4-Point Play: Cats look to total the Muss Bus

Vibe check time, how are we feeling two days removed from the loss? Kentucky dropped three spots in the NET to No. 22 overall while sitting at No. 20 in the KenPom — No. 4 in offensive efficiency, No. 97 in defensive efficiency. The Cats are still No. 1 in scoring offense, No. 6 in effective field-goal percentage and No. 8 in three-point percentage, but No. 305 in scoring defense is tough to ignore.

South Carolina unveiled the blueprint for beating this Kentucky team. If you slow things down and get physical, you’ve got a shot. Now it’s on the Cats to respond to the first real sign of adversity they’ve faced this season.

What does that look like? We talk about it tonight on 4-Point Play.

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Young and “not mooses,” but Coach Cal loves this team

Kentucky got exposed a bit in Columbia. Older, tougher teams may cause this group fits. The Cats kind of are who they are physically — no “mooses” here, as John Calipari calls it.

But guess what? Other teams don’t have the shooting, skill, length and athleticism this one does, either. They didn’t respond well to their first real rock fight, but now they know what it looks like and how to punch back. South Carolina delivered the haymaker to win the individual battle, but the season as a whole is a war.

And Coach Cal likes his troops.

“We’ll get there. Look, would you want to be coaching any other team than this one? I wouldn’t. I love this team,” he said. “Now, are we a little young and a little — I don’t want to say fragile, but we’re just not mooses. We’re not like 270 (pounds). So what? Our length, the way we shoot it, the way we pass it, we’re (good).”

He felt like the rest of us leaving Columbia. Losses like that one shake him up worse now than they did in the past. But they shake up his players, too. Now they’re working as a unit to get over it together and move forward, the next test coming in Fayetteville against the Razorbacks.

“Let me tell you, losing stinks. It is awful, takes me a while to get over it. And as I get older, it takes me more time to get over it than it used to,” Calipari said. “Then it’s like, ‘OK, these kids need me.’ If I’m feeling bad, how do you think they’re feeling? If they’re feeling awful, then I’ve got to be there for them. My text to them (Wednesday) was, ‘We win or we learn.’ And we learned. We learned what this team did and how we’re going to have to go against this kind of play.

“Let’s have a spirited practice for two days, let’s go to Arkansas, let’s go. I believe in this team and I believe in every individual on this team. Let’s go. … We’ll get after it (Thursday), figure stuff out. Let’s be competitive (Thursday) so we can see, let’s be physical.”

Kentucky is in can’t-lose mode in Fayetteville

There is no delicate way to put this: Arkansas stinks out loud. Sitting at 10-9 on the year and 1-5 in the SEC, the Razorbacks have as many Quad 3 losses as Quad 1 wins at one apiece. They’ve lost to every team with a pulse, minus Duke in late November and Texas A&M last week — both at home. Their only true bad loss is UNC Greensboro at Bud Walton Arena, but man, there’s just not a lot there.

The Razorbacks enter the matchup ranked No. 132 in scoring offense, No. 309 in scoring defense, No. 240 in effective field-goal percentage, No. 247 in 3-point percentage, No. 214 in 3-point defense, No. 182 in rebounding average, No. 279 in rebounding margin and No. 272 in turnover margin — terrible across the board. Free throws made (No. 7) and free throws attempted (No. 6) are the respectable categories Arkansas finds itself in, and even that comes with a major caveat: No. 159 overall in free-throw efficiency!

Look, Eric Musselman’s group is beyond desperate having lost five of its last six, but this is just different. All five were double-digit losses, three by at least 22. They’re an island of misfit toys out there who play like they’ve given up.

And that’s the scary part for Kentucky. The Cats got their stinker out of the way against the Gamecocks. That was the learning opportunity. It sucked, but you can understand it — hostile road environment, SEC Coach of the Year candidate, old and physical, major difference in style of play. Coming up short in Fayetteville? Yeah, that’s just a bad loss.

There are must-wins, games you’ve got to have for momentum or resume purposes. This isn’t that. This is a can’t-lose situation.

Dickie V says Reed Sheppard needs more shots

Three. That’s the number of times the 6-3 guard out of London, KY has taken at least 10 shots in a game — and he scored 20-plus in each of those outings. That hasn’t happened since the UNCW game on Dec. 2.

Since then, he’s only cleared the five-shot mark three times, a three-game stretch in wins over UNC (nine), Louisville (six) and Illinois State (eight). From the start of SEC play, either four or five shots taken across six games in January. The efficiency has still been there (48.1% FG, 52.2% 3PT), but the volume has not.

And Dickie V is not pleased about it.

“Reed Sheppard (of Kentucky), many will say is the best SHOOTER in the nation – check out the # of shots the last 5 games – not more than 4 a game,” he shared on social media. “To me he should get a minimum of 10 shots per game. Reed is so UNSELFISH!”

Reed Sheppard @KentuckyMBB many will say is the best SHOOTER in the nation – check out the # of shots the last 5 games – not more than 4 a game . To me he should get a minimum of 10 shots per game . Reed is so UNSELFISH !

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) January 25, 2024

Sheppard is shooting 55.6% overall, 54.8% from three and 82.9% at the line on the year — a sniper in every sense of the word. If you’re that accurate, though, it probably means you’re not shooting enough of them. Just 6.5 shots and 4.1 3-point attempts per game back that up.

Let ’em fly, Reed.

Karter Knox is nearing a decision

The 2024 five-star wing was in attendance for Kentucky’s win over Georgia this past weekend — Big Z’s debut. Now it’s time for Knox to start preparing for a decision.

Down to Kentucky, Louisville, USF and the G League Ignite, the 6-6, 211-pound small forward says he is done taking visits and a commitment is coming.

“What’s next is I’ll be committing. I’m not taking any more visits,” Knox said. “I don’t have a date in mind. When the time is right, the time will be right.”

He said his “ears were hurting” watching Zvonimir Ivisic go crazy in his debut, then he got to take pictures rocking Kentucky blue, just like his brother, Kevin Knox. Will he follow in his brother’s footsteps to play for John Calipari — “one of the greatest coaches in college basketball” — in Lexington?

As Knox nears a decision, he’s especially intrigued by the success of Calipari. He even called him “one of the greatest coaches in college basketball.”

“He coached my brother Kevin and got him prepared for the league,” Knox said. “He’s over there coaching DJ Wagner. [DJ and I] were on the same USA team. DJ is going to be a lottery pick. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been in the game for too long.”

You have to like Kentucky’s chances there.