Why do we start the first half so bad?!

[BigBlue_83]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the 2nd half comebacks but imagine if we played a full game! What’s up with the slow starts?!

and yes Jay Bilas, the Comeback Cats name has been established.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Completely unprepared for any opponent.

Had Aberdeen not gotten 2 quick fouls JJ doesn’t come in and keep it closer.

Pope’s best coaching move of the game was by necessity.

 

[BringItONUK ROCKS_rivals]

Pope has to wait a through the first half to see who is ready to play... by then he's down double digits....luckily pulled out two road games this week after being down 18 at one point

 

[Cats4321]

I'm not really sure what the problem is, but it should be fixable.

 

[JesusCal89]

That's college basketball on the road sometimes

 

[Sgarrett0417]

I have a theory, and it’s a bit of grasping for straws. Saw a video earlier in the year asking the players their pregame ritual/routine…not kidding you when I say that 50% of the players mentioned a nap.

Again, just a thought. Also may be the scout and game planing. Lol

 

[akaukswoosh]

We were making first half shots this time. It was TOs that put us in a hole.

 

[mash_24]

Been thinking about this. Start the game small with Aberdeen-JJ-Oweh-Williams-Moreno. Use the 3/4 court press with Williams at the top that I think has been effective. Maybe this gets us off to a more energetic start. Sub Chandler in for any one but Moreno when needed. If we’re getting killed on the glass bring in Jelavic or Mo. the thing about Mo is he’s a pretty good offensive rebounder but not great on the defensive boards. That kinda guy is most effective off the bench. Garrison should only be used to rest Moreno.

 

[BigBlue_83]

I have a theory, and it’s a bit of grasping for straws. Saw a video earlier in the year asking the players their pregame ritual/routine…not kidding you when I say that 50% of the players mentioned a nap.

Again, just a thought. Also may be the scout and game planing. Lol

Naps? That’s wild. I can’t recall where I heard it but supposedly Larry Bird would run two miles before every game to warm up.

 

[Anon1712531674]

This whole post leads people to grasp at straws. Nobody has a clue.

 

[ala_kat2]

We were making first half shots this time. It was TOs that put us in a hole.

That, and TN was playing suffocating defense ( and getting away with fouls).

 

[theBlues]

Naps? That’s wild. I can’t recall where I heard it but supposedly Larry Bird would run two miles before every game to warm up.

Larry Bird things don't apply to humans.

 

[wkycatfan7]

It’s way beyond a pattern at this point

 

[BigBlue_83]

Larry Bird things don't apply to humans.

Good point.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Pope has to wait a through the first half to see who is ready to play... by then he's down double digits....luckily pulled out two road games this week after being down 18 at one point

There is some truth to this, but they have plenty of tape to see who plays better first half out of everyone by now. It has to be game prep, walk through, motivation, something.

 

[theBlues]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the 2nd half comebacks but imagine if we played a full game! What’s up with the slow starts?!

and yes Jay Bilas, the Comeback Cats name has been established.

I think they'll eventually fix it and then start blowing teams out.



Nah, just kidding. Then they'd lay eggs in the second half.

 

[theBlues]

There is some truth to this, but they have plenty of tape to see who plays better first half out of everyone by now. It has to be game prep, walk through, motivation, something.

Yeah, it seems like it has to be something. Enough warming up? Enough stretching? I am without a clue.

 

[Monday Nitro]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the 2nd half comebacks but imagine if we played a full game! What’s up with the slow starts?!

and yes Jay Bilas, the Comeback Cats name has been established.

Most of it is us. Some of it is Supebowl Sunday for the other team.

 

[UK BasketballFan]

Been thinking about this. Start the game small with Aberdeen-JJ-Oweh-Williams-Moreno. Use the 3/4 court press with Williams at the top that I think has been effective. Maybe this gets us off to a more energetic start. Sub Chandler in for any one but Moreno when needed. If we’re getting killed on the glass bring in Jelavic or Mo. the thing about Mo is he’s a pretty good offensive rebounder but not great on the defensive boards. That kinda guy is most effective off the bench. Garrison should only be used to rest Moreno.

Williams is a poor rebounder, passer and doesn’t attempt to drive very often. He is a spot up shooter only. He isn’t the answer.

 

[Tri-Countycat]

The amount of SEC games that we have trailed by 10+ points over the past year and a half is something that is a critical and disturbing tread.

 

[JwUKFan11]

That's college basketball on the road sometimes

This also happened last year a good amount and 9 out of 11 power conference games this year it has happened. That is a problem

 

[theBlues]

Williams is a poor rebounder, passer and doesn’t attempt to drive very often. He is a spot up shooter only. He isn’t the answer.

But they play better when he's on the court; he defends and demands to be defended.

 

[NociHTTP]

It’s way beyond a pattern at this point

I honestly think he's not afraid to try out different lineups, and if it works out he'll have a TON OF DATA at season end that tells him which lineups work well against certain scenarios. He's playing 4D chess, IMO.

