience is the problem.
Most of the starters have very little of it. They improve a lot in practice but real game experience is where they will move towards the goal of a championship. Starters can get hurt in practice as well as games. You can’t play scared.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
Our top 7
are as talented as there is in the country, give them experience.
If you notice, throughout the game cal is consistently calling set plays. Even when the boys are up 20. He knows he will see some great zones in the future, so let your stars get acclimated to a good zone by playing against a zone. Then, when we need execution, it will be far less worrisome because of the time and experience they will have had against a zone.
Some coaches would put in the reserves and consider it game over. Cal gets the most out of those 40 minutes and I love it.
Stuck in Cincy - January 25, 2012
Plus, our lead wasn't so large
that we could easily afford to play the bench. We didn’t exactly run away with this one.
Speaking of bench, I am very pleased with Wiltjer’s performance of late. He’s blocking shots and playing much better D. He’s taking shots more freely. It’s a noticeable improvement. Let’s see more!
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
Just so long as he doesn't dribble
Every time he starts to dribble the ball I get worried. It has actually become one of the rules in my UK drinking game: If Wiltjer dribbles the ball for more than 5 seconds without turning it over, take a shot.
Lewke - January 25, 2012
Good win
Really liked seeing Darius Miller step up with that “senior leadership” and take charge on the road.
Marquis Teague was really good at controlling the offense as well. I especially enjoyed the one questionable pass where he just threw it up to Davis, and Browdown basically shotputted it into the glass for 2. Both Miller and Teague really understood how to attack the zone, and it was good to get more vs. zone experience, especially if UK runs into a Syracuse or Baylor in the tourney.
Davis had another monster game in the defensive paint. I think he was credited for 4 blocks but changed a lot more.
Team defense as a whole was really good for Kentucky. Georgia was frustrated offensively all night. I tried to track Terrence Jones pretty closely on the defensive end and he was a monster. I liked Wiltjer’s block as well. Great footwork. He definitely looks like he’s improving as a defensive player.
I’d like to see Wiltjer play some in the 2nd half (Cal seems to like him in the 1st half only). Why Eloy Vargas isn’t getting a little bit of PT to give the bigs a blow is puzzling. I did love the “big” lineup when Cal went with Davis, Wiltjer, Jones, and Miller.
jc25 - January 25, 2012
Davis was so fouled on that play!
No. 15, Donte Williams, ran into Davis while he was in the air and pushed him away from the basket to the baseline. He checked Davis into the boards! The no-call made me apoplectic. I think I went into seizure. Amazing, as well, that the announcers didn’t see it, especially on the nice overhead shot in slow-mo.
Really funky refereeing last night. So many glaring non-calls.
Wheatgerm - January 25, 2012
When there are too many calls, it disrupts the game flow, and when too little calls?
UK1972 - January 25, 2012
over flow?
bob in bg - January 25, 2012
Yes, he really was fouled on that play.
I’m surprised nobody picked up on it. I mentioned it in the comments, but I guess the announcers don’t read A Sea of Blue.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
game ball to miller?
Did you consider giving Darius the game ball? I can’t disagree with MKG as your choice, but I was just so excited to see Darius step up on the road. He’s been doing that more and more recently.
doldham - January 25, 2012
Quote from above
StLHugo - January 25, 2012
Oops
Thanks for pointing that out.
doldham - January 25, 2012
As Glenn says above
He gave it some thought… But, I’ll have to agree with The Bug on this call, while Miller was on fire shooting the ball, he didn’t do anything else to pad out his stat line. No rebounds, steals, or assists, plus 3 TO’s… If he hadn’t fired blanks in those categories, I’d have agree with ya because he scored his fanny off last night…
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
I did, very closely.
I require my 6’7" players to get rebounds. I don’t care if he has to come up and smack Jones or MKG on the noggin and take the rebound away. That was too big a hole in his game to ignore.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
A noggin knock??
Sweet… Careful, you’re about to fall into the perception black hole!
