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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 12-10-2018, 08:00 PM:

As role reversals go, it wasn’t as startling as Santa Claus and the Grinch switching places. But it surely had a did-he-really-say-that quality.

After an 84-83 overtime loss to Seton Hall on Saturday, John Calipari put a priority on improving Kentucky’s offense.
During his radio show of Nov. 26, Calipari said of UK’s early-season struggles, “It’s nothing to do with offense. . . . What’s hurt us is our defense.”

Then the Seton Hall game showed that smothering defense, at least for a half, can be nullified if accompanied by ineffective offense. Seton Hall made only a third of its shots in the first half (seven of 21), yet Kentucky led by only six points at intermission. Why? UK made only 31 percent of its shots in the first half (nine of 29).

“If you fought and you defend like we did in the first half, our team is going to be fine,” Calipari said before straying from what had become a familiar script. “We missed a lot of shots that we just can’t afford to miss. . . . I have a lot to figure out offensively. We played such great defense . . . . We couldn’t get baskets. . . . With the way, we played defensively, we should have been up a good number.”

When the Seton Hall game showed that smothering defense, at least for a half, can be nullified if accompanied by ineffective offense. Seton Hall made only a third of its shots in the first half (seven of 21), yet Kentucky led by only six points at intermission. Why? UK made only 31 percent of its shots in the first half (nine of 29).

“If you fought and you defend like we did in the first half, our team is going to be fine,” Calipari said before straying from what had become a familiar script. “We missed a lot of shots that we just can’t afford to miss. . . . I have a lot to figure out offensively. We played such great defense . . . . We couldn’t get baskets. . . . With the way, we played defensively, we should have been up a good number.”

In theory, the idea is to use Reid Travis and PJ Washington as low-post scorers, forcing defenses to double team, and then have Travis and Washington pass out to wide-open teammates on the perimeter. That’s exactly what happened against Seton Hall as Washington’s play around the basket got the Pirates’ “bigs” in foul trouble. Seton Hall double-teamed Washington much of the second half and overtime. But in that time, UK made two of 10 three-point shots.

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Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 12-11-2018, 01:24 PM:

The problem with both Washington and Travis is that neither are good passers and rarely ever throw the ball back out to the guards once it goes to the low post. That is one of the major problems with the offense that I see game after game.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 12-11-2018, 08:13 PM:

At some point Cal will have get it into both Washington and Travis's heads that they are going to have to improve their passing if they want to make it to the NBA.

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 12-11-2018, 11:00 PM:

...or continue to get significant minutes.

Bench time is a wonderful motivator.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 12-14-2018, 06:51 PM:

Tt, It's amazing how the bench can motivate a player.