Can and will Kentucky find it's Mojo?

[Jeff ROCKober]

Kentucky looked like the hottest team after thrashing Tennessee and Kansas in January. Then Wheeler and TyTy were injured it just has not been as smooth. The injuries did give more playing time for UK's bench and thats been a good thing but not having a consistent rotation in my opinion. Slow starts, defense does not seem as good as before, spacing and settling for last second shots have become the norm. The focus has been to get Oscar the ball and it should be but not many plays are designed for Grady.

The defense needs to step up and obviously we need to start hitting from outside, Can UK get this January mojo back?

[KCKUKFan]

If Grady just hits two of his wide open threes yesterday, we probably win the game. And we played terribly against a really good team.

So, I think they can. But the shots have to fall. We just can't afford another 0-fer game from our guards. This team isn't built like that. When teams are clogging Oscar down low and our shots aren't falling, we start standing around and getting tight. When that happens (yesterday) bad things happen.

[Lighthouse]

Hustle and movement will cure a lot of ills. And Cal needs to Coach and not make a fool out of himself like he did yesterday.

[justford]

Hustle and movement will cure a lot of ills. And Cal needs to Coach and not make a fool out of himself like he did yesterday.

For a coach that doesn’t like the sec tournament, he was sure animated😊

[40bill]

Anything can happen. BUT this team looks like a Sweet 16 crew....maybe.

[George]

Anything can happen. BUT this team looks like a Sweet 16 crew....maybe.

They look like a FF team that isn’t playing to their potential.

Maybe we peaked, maybe we didn’t. Either way, you can’t say they could’ve won it three weeks ago but can’t win it now.

[Jeff ROCKober]

For a coach that doesn’t like the sec tournament, he was sure animated😊

The NCAA Committee continues to prove whatever you do in SEC Tourney does not matter. Tennessee did not move up after winning the thing and Texas A&M was not getting in unless they earned a automatic bid.

[Catsrock]

The NCAA Committee continues to prove whatever you do in SEC Tourney does not matter. Tennessee did not move up after winning the thing and Texas A&M was not getting in unless they earned a automatic bid.

Absolutely true. But then again how could they fit in a surprise team when 9 of 12 Big 10 schools were a lock?

A Big 1? school has to be really bad to not get invited to the party ever since the old Big East broke apart.

[Spiritof96]

I hope it is just a bad game.

I don't think Keon off the bounce and him shooting threes is the answer.

We seem to want to do more and more dribbling and less screening and cutting, I don't know that we are able to do that against good, quick teams.

[Joneslab]

You would hope the Tennessee game was more about their physicality. They've inserted that Plavsic guy and he really didn't play a whole lot earlier. He's made them better IMO...but he's also made them incredibly physical. You'd hope we get in the NCAA and don't see that kind of a beat-you-senseless, football on the basketball court style.

Regarding our mojo, we just need to hit 70 points.

Only in three games this year--Duke, Auburn, and Arkansas--have we hit 70 and lost. And in all three we barely hit 70.

If we get to 70, you can almost put it in the bank that we'll win.

Have to find a way to get there and we can make the Final Four.

If we get into Calball, this thing where we just try to grind out wins, we will lose and it could be early. If we run, push, look for early offense--basically do the things we were doing consistently in January--then we can win this thing. Calball will not win.*

* Saturday I think Tennessee forced us into some really tough shots and dictated a style that was grueling and rugged. But generally in the tournament Cal loves to stall, run stuff, grind it out. This team won't win six in a row like that IMO. No chance.

[Spiritof96]

But generally in the tournament Cal loves to stall, run stuff, grind it out. This team won't win six in a row like that IMO. No chance.

That's what I'm afraid of...

[Lighthouse]

That's what I'm afraid of...

Me too. He went to the stall with 8 minutes left in one game and IMO that's way to early.

[Joneslab]

Tennessee went to the stall with about 7 minutes left Saturday and it almost got Barnes.

More than stalling, we need to get something out of transition. That was a problem Saturday big-time. Tennessee ran back and we just couldn't score consistently in the halfcourt.

For Kentucky to win six in a row it has to be outstanding in transition, which it has been most of the year. We aren't a good enough halfcourt team offensively to win a title. Have to push it and score--which means guys like Grady and Mintz absolutely have to hit shots.

[Spiritof96]

Tennessee went to the stall with about 7 minutes left Saturday and it almost got Barnes.

More than stalling, we need to get something out of transition. That was a problem Saturday big-time. Tennessee ran back and we just couldn't score consistently in the halfcourt.

For Kentucky to win six in a row it has to be outstanding in transition, which it has been most of the year. We aren't a good enough halfcourt team offensively to win a title. Have to push it and score--which means guys like Grady and Mintz absolutely have to hit shots.

Cal's stylistic preference for half-court offense IMO is harder to do well than it needs to be and year after year is pretty inconsistent against good teams.

[Joneslab]

Cal's stylistic preference for half-court offense IMO is harder to do well than it needs to be and year after year is pretty inconsistent against good teams.

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.