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
I don't think that you
can draw a good conclusion about the absence of rebounds in one game. It seems to imply that he either doesn’t want to go mix it up or is just bodied aside and can’t compete with the big boys. I haven’t seen anything from Darius that makes me think either of the two choices above apply to him. I write it off as a fluke and a sign of the danger of trying to read too much into statistics.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
To me, it says "lack of effort."
That’s just me. Your mileage may vary. But that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
Thanks to the UK fans, Georgia had their first sell out of the year.
I would think that Sat. the same may be said @ LSU. I guess unless foul troubles are an issue during games, we see a seven man rotation in the first half, and a sixth man rotation in the second half.
UK1972 - January 25, 2012
"an otherworldly purple jumpshot eater on defense"
These colorful descriptions always make me smile, Glenn. Thanks for going above and beyond in your writing! :)
Acdixon - January 25, 2012
How do they assign rebounds?
It sounds like a dumb question but I ask because I could of swore I saw Miller grab at least 2 rebounds last night. NCAA box score says UK had 41 rebounds but still has Miller with 0 but the individual totals only reach 39 so I am guessing the missing 2 were attributed to “team” (Georgia had 8 “team” rebounds).
Bah, wish I had the game recorded so I could check and make sure I’m not just imagining things.
Lewke - January 25, 2012
Ho Hum
1) I missed the 122. I usually don’t miss stuff like that either way. When was it?
2) The second half offense was “interesting”. It seemed to me the Cats played like zones didn’t bother them at all in the first half and then in the second, I couldn’t figure out what they were trying to do. If they were trying to do something more than swing the ball side to side.
3) I bet Cal is very frustrated. These guys are unbelievably talented and every game there are a few minutes where you just say wow.
4) I am pleased someone noticed AD getting ridden away from the rim on a lob. I think that is happening a lot and simply not getting called…and it is a foul.
Previously I mentioned I was attending Murray’s game Saturday. The game is sold out so I will need to buy a ticket on the street. Unbelievable.
darkandbloody@gmail.com - January 25, 2012
Dear Coach Cal,
I just want to say, on behalf of the Big Blue Nation, that despite that fact the the team is 20-1 this year and currently ranked #1, we have not given up on this team.
Thanks,
BBN
jeffy - January 25, 2012
lol.....+1
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
nice:)
BeachBubbaTex - January 25, 2012
Ha!
bob in bg - January 25, 2012
never gets old ;-)
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Haha!
Awesome!
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
On a much more important note....the new unis are out there......and uglier than homemade sin....
or should I say more boring….no style or substance at all.
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Where?
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
KSR, John Clay, UKATHLETICS.....take your pic......
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
link
http://www.complex.com/art-design/2012/01/nike-unveils-new-hyper-elite-platinum-basketball-uniforms
BeachBubbaTex - January 25, 2012
I don't mind those at all...
I am in the minority here, but I think a refresh is good from time to time.
kentuckyrules - January 25, 2012
I have no problem with them
as long as we beat UT while wearing them.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
they're by Nike
So I am not surprised. Could be worse though – they could be basketball versions of Maryland’s football unis.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Recyled Plastic!
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Oh, I agree.
Hideous. Sometimes, I think Nike does this crap just to show that their money can make you do almost anything.
And they might just be right.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
I Guess
I’m just too old school. I really miss the Cat Scratch shorts of the mid 90s teams!
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
me too.....lol
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Welcome to the Nike Prison League!!!
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Nike
Their marketing and design department is more than likely made up of 25-35 something’s, so I assume that these new styles and color combos are supposed to appeal to the younger set, not us, well, middle-aged non-athletes. : )
Yeah, ok, so I don’t love them either, as they are sort of blah and don’t really stand out. But, to be honest, I can’t in good conscience totally dog on them as I just looked through my closet and its chock full of all sorts of grey. So, there you go.
I’ve never really been a fan of anything other than true white’s or the true color that is the school color for a team uniform as that’s the whole point of having school colors, to show your school spirit and colors by displaying them, but I do like the grey better than the black. No doubt. It’s not nearly as harsh a color for the floor.
BigSkyCat - January 25, 2012
See my point below......
sorry BSC……..If you are gonna be a horse, be a thoroughbred…….I just can’t do it!!!
