catmandoo
Player
Member # 1284
|
posted 02-07-2021 05:28 PM
After a very solid first 28 minutes to start the game, Kentucky grabbed a 10-point lead at the 12-minute mark in the second half only to get dusted by Tennessee’s two wing freshmen as the Vols ended the game on a 34-13 run. UK is 3-7 in the last 10 games against their border rival and have now lost six of seven games in SEC play.
Things are not good and it doesn’t appear that they are going to get better anytime soon.
Offense
Kentucky scored 71 points in 74 possessions posting .959 points per trip against the best defense in college basketball. The first half was excellent with the Wildcats posting 1.13 points per possession with just two turnovers and 13 made free throws. However, it got ugly in the second half with 11 turnovers in 39 possessions and just .744 points per trip.
When Kentucky recruited Keion Brooks Jr. out of high school this was the player we thought we would see. The modern day four figured to be a matchup nightmare for opposing opponents due to his face-up ability with the skill to put the ball on the deck. Playing against a small Tennessee front line, Brooks went off for a career-high.
He scored 23 points while playing over 30 minutes for the first time all season. He shot 8-of-14 from two-point range while going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. He led the team with three offensive rebounds and looked like the player many of us expected to see this season. He had some help at point.
Devin Askew had the best game of his career scoring 14 points on seven shots with four assists. He gave Kentucky some quality stretches after really struggling the last couple of weeks. Meanwhile, it was a struggle for Davion Mintz scoring four points on eight shots with a team-worst minus-11 while he was on the floor.
On the wing, Brandon Boston Jr. scored just six points on 11 shots. Dontaie Allen saw some more minutes, but finished the game just 1-of-6 from the floor. The fact that Kentucky had a productive offensive night despite their three best shooting options going 4-of-25 from the floor was a win.
Defense
Tennessee scored 82 points in 75 possessions posting 1.09 points per trip. This was UT’s highest point total in SEC play and they did it despite getting just 28 points from threes and free throws. Tennessee hammered Kentucky with 44 paint points while shooting 55.1 percent from two-point range. After being destroyed by Mizzou’s backcourt, it was Tennessee’s wings who dominated the game.
Both Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were top-20 prospects in the class of 2020 who entered Knoxville with five-star rankings. However, to this point, both had just been role players for the Vols but they looked like future superstars last night. Both off-ball players went off for career highs as they dominated Kentucky.
Outlook
There’s not much to say right now. Kentucky is 5-12 and is just a legit bad basketball team. This feels like we’re witnessing the worst team of the modern era and they are going to finish the season with one of the worst records in program history. Despite all of this, they keep finding themselves in winnable games but continually find ways to come out on the wrong end.
In the most recent loss, Kentucky came out determined to push the pace and it played out well for them as they built a double-digit lead in the second half. However, a drought arrived and all of a sudden the Wildcats could not buy a stop on the defensive end. In the end, Kentucky is now 1-3 against Tennessee in their last four games in Rupp Arena while Rick Barnes improved to 8-5 against the Wildcats. The Big Orange once again delivered another painful loss to the Big Blue.
It’s getting to a point now where everyone is probably just ready for the season to be over. Kentucky is sitting at 4-6 in SEC play while KenPom is projecting an 8-9 finish in league play. That would mean the Wildcats would get things started on Thursday afternoon in the SEC Tournament playing in the 8 vs. 9 game. That doesn’t sound fun.
Link
--------------------
http://www.ukfightsong.com/
Posts: 186362 | From: st. augustine florida 32092 | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic