The Kansas GAME THREAD

[lilproUK98]

Except for Tennessee. They missed a three. Never played zone again I don't believe...

[BobS]

That is true. And you are right. He will never zone for any extended time, ever. Which is why I am critical and why this team will go out early, unless it buys into putting the effort in to make this switching d work. Just an opinion.

[lilproUK98]

Bottom line is....

The teams that win it all GET HOT at the right time...

If this team GETS HOT at the right time they will be a huge threat to win it all...we'll see what happens.

[KCKUKFan]

Switching will never consistently work for this team because of the makeup of our roster, but im not sure a zone is a good answer.

They might need to hedge and pray.

Side note: Deaaron Fox is always the fastest player on the court and it baffles me that he is unable to stay in front of his man.

[BobS]

Lost in all this was the very good games by our Seniors. Willis is on and off but without him tonight, it wouldn't have been close.

I thought Hawkins was really good as well.

[Katmendo]

Switching will never consistently work for this team because of the makeup of our roster, but im not sure a zone is a good answer.

They might need to hedge and pray.

Side note: Deaaron Fox is always the fastest player on the court and it baffles me that he is unable to stay in front of his man.

Fox has great straightline speed, but his lateral footwork is very poor. Lack of leg strength, in my experience.

Additionally, part of this problem is a result of Cal (no blame, just fact) coaching for the game to be officiated the way it just isn't going to be when it matters. His idea, grand as it is, to keep hands up, and not touch, isn't working in either capacity. First, it's not stopping us from getting two fouls and, second, it's letting teams run into out defense at will. He's basically just transferred a few extra fouls from his guards to his bigs, but the end result is the same: critical players off the floor or, the downside that his overall team defense has suffered, because of it.

Now, tonight that wasn't a huge issue, but it it what it is.

UL is winning about as many games as we are, in a better conference, with good results (not as good, because they just don't have the same talent), and not one ounce of change in their play.

JMO but, something to consider.

[Katmendo]

The most obvious issue for Kentucky tonight? Malik Monk scored 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the game, and then went scoreless until the 3:21 mark in the second half. By my horrible math, that’s over 25 minutes that Monk didn’t score. Kansas’ zone stifled Monk, and as Calipari said afterwards, when Monk’s not scoring, that’s bad, bad news for the Cats.

“They did a good job of shading toward him, whether it was the zone or they — the triangle and two, they put a man on him, and then again, like I told the staff after, we can’t go eight minutes without him shooting the ball,” Cal said.

Quote from KSR.

Quotes like this make it fair game to be critical. Even lay person fans saw this unfolding during the game. Umm, excuse HOFer but... where was the double screen? Why wasn't he in the middle of the zone?

How is it the other coach knows the best player on your team, but you forgot who it was?

I'm sorry, fans, but this is fair criticism of this game. This game only, but this game to be sure.

[Westtncat]

And post game Cal is critical of WIllis. B.S.

[lilproUK98]

One thing that endlessly irks me...

Cal lets teams dictate to us in EVERY way...we fall into the trap of playing the way the other team wants to play far too often. Sometimes our talent allows us to still win, but when other teams take away our strengths, or dictate tempo, we are lost. We allow teams to do what they do far too often, if they want to play slow we play slow and so on.

[KCKUKFan]

And post game Cal is critical of WIllis. B.S.

Offensively, Willis couldn't have provided much more. Great effort.

Defensively, Josh Jackson ate his lunch all night and he didn't box him out on two critical possessions down the stretch.

[lilproUK98]

Offensively, Willis couldn't have provided much more. Great effort.

Defensively, Josh Jackson ate his lunch all night and he didn't box him out on two critical possessions down the stretch.

The next time Willis effectively boxes someone out will be the first.

[Katmendo]

If you want to know why I was booing in this game, look no further than the proof in the pudding on the ESPN **MEN'S BASKETBALL** front page.

Premier game, right? The headliner, huh?

Not even in the top headlines. Not even there. Because, it was a bad game, by both teams. It may as well have been Indiana versus Temple for all the sparkle it had. Jackson finished with a solid game... because UK was so bad. Monk ends with an OK game,... because UK was so bad. Kansas falls behind by double digits because they aren't a legitimate top five team. UK loses that lead because they aren't a legitimate top five team.

All the billing, all the stage setting, all the talk ALL week,.. Michael Buffer to make the announcements!!!!!.....

And, that turd is what was conceived. The only thing that happened was Kansas didn't lose. Less than three hours after the game, and ESPN won't even pretend to sell the outcome as a quality game.

[KCKUKFan]

If you want to know why I was booing in this game, look no further than the proof in the pudding on the ESPN **MEN'S BASKETBALL** front page.

Premier game, right? The headliner, huh?

Not even in the top headlines. Not even there. Because, it was a bad game, by both teams. It may as well have been Indiana versus Temple for all the sparkle it had. Jackson finished with a solid game... because UK was so bad. Monk ends with an OK game,... because UK was so bad. Kansas falls behind by double digits because they aren't a legitimate top five team. UK loses that lead because they aren't a legitimate top five team.

All the billing, all the stage setting, all the talk ALL week,.. Michael Buffer to make the announcements!!!!!.....

And, that turd is what was conceived. The only thing that happened was Kansas didn't lose. Less than three hours after the game, and ESPN won't even pretend to sell the outcome as a quality game.

Net positive for us, all things considered.

The only good thing to take away from tonight is that most of the other teams in the top 10 are just as flawed as we are, aside from Gonzaga who plays nobody and I guess Kansas.

[Katmendo]

HEADS up for everyone, BTW:

All the talk about it being January. All the talk about we've got time?

There are exactly ten games left in the regular season. Ten games left.

So, let's say we go... 8-2 in those games. That a 6 loss team going in to the SECT. That's if we go 8-2.

And here's the kicker. South Carolina has as good a chance of winning the conference regular season, based on closing schedules. Don't believe me, take a look.

[KCKUKFan]

HEADS up for everyone, BTW:

All the talk about it being January. All the talk about we've got time?

There are exactly ten games left in the regular season. Ten games left.

So, let's say we go... 8-2 in those games. That a 6 loss team going in to the SECT. That's if we go 8-2.

And here's the kicker. South Carolina has as good a chance of winning the conference regular season, based on closing schedules. Don't believe me, take a look.

Again, we've been in this position before under Cal and it all worked out pretty well.

Let's just stay on the ride and see how this shakes out.

I'm concerned about Kentucky, and certainly not South Carolina.