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
I sort of assumed you were joking
You weren’t? I don’t think a team should have to wear any specific color in order to be feared and respected in their respective sport. Their play should do that all on it’s own.
Look, I love fashion and yes, our uni’s qualify as fashion in my mind, but the color of the uniform doesn’t do anything for a team or it’s opponent, nor should it. But, it has given us something to talk about today, so that’s cool.
BigSkyCat - January 25, 2012
Agreed, horrible!!
What if both teams wear the all gray (oh excuse me, “platinum”) at the same time?? Gonna wreak havoc on TV…
EagleTDL - January 25, 2012
They look like practice jerseys.....BAD practice jerseys....
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
I have never liked gray.....
You wear white, people know you are what you say……
You wear Black, people know you are mean enough to back up what you say
You wear gray……no one knows who you are or what you are saying….
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
what if you wear puce?
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
that statement speaks for itself.....lol......
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
heh ;-)
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Might As Well
Regress back to B/W tvs.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
I read they were for ONE game. Not awful ugly. We will live.
a2d2 - January 25, 2012
Question
Does NIKE just come up with this stuff & impose it on teams that it sponsors? Does the university sports department have input into the design? Is UK obligate to wear this unattractive ensemble?
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
I would guess that UK is "obligated" to use them
In the same sense that football teams are “forced” to punt on 4th down – sure you don’t have to do it, but there’s not usually much good that comes of it.
JLeverenz - January 25, 2012
Defy the marketing Gods at Nike????
isn’t that in the NCAA Rulebook somewhere as a Flagrant 2 violation??
By the way, those are the color of a blarge, if it had a color……
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Now There Were Some Shorts!
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Wait, Blue,
those are longs. You wanna see shorts, get some pics of Pat Riley in 1966. Those were shorts.
oldcat'69 - January 25, 2012 via mobile
+1
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
New Unis
Just check ‘em out. These are not attractive, looks like something Nike would roll out for the Oregon football team. Excuse me, but aren’t UK’s colors Blue and White? I can accept an occasional black thrown in for attitude, but grey is just boring. Nike really missed the mark on this one!
BarryM - January 25, 2012
Bring back DENIM!!!!!
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
YES!!!!!!!
I’d forgotten about these.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Oh, yeaH
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
Loved the denim!
Acdixon - January 25, 2012
And just to add insult to injury, NIKE is taking on the NFL uniforms next season.....
My God In Heaven!!!!………it is a conspiracy!!!
Someone stop them!!!! Before they are allowed to take over!!!
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
Well ...
… I’m fine with that. The NFL could use a makeover. :-)
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
but if they ALL end up grey?????
Greg Alan Edwards - January 25, 2012
PARITY TO THE MAX!
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Afjter Further Review
Preamble to review comments I must, once again, laud ASoB and those who post here: No site that I’ve seen (and I visit quite a few) provides such knowledgeable and relevant discourse.
Workmanlike. That’s how I would describe last night’s performance. Very skillful and efficient performance. Defense was especially efficient and guarding the perimeter was possibly the best of the season (having AD inside sure makes things much simpler). Offense exhibited more patience than previously observed. Rebounding position and block out (particularly on defensive boards) was notably better. As in every game the quality of the opponent must be factored and really UGA was not a threat on either offense or defense. Workmanlike also characterizes Calipari’s attitude, i.e. it seemed to me that once the outcome of the game was assured (quite early actually) he used the time for teaching and experimentation, hence, the brief zone. That probably contributed to lack of substitution. Considering the relative youth of the team we can probably expect that throughout.
Individual critique:
Miller: As good as his shooting was the fact that he aggressively sought the ball and took the shots was more impressive and hopefully it’s something that will be ongoing.
AD: Remarkable athlete whose talent has barely been developed. Once he develops a consistent 12-15-footer he’ll be, shall we say, hard (impossible) to guard. It’s become evident that teams are dedicated to stopping the lob dunk. His ability to keep blocked shots in play are reminiscent of Bill Russell.
Teague: Team patience is a testament to his maturation. I fully expect his scoring to improve to a level near that of his high school career. One of his HS strengths was taking it to the hoop with strength enough to finish but he has trouble accepting the contact and making the shot.
