Can and will Kentucky find it's Mojo?

[Spiritof96]

Cal is very risk-averse.

He will keep the game very level and then try to win at the very end if he can.

The faster you play, the more risk you have. This works defensively too: the more you gamble, the more you risk. So usually we just play a very traditional defense where we don't get in passing lanes a whole lot.

Offensively the least risk in basketball is establish the big, pound into said big, and let him score. Assuming you have a solid big man, which we obviously do, you're going to get points or a foul 60%+ of the time down there.

The problem with that is math. This is why Oscar can have games where he scores 20 but we are still having to fight to win. Because if you hit 2 threes, then you're inevitably going to give up several points. Saturday Tennessee didn't hit many--only 6. That's still giving up 12 points. That's the game.

Taking quick shots is loaded with risk, particularly in the NCAA Tournament where it's one-game-and-out. And Kentucky shouldn't be just jacking shots up indiscriminately. But I do think we need to go with quick offense before the other team is set and push the game up into the 70s and 80s. This team isn't built for rock fights.

I totally agree... What I don't understand about Cal is that he KNOWS it's harder to play against a set defense than one that has to move and get stretched out. With much of our dribble weave action, the defenders can just stand there and wait for someone to drive into the teeth of the defense. Further, our cuts accomplish less than any team I have ever seen.

[Joneslab]

Going back to the original question, it's obvious to everybody that if Kentucky wants to win six in a row Grady and Mintz have to (1) shoot threes and (2) make threes.

Over their last six games Grady is 5-23 from three, Mintz is 6-22.

There's also a weird dip in Grady's shot attempts, not just his makes. In the last six he's averaged about 4 three-point attempts a game. If you look back at Grady's best stretch of the season in early January, he had a six-game streak where he averaged more than 8 three-point attempts a game--double what he's taking now.

Why Grady has decided to stop shooting as much is a mystery. And it's not just threes: he hasn't been fouled in three games.

In college basketball you just don't win if you don't make threes. In their championship run last year, Baylor hit 51 threes in six games. In our last six games we've hit 25 threes, including two games (LSU and Tennessee) where we hit just 2.

Not good, Clark.

[Lighthouse]

Going back to the original question, it's obvious to everybody that if Kentucky wants to win six in a row Grady and Mintz have to (1) shoot threes and (2) make threes.

Over their last six games Grady is 5-23 from three, Mintz is 6-22.

There's also a weird dip in Grady's shot attempts, not just his makes. In the last six he's averaged about 4 three-point attempts a game. If you look back at Grady's best stretch of the season in early January, he had a six-game streak where he averaged more than 8 three-point attempts a game--double what he's taking now.

Why Grady has decided to stop shooting as much is a mystery. And it's not just threes: he hasn't been fouled in three games.

In college basketball you just don't win if you don't make threes. In their championship run last year, Baylor hit 51 threes in six games. In our last six games we've hit 25 threes, including two games (LSU and Tennessee) where we hit just 2.

Not good, Clark.

Part of the reason Grady isn't shooting as much is the attention he gets from defenses. Teams are slacking off Wheeler and paying a lot of attention to Grady and of course Oscar. I expect in the early games in the tournament, teams will have a problem adjusting defensively as well as the SEC teams did, and we'll see Grady and Mintz get their shots. Hopefully they hit some.

[Joneslab]

Part of the reason Grady isn't shooting as much is the attention he gets from defenses. Teams are slacking off Wheeler and paying a lot of attention to Grady and of course Oscar. I expect in the early games in the tournament, teams will have a problem adjusting defensively as well as the SEC teams did, and we'll see Grady and Mintz get their shots. Hopefully they hit some.

That's definitely part of it. But I don't think it explains everything.

My theory is that Grady has gotten the advice to drive it more than rely on his outside shot.

Which makes sense. If teams are going to run you off the three-point line, you've got to adapt. And Grady can hit those runners.

But it's weird that sometimes he won't drive or take the runner or take the three. He's just kind of out there.

It's very reminiscent of what was happening with Devin Booker late in the season. And I heard Cal say on the radio that year that he had implored Booker to drive.

I think it's suggestive of having a coach who seems to believe teams can hit three or four threes in a game and sneak out with wins. I tend to think the team has so few perimeter scorers that the ones we do have are essential.

[Spiritof96]

I think it's suggestive of having a coach who seems to believe teams can hit three or four threes in a game and sneak out with wins. I tend to think the team has so few perimeter scorers that the ones we do have are essential.

In this respect, Cal is a frustrating dinosaur. He should be working to generate 15 open looks a game to people not named Brooks and Wheeler.

[Joneslab]

In this respect, Cal is a frustrating dinosaur. He should be working to generate 15 open looks a game to people not named Brooks and Wheeler.

I don't mind the offense working through Oscar, because as we've seen Oscar can score through two and three people. He's our steadiest, safest player obviously.

