The Good
* Team Lazarus. So here we are winners of 3 in a row, getting players healthy and somehow finding our groove. Watching that yesterday and thinking about where this team was when they got embarrassed by Georgia Tech was really strange. An almost out-of-body experience really. Who knows if this team has the horses to be a team that can contend with the best teams in college basketball, but there is no doubt they are worlds better than they were three weeks ago.
* Let Them Fight! The main thing that jumped out to me about Kentucky yesterday was how hard they played. Guys on the floor, getting in passing lanes, diving all over the place. I think I saw everybody in blue get on the floor at least once. This fighting spirit is led by Devin Askew, who isn't a great basketball player right now but I love the guy because he will go out there and absolutely get after it. Askew has something in him that some of my favorite Cats had; it's a Tyler Ulis, Ramel Bradley fighting spirit that you have to have from a couple of guys on your team. I really hope he sticks with the program and we get to see him grow up a little as a player. I think he could be special.
* I'm Sorry Mr. Jackson. Isaiah Jackson had his best game yesterday, and it wasn't a surprise that he did it when Keion Brooks came back and he didn't have to be a go-to guy, but could rather be a spark off the bench. Some of the things he was doing out there were simply jaw-dropping, and it's great to see the light finally--finally!--come on for him.
* Brooksie. Keion Brooks was a revelation in that game, giving us a guy who was a steady presence as a playmaker, a help against the press, and just an overall solid presence out there. You could see how steady he was on a few possessions that, just three weeks ago, Kentucky would've lost their minds on. He was a complete gamechanger and it was great to see.
* Balance Beam. Kentucky had such a balanced attack yesterday, with virtually everybody who got out there giving them something. When you think back to Cal's best teams, they were all very even across the board. You couldn't take one guy away because somebody else would just step up. This team has the potential to be that, as it clearly doesn't have a superstar but it does have four or five guys who can maybe lead you at any given time now that Brooks is back.
* Passing Up. Another thing besides the scrappy play that I noticed from Kentucky was how they passed the ball. That's obviously a huge difference, as so far this season we've seen either tentative basketball or me-first absurdity. Yesterday guys were finding each other; the interior passing in particular was a thing of beauty. When you have a team that doesn't have many (or any) killer offensive playmakers, you've got to play like a team. And finally Kentucky is showing that it can maybe be a team.
* Return to Boston. B.J. Boston played probably his best game yesterday. I loved the way he passed the ball, and more than once I saw him showing tremendous emotion. His "ceiling" on this team may not be the 20 per game scorer we thought we were getting, but he might be a solid role player. And that might be enough.
The Bad
* Chomped. Florida just laid down in that game as it went along, and that was really strange to watch. They did not look good--partly due to us but they also looked soft, confused at times, and maybe even a little disinterested. It's been a couple of decades now where we can pretty much bank on getting a fight from the Gators. Going in there and just spanking them feels really strange.
* Close to a Trillion. Poor Lance Ware almost put up the infamous trillion for Kentucky yesterday. If not for a few 1's he would've gotten there. The guy started the game but it's clear that isn't going to last with Brooks back, and with the way Jackson played yesterday he'll have to fight to be the back-up at that position.
The Ugly
* Anthemic. I have no hard thoughts on what happened during the National Anthem yesterday, but it was glossed over a bit by ESPN coming in late to the game and the way Kentucky played. I have to think if UK would've been beaten a lot more folks would be on the team about it. I read that everybody from the coaches on down wanted to do it, so it wasn't entirely a player thing. But I'm sure there will be people who write extremely ugly letters to the basketball office this week.
* Team Lazarus. So here we are winners of 3 in a row, getting players healthy and somehow finding our groove. Watching that yesterday and thinking about where this team was when they got embarrassed by Georgia Tech was really strange. An almost out-of-body experience really. Who knows if this team has the horses to be a team that can contend with the best teams in college basketball, but there is no doubt they are worlds better than they were three weeks ago.
* Let Them Fight! The main thing that jumped out to me about Kentucky yesterday was how hard they played. Guys on the floor, getting in passing lanes, diving all over the place. I think I saw everybody in blue get on the floor at least once. This fighting spirit is led by Devin Askew, who isn't a great basketball player right now but I love the guy because he will go out there and absolutely get after it. Askew has something in him that some of my favorite Cats had; it's a Tyler Ulis, Ramel Bradley fighting spirit that you have to have from a couple of guys on your team. I really hope he sticks with the program and we get to see him grow up a little as a player. I think he could be special.
* I'm Sorry Mr. Jackson. Isaiah Jackson had his best game yesterday, and it wasn't a surprise that he did it when Keion Brooks came back and he didn't have to be a go-to guy, but could rather be a spark off the bench. Some of the things he was doing out there were simply jaw-dropping, and it's great to see the light finally--finally!--come on for him.
* Brooksie. Keion Brooks was a revelation in that game, giving us a guy who was a steady presence as a playmaker, a help against the press, and just an overall solid presence out there. You could see how steady he was on a few possessions that, just three weeks ago, Kentucky would've lost their minds on. He was a complete gamechanger and it was great to see.
* Balance Beam. Kentucky had such a balanced attack yesterday, with virtually everybody who got out there giving them something. When you think back to Cal's best teams, they were all very even across the board. You couldn't take one guy away because somebody else would just step up. This team has the potential to be that, as it clearly doesn't have a superstar but it does have four or five guys who can maybe lead you at any given time now that Brooks is back.
* Passing Up. Another thing besides the scrappy play that I noticed from Kentucky was how they passed the ball. That's obviously a huge difference, as so far this season we've seen either tentative basketball or me-first absurdity. Yesterday guys were finding each other; the interior passing in particular was a thing of beauty. When you have a team that doesn't have many (or any) killer offensive playmakers, you've got to play like a team. And finally Kentucky is showing that it can maybe be a team.
* Return to Boston. B.J. Boston played probably his best game yesterday. I loved the way he passed the ball, and more than once I saw him showing tremendous emotion. His "ceiling" on this team may not be the 20 per game scorer we thought we were getting, but he might be a solid role player. And that might be enough.
The Bad
* Chomped. Florida just laid down in that game as it went along, and that was really strange to watch. They did not look good--partly due to us but they also looked soft, confused at times, and maybe even a little disinterested. It's been a couple of decades now where we can pretty much bank on getting a fight from the Gators. Going in there and just spanking them feels really strange.
* Close to a Trillion. Poor Lance Ware almost put up the infamous trillion for Kentucky yesterday. If not for a few 1's he would've gotten there. The guy started the game but it's clear that isn't going to last with Brooks back, and with the way Jackson played yesterday he'll have to fight to be the back-up at that position.
The Ugly
* Anthemic. I have no hard thoughts on what happened during the National Anthem yesterday, but it was glossed over a bit by ESPN coming in late to the game and the way Kentucky played. I have to think if UK would've been beaten a lot more folks would be on the team about it. I read that everybody from the coaches on down wanted to do it, so it wasn't entirely a player thing. But I'm sure there will be people who write extremely ugly letters to the basketball office this week.
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