 

[NociHTTP]

I think they'll eventually fix it and then start blowing teams out.



Nah, just kidding. Then they'd lay eggs in the second half.

Edited: you have no faith.

 

[theBlues]

Edited: you have no faith.

It was a joke. I'm feeling good and won't get into an argument with anybody. Nice try though...

 

[mash_24]

Williams is a poor rebounder, passer and doesn’t attempt to drive very often. He is a spot up shooter only. He isn’t the answer.

I think he loses focus easily as unfortunately a lot of our guys do. That’s why I think using that press might keep them engaged. And he can be a very good defender especially on the press. Every good team has a 3 and D guy.

 

[Anon1764477851]

It is baffling. They can't keep getting behind by double digits. As good as they are in the 2nd half comebacks, they need to play that way for a full 40 minutes.

 

[NociHTTP]

It was a joke. I'm feeling good and won't get into an argument with anybody. Nice try though...

Nah. You were trashing the team. No different than a kid calling another kid a slur and saying it was a joke. You're fooling no one. Keep trying.

 

[NociHTTP]

It is baffling. They can't keep getting behind by double digits. As good as they are in the 2nd half comebacks, they need to play that way for a full 40 minutes.

Pope is fully aware of it, he's now talking about it in the interviews. The kids now know that they make big comebacks, that should allow them to be more aggressive in the first halves.

 

[theBlues]

Nah. You were trashing the team. No different than a kid calling another kid a slur and saying it was a joke. You're fooling no one. Keep trying.

I had you on ignore on the old site and tried to keep you on this site but I just cannot stand your passive aggression and dishonest style of communicating. No need to respond to any more of my posts; I won't see them.

 

[Mossip]

Larry Bird things don't apply to humans.

My lower back disagrees

 

[Johnnie Africa]

Might I suggest some 5 hour energy shots

 

[ComebackCats98]

It’s going to get them eventually. The past three games have been pretty historic in terms of doing that three consecutive times. It’s an anomaly and shouldn’t be counted on every game, but people have talked themselves into believing it’s perfectly okay to be down 13-15 at some point every game. If you don’t think this new norm is acceptable you're a “bandwagon fan” now. Me personally I’m thrilled they’re 3-2 in the first 5, but if they continue to have those first halves they will not be able to always climb back out.

 

[theKybluedude]

Williams is a poor rebounder, passer and doesn’t attempt to drive very often. He is a spot up shooter only. He isn’t the answer.

Yet when he does drive it he’s explosive and creative.

CMP said the next step for Kam to become good is to continue to get downhill and they push him in practice

 

[Kyfan27]

I have a theory, and it’s a bit of grasping for straws. Saw a video earlier in the year asking the players their pregame ritual/routine…not kidding you when I say that 50% of the players mentioned a nap.

Again, just a thought. Also may be the scout and game planing. Lol

Haha I saw that same video. I thought it was a little strange even then. Naps do make you sluggish for far longer than you realize. My old coach used to tell us not to do it before games and the times I did take one I was all out of whack and couldn't understand why.

 

[Catlogic1552]

It’s like Pope is telling bedtime stories in the locker room before tip.

 

[3 Putts]

Heard from my source that Pope blares The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s greatest hits in the locker room starting an hour before tipoff.

 

[Anon1679859502]

I’m happy we beat a struggling Vol team but the trailing by double digits against teams with a pulse is a coaching issue.

 

[Catsfan3382]

Yesterday’s first half wasn’t ALL on UK’s play. We played much better and were more engaged from the tip than the previous two games. I’m not much on the “refs are always out to get us” conspiracy theories, but that first half yesterday was atrocious. It was obvious and very blatant that things weren’t being called the same way on both ends. Starting with putting our starting pg on the bench in two minutes, then letting UT get away with everything it was impossible for any of the lineups Pope tried to get going. The bunny hop(s) the big white kid was allowed to do was unbelievable. They even showed the replay three times and Shulman and Bilas never said a word. The kid literally “double” bunny hopped three times before putting up the shot. The three they took away from Chandler was the correct call, but Aberdeen got completely hosed on the non continuation call. Halftime score would’ve been about 3-4 instead of 11 if not for the biased referees.

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

to me the pattern is starting to be clear. going back to last year we had poor first halves against osu, gonzaga, clemson and duke. this was before all the injuries. this pattern has continued into this year.

i dont think you can blame roster construction. this current group had 49 point 2nd half against ut, 53 point 2nd half against lsu, 44 and 48 point halves against msu, and a 40 point half against bama. so this team can put points on the board.

so for me its about game prep, scouting, and player rotations. these things are all on the coaching staff. so unless they improve or change, i dont expect the pattern to change. sadly i believe this will result in what we have observed so far....a 50-50-ish outcome.