Kentucky has been fortunate thus far. But there’s a lot of work to do if the ‘Cats hope to separate themselves from the rest of the SEC pack.
Kentucky’s game at Vanderbilt last Saturday afternoon was far from pretty. The Wildcats were never able to pull away from the Commodores until John Calipari’s squad received a bit of help. Vandy senior Riley LaChance, an 89% free throw shooter, missed three straight free throws in the final minute. The odds of that happening: 1 in 1,331!
Courtesy: CatsPause
But, even with UK’s 74-67 win, the outcome didn’t change the reality context: there isn’t a clear-cut favorite to win the SEC conference title.
As usual, UK was picked to be the cream of the crop during SEC Media Days. But on the court, the Wildcats have been as unpredictable as a Kentucky winter (as in 66-degree temps the day before getting five inches of snow).
The Wildcats look like gangbusters (Louisville) and then look like the really young team they are (UCLA). The worst of the worst may have been the loss at Tennessee.
But, truth be told, the rest of the conference isn’t faring much better.
Florida opened up with four straight conference wins—including an impressive 17-point win over Texas A&M at College Station—but the Gators’ loss to Ole Miss last Saturday afternoon has raised questions and eyebrows. UF will host A&M tonight before playing UK on Saturday night.
Texas A&M’s 0-5 start in SEC play is a MAJOR shock. The Aggies got all the way up to the #5 nationally after opening with an 11-1 record. But now the Aggies have lost those conference games and by a combined 54 points! With that, there’s little room for error the rest of the way.
Courtesy: Auburn Athletics
Auburn has surpassed pre-season expectations, surging into the Top 25 thanks to an NCAA-best 14-game winning streak. Bruce Pearl has a potent offense that’s averaging 86.5 points a game. The next test comes tonight when the Tigers play rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa with its superstar Collin Sexton (19.3 PPG).
Tennessee has had a solid season so far in Rick Barnes’ third season in Knoxville. The Vols have crept into the national rankings by dishing out an average of 17.3 assists per night. The Volunteers will now host a Missouri team that has done fairly well–despite losing the nation’s top-ranked prospect, Michael Porter, Jr., to a back injury in the season opener versus Iowa State.
That brings me back to Kentucky. On paper, it’s a miracle that UK has done as well as it has. The Wildcats struggle with consistency, and the team still doesn’t have a “go-to-guy.” But the good thing is that this year’s team battles harder than just about any team John Calipari has had in Lexington.
Kentucky fans want banners, though, not moral victories. For that to happen, the Wildcats need to emphasize certain aspects of the game. Here are three.
Quade Green (photo, Ledger Independent)
Quade Green needs to get WAY more touches. The freshman is currently shooting 40% from downtown but has attempted only 45 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo–below 40% shooters–have combined to chuck up 114 trifectas.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to get his hands on the rock. Shai leads the team in both three-point percentage (47.6) and free-throw percentage (82.4), but he’s behind Knox and Diallo in attempts in both of those categories.
Big man Wenyen Gabriel needs to play like he did against Georgia. The 6-9 sophomore grabbed 11 rebounds in that win, but he doesn’t bring that intensity and toughness to the court every night (he’s averaging only 5.6 rpg). He has to step up every game.
Kentucky has been fortunate thus far. But there’s a lot of work if the ‘Cats hope to separate themselves from the rest of the SEC pack.
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Cameron Brown is a former Webster County basketball player and an undergraduate student at Western Kentucky University, where he is double majoring in journalism and history with a minor in broadcasting. Contact him at Cameron.brown288@topper.wku.edu