Jones: I’ve about concluded that he is one who doesn’t respond well to criticism. The first few minutes he was as aggressive as any time last year and then when he was late getting out on Djurisic allowing an open 3 and Calipari berated him you could see his body language change.
Kidd-Gilchrist: Typical high-energy game. Youthful impatience causes him to miss some opportunities with resultant TO’s, but better that than the usual reticence of the young.
Lamb: To be totally candid I find it hard to comment since his actions are not good enough to applaud or bad enough to criticize. Workmanlike is too congratulatory, laissez faire too pejorative. Feeling is he can do lots better.
Wiltjer: Improvement, especially defensively, is easy to recognize. Confidence in shot has never waned. More comfortable with physicality. Would like to see him in the post periodically when conditions allow.
Wild Weasel - January 25, 2012
This.
I couldn’t agree more. This site has an extremely awesome membership.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
KenPom On TJ
Ken Pomeroy tells ESPN that less Terrence Jones is actually more for UK:
Wild Weasel - January 25, 2012
Slightly better would have won
the UConn game.
kywineman - January 25, 2012
True.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
Off topic, but about ESPN3
I have found it to be unwatchable using Internet Explorer, but not quite as bad using Google Chrome, although I don’t like Google Chrome for anything else. I’ve never tried Firefox, so I can’t comment. Does anybody else have any suggestions?
UKCat - January 25, 2012
which version of IE
and what error is it giving or is it just slow and choppy?
Personally I have used firefox the most, IE only at work and just started to use Chrome to see how I like it. I have never had a problem with ESPN3 other than when I am at a hotel and thus on a slow connection.
StLHugo - January 25, 2012
9, I think. If not, 8.
PIcture freezes and is generally poor quality (1 bar, 2 or 3 if I’m lucky). Same problems on Chrome, just not quite as bad. I only have AT&T DSL, so I don’t have the fastest connection in the world. Fortunately, I don’t have to resort to ESPN3 very often. Even here in Georgia, most UK games are on TV, including the two exhibition games.
UKCat - January 26, 2012
Have you thought about going to a 4G cell connection
KansasUKCat - January 26, 2012
Yeah, but I'm cheap.
UKCat - January 26, 2012
Get A Mac
Safari is very good.
Bluegilla - January 25, 2012
Don't need a Mac to get Safari....
If you have QuickTime or iTunes installed, the next time they try to update it will offer you a Safari option… I’ve never used it, but Firefox and ESPN3 have always cohabitated nicely on my desktop/laptop PCs (XP & Win 7).
EagleTDL - January 26, 2012
Watch Nearly Every Game On Firefox
ESPN3 and other unmentionables. The worst for me is the SECondemand, perhaps it’s my connection speed.
Wild Weasel - January 25, 2012
Chrome ...
… has a faster rendering engine than Firefox or IE.
The platform makes no significant difference. I run both Linux, Win7, and XP on various boxen.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
I should add ...
… that the rendering engine should not really make a difference as far as streaming performance is concerned. That’s more likely to be based on bandwidth.
You may think a cable modem would give plenty, but the upstream network architecture (how the stream is obtained and distributed) is beyond your control, and could affect video performance. Mine isn’t all that great on any platform despite having a cable modem.
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
I have heard (not verified)
That ESPN3 only gives problems for UK games. Other games don’t have the viewer volume.
jdogblue - January 25, 2012
That could be.
The pipe is only so big. :-)
Glenn Logan - January 25, 2012
Had Lunch with Sis and
brother in law today. Brother in law said when he walked in to the optometry office today two guys waiting were discussing the game and concluded that TJ is “soft”. At church supper tonight, old guy I have known my whole life said, “what do you think about the cats”. I said, “so talented, at times they are marvelous.”. He said, best college defense I have ever seen… Ever. I just want to watch them play D.
Good old guy who loves bball and the Cats. Captain of the high school team, married a cheerleader, had four kids and has a bunch of grandchildren. Don’t see him but once or twice every five years, but will miss him when he is gone.
Good to be in Kentucky.
darkandbloody@gmail.com - January 25, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of A Sea Of Blue to post a comment.