But the way you really knock the hope out of teams is through hitting threes. Mainly this year we've gotten them in tradition. Now teams are just deadset determined to run back. So that's where those plays for guys like Grady and Mintz come in.

And in all fairness, Cal did set up a nice play for Grady late in the game the other day. It worked perfectly...and he blew the shot.

So it's not just on the coach. Grady shot 8 times from three in that game. He missed all 8. At least 6 were probably in some kind of set, or at least in transition out of the transition offense.

The player can't just not hold up his end of the bargain.

That said, I do think it's in Grady's head a little and I wonder if Cal's "Drive it!" might be part of why he's bamboozled.

[Spiritof96]

That said, I do think it's in Grady's head a little and I wonder if Cal's "Drive it!" might be part of why he's bamboozled.

I think/wonder if Cal screws up great shooters.

I don't know if it is haranguing them about other things he wants them to do (DRIVE, DEFEND, REBOUND WITH TWO HANDS, GET IT IN THE POST, GO!!!!!!!) or if it's the fear of being pulled, or what. We have had some great shooters under Cal but it seems like he doesn't get the most out of them, or they hit a slump when we need them most in March.

[Joneslab]

I think/wonder if Cal screws up great shooters.

I don't know if it is haranguing them about other things he wants them to do (DRIVE, DEFEND, REBOUND WITH TWO HANDS, GET IT IN THE POST, GO!!!!!!!) or if it's the fear of being pulled, or what. We have had some great shooters under Cal but it seems like he doesn't get the most out of them, or they hit a slump when we need them most in March.

I think Cal most often recruits athletes over shooters, so generally you've got guys who *can* shoot but it's not what they're most comfortable with.

Cal has also had two of the best outside shooters in the program's history in Lamb and Miller.

Arguably the best game Kentucky played all year was at Kansas, and we hit 6 threes. So we can beat good teams if we hit that many for sure. But to do it you've got to have outlier performances from guys like Brooks. Obviously we can't count on Brooks every game, and we definitely can't count on him to get 27 like he did that night.

The best way forward for Kentucky is for Oscar to be Oscar, TyTy to hit tough twos, Brooks and Toppin to split their numbers, Wheeler to hit his normal assist numbers and get/make three or four lay-ups, and for Grady and Mintz to click at the same time so we can be up around 8 to 10 threes in these remaining six games. Do that and I think we have a chance to get to New Orleans.

[Lighthouse]

I don't mind the offense working through Oscar, because as we've seen Oscar can score through two and three people. He's our steadiest, safest player obviously.

But the way you really knock the hope out of teams is through hitting threes. Mainly this year we've gotten them in tradition. Now teams are just deadset determined to run back. So that's where those plays for guys like Grady and Mintz come in.

And in all fairness, Cal did set up a nice play for Grady late in the game the other day. It worked perfectly...and he blew the shot.

So it's not just on the coach. Grady shot 8 times from three in that game. He missed all 8. At least 6 were probably in some kind of set, or at least in transition out of the transition offense.

The player can't just not hold up his end of the bargain.

That said, I do think it's in Grady's head a little and I wonder if Cal's "Drive it!" might be part of why he's bamboozled.

Yes, Grady had the shot and missed it, but if I remember correctly the rest of his shots were covered defensively and were hurried. The fact that he had 8 tries makes me think Cal wants him to shoot 3's but they must figure a way to get him better shots. I like it when Grady drives and shoots the runner.

[Joneslab]

Yes, Grady had the shot and missed it, but if I remember correctly the rest of his shots were covered defensively and were hurried. The fact that he had 8 tries makes me think Cal wants him to shoot 3's but they must figure a way to get him better shots. I like it when Grady drives and shoots the runner.

I don't mind the runner but the guy is a three-point shooter. One of our few. As discussed, I just don't see how we win this if Grady doesn't hit a couple, Mintz doesn't hit a couple, and TyTy doesn't hit a couple. That gets us to that magic number of 6 or 7 makes from outside, which I think is our baseline. In our seven losses we've averaged about 4 three-pointers made in those games. Not enough.

With the way the game is played today it's virtually impossible to bury a team unless you hit threes. There's something just different psychologically about hitting threes than there is with any other shot.

[Jeff ROCKober]

I have noticed since Wheeler has been back he has chosen to drive or pass to Oscar when Grady has been open. I like the emphasis of offense to be with Oscar but UK must have plays early in the game to get Grady involved. And obviously if we can get in transition more, things open up offensively for better looks outside and inside. And maybe Grady needs to trail some when Wheeler is running up the floor and pass back tp Grady when he is near the top of the key. Grady seems to get buried away on the baseline or the side and seems like he is not involved for 5-6 minute stretches, Grady has been pretty good at those last second threes and I feel like often he is looking for that money spot three instead of letting it fly when he is open.