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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 03-01-2021, 03:39 PM:

Saturday’s loss to Florida showed us that this Kentucky team struggles against the zone, and guess what, Ole Miss plays a lot of zone. Today, assistant coach Jai Lucas discussed the differences between the zone the Gators used to stymie the Cats and the one Kermit Davis’ squad will use tomorrow night.

“Credit to Mike White and his staff. They did a good job and they did something they haven’t really done all year. They played a completely different zone than what they had put on film. So they did a really good job of making it a non-traditional 3-2. It was more of a matchup, man-to-man 3-2. He did a good job of that and it made us stagnant.”

“Ole Miss, their 1-3-1 is more aggressive and they’re out pressuring you a little more and it transitions back to a 2-3 or a man, so it’s a completely different type of concept. I think with us having played against Florida and the zone, it’s done something that will help us the rest of the year, especially when you get in a tournament situation and it’s a one game [deal], you’ve got to be able to change things at the drop of a hat. We’re kind of thankful that Florida did kind of throw that curveball at us so we can get us ready.”

On the opposite side of the ball, Kentucky will have to find an answer for Devontae Shuler, Ole Miss’ senior guard who averages 16 points and 3.3 assists per game. Shuler is one of two players in the SEC that ranks in the top ten in scoring, assists, and steals, the other being Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. In the Rebels’ loss to the Commodores on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 10-20 from the floor, so he’s not afraid to shoot.

Link

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 03-01-2021, 04:32 PM:

Thankful for the curveball? I would agree, if we actually adjusted and won.

Newsflash to Jai: We lost.

Man, what planet are these guys living on?

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-02-2021, 11:56 AM:

We just need to face the facts. Cal knew it coming into this season and it materialized almost immediately. He said he had no shooters and he had that part correct. The best we can say is we have a few VERY STREAKY shooters. If you can't score your defense has to play out of their minds to win. We have not done that, although we have played some good defense AT TIMES.

My thoughts are some of these guys are going to be in for some heavy HEARTBREAK in about 90-100 days when they don't get their dreams to materialize. No NBA. Possibly a G League job for a while or an overseas gig for a few years. Hope they stay and get a degree or at least come back and get it so they will have a real job to fall back on.

Riley Welch is the smart one to get his degree and start into the coaching profession.

Posted by ALA_KAT2 (Member # 1559) on 03-02-2021, 06:44 PM:

Why hasn’t Cal and his assistant coaches practiced against the possible zones? Oh, wait, Cal doesn’t believe in zone defenses. He also appears not to and plan other than motivating players to be better than their opponent.