10 Signs Of A Perfect Kentucky Game
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Image Via | Victoria Graff[/caption]
Twenty-six games into the season and this team has yet to play that perfect game Cal has longed for. The Cats have shown glimpses of greatness and absolute dominance for periods of time, but never for a full game. As we are now aware of this teams' strengths, weaknesses and tendencies, this is my idea of 10 things that would result in a perfect game for Kentucky:
1. Fast start
This team loves to start things off slow and easy and spend the rest of the game fighting to take the lead or put comfortable separation between themselves and their adversary. This has hurt the Cats in many games including a few losses as well as turning wins that should be blowouts into nail-biters. To start off fast and not look back would be a refreshing sight with this group.
2. Effort
It seems to me this team hasn’t fully grasped the reality that the name “Kentucky” on the front of the jersey doesn’t win you games. This goes hand-in-hand with the fast starts as most of our sluggish starts come after we show little effort to start the game. Solid effort throughout the entirety of the game from a team with this much talent would be scary.
3. Fewer turnovers
Turnovers have been far from the biggest problem for Kentucky this season, but what makes the turnovers an issue tends to be the timing. Fewer turnovers to start the game along with ball protections in key moments of the game would be a huge step for this team.
4. James Young complete a few entry passes
This one is pretty self-explanatory. James Young isn't the best at throwing entry passes. He knows it and we know it. Get a few down to Julius where he doesn't lose positioning trying to save a sloppy pass.
5. Julius Randle guarded one-on-one all game
Could you imaging if this came to fruition. I doubt anybody would be bold enough to chance leaving Randle with single coverage in the post, but if they did, I think a 30-point game with 20 rebounds is realistic.
6. Passion
Several times throughout the season, especially early on, the Cats looked like they haven’t enjoyed playing on a stage of this magnitude. The body language this team displays at times relates that they have no passion for the big play and clutch moment. I would love to see this team play a game as if it was their last and enjoy leaving everything they have on the hardwood.
7. Complete teamwork
In the loss on the road against LSU to close out January, Dakari Johnson hit the floor as his teammates watched and never helped. This, to me, was a low point in this team’s season with them showing no regard to help their teammate. Since then we have seen much more effort in the team helping each other up and supporting one another. I would love to see this team show comradery as well as selflessness on the court throughout the entire game.
8. Strong finish
As we all know by now, this team isn't the best at handling late game situations (i.e all six of our losses). Being able to close out a game strong and never let up would be a brilliant sight.
9. Some playing time for our bench
Once all of the hype settled down once the season kicked off, people quit talking about the depth for Kentucky. That said, we still have a impressive bench and it would be refreshing to see names like Polson, Hawkins, Lee, Willis and Hood seeing some action in the final minutes of the game. They always relish what little playing time they get which makes watching them enjoyable as well. More importantly, if these guys were on the court late, the game is in the bag and Kentucky played a solid game.
10. Dominate
This one is pretty self-explanatory as well. Kentucky has the talent and capability to dominate nearly every team they play. For the Cats to play a perfect game, I want to see complete dominance. This in itself would determine how perfect and complete of a game Kentucky played. With things like the effort, passion, and teamwork, being dominant is something this team could experience every game.
What do you want to see most from this Kentucky team?
@CodyDanielKSR
Image Via | Victoria Graff[/caption]
Twenty-six games into the season and this team has yet to play that perfect game Cal has longed for. The Cats have shown glimpses of greatness and absolute dominance for periods of time, but never for a full game. As we are now aware of this teams' strengths, weaknesses and tendencies, this is my idea of 10 things that would result in a perfect game for Kentucky:
1. Fast start
This team loves to start things off slow and easy and spend the rest of the game fighting to take the lead or put comfortable separation between themselves and their adversary. This has hurt the Cats in many games including a few losses as well as turning wins that should be blowouts into nail-biters. To start off fast and not look back would be a refreshing sight with this group.
2. Effort
It seems to me this team hasn’t fully grasped the reality that the name “Kentucky” on the front of the jersey doesn’t win you games. This goes hand-in-hand with the fast starts as most of our sluggish starts come after we show little effort to start the game. Solid effort throughout the entirety of the game from a team with this much talent would be scary.
3. Fewer turnovers
Turnovers have been far from the biggest problem for Kentucky this season, but what makes the turnovers an issue tends to be the timing. Fewer turnovers to start the game along with ball protections in key moments of the game would be a huge step for this team.
4. James Young complete a few entry passes
This one is pretty self-explanatory. James Young isn't the best at throwing entry passes. He knows it and we know it. Get a few down to Julius where he doesn't lose positioning trying to save a sloppy pass.
5. Julius Randle guarded one-on-one all game
Could you imaging if this came to fruition. I doubt anybody would be bold enough to chance leaving Randle with single coverage in the post, but if they did, I think a 30-point game with 20 rebounds is realistic.
6. Passion
Several times throughout the season, especially early on, the Cats looked like they haven’t enjoyed playing on a stage of this magnitude. The body language this team displays at times relates that they have no passion for the big play and clutch moment. I would love to see this team play a game as if it was their last and enjoy leaving everything they have on the hardwood.
7. Complete teamwork
In the loss on the road against LSU to close out January, Dakari Johnson hit the floor as his teammates watched and never helped. This, to me, was a low point in this team’s season with them showing no regard to help their teammate. Since then we have seen much more effort in the team helping each other up and supporting one another. I would love to see this team show comradery as well as selflessness on the court throughout the entire game.
8. Strong finish
As we all know by now, this team isn't the best at handling late game situations (i.e all six of our losses). Being able to close out a game strong and never let up would be a brilliant sight.
9. Some playing time for our bench
Once all of the hype settled down once the season kicked off, people quit talking about the depth for Kentucky. That said, we still have a impressive bench and it would be refreshing to see names like Polson, Hawkins, Lee, Willis and Hood seeing some action in the final minutes of the game. They always relish what little playing time they get which makes watching them enjoyable as well. More importantly, if these guys were on the court late, the game is in the bag and Kentucky played a solid game.
10. Dominate
This one is pretty self-explanatory as well. Kentucky has the talent and capability to dominate nearly every team they play. For the Cats to play a perfect game, I want to see complete dominance. This in itself would determine how perfect and complete of a game Kentucky played. With things like the effort, passion, and teamwork, being dominant is something this team could experience every game.
What do you want to see most from this Kentucky team?
@CodyDanielKSR
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