KSR Today: From Bad to Worse, What's Next for Kentucky Basketball?
Just when you thought Kentucky hit a new low in the John Calipari era, things somehow got worse. On Saturday’s postgame show Matt Jones pleaded for change, hoping the Alabama loss would serve as the low point before a dramatic turn-around. An 8-7 South Carolina opponent at Rupp Arena should have provided a soft landing for the Wildcats following the 26-point loss. Instead, the Gamecocks handed them an L, defeating Kentucky 71-68 as 20-point underdogs.
South Carolina beat Kentucky in Lexington for just the third time ever, snapping the Wildcats’ 28-game Rupp Arena winning streak. The Gamecocks were No. 268 out of 363 teams in the NET rankings, which means the Wildcats now have a Quad 4 loss on their NCAA Tournament resume. What’s even more remarkable? Kentucky never led, not once.
South Carolina sprinted out to an early 13-2 lead and clung on for dear life down the stretch. A CJ Fredrick three-pointer made it a one-point game with 51 seconds remaining, but UK fouled a rebounder on the following possession to give the Gamecocks two free points. Sahvir Wheeler threw the ball away one possession later and a few decent looks by Fredrick and Antonio Reeves did not fall as the clock struck zero.
Things are bad, real bad. How did they get this bad? There’s only one logical explanation.
The Meechie Johnson Game
Behind each monumental upset at Rupp Arena there’s typically one guy who gets hot and plays spoiler. This time it was Meechie Johnson. The South Carolina guard knocked down 6-of-10 three-pointers from all over the court to lead all scorers with 26 points. The Gamecocks entered the contest ranked No. 287 in 3-point shooting percentage at 33.1%. Against the Wildcats they sunk 55% (11-of-20) of their three-pointers.
Injury Absences and Missed Free Throws
It was nice to see CJ Fredrick back in the lineup after missing a couple of games with a dislocated finger. He knocked down 2-of-4 three-point attempts to score 14 points for the Cats. As Fredrick returned, Kentucky lost a pair of players. Jacob Toppin did not play, citing a shoulder injury, and Cason Wallace was limited by back spasms to just eight minutes, forcing Sahvir Wheeler to play all 40 minutes.
Wheeler’s woes from the free throw line continued. The UK point guard missed all three free throw attempts and Kentucky was just 7-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Wildcats win the game if they’re just 70% on un abated, free shots at the rim.
Oscar and Sahvir Can’t be This Bad at Defense
There are plenty of ways you can nitpick this team. The easy missed layups (8-of-19) stick out the most, but I’d like to take a moment to highlight Kentucky’s awful defense. The rotation on help defense is putrid. Players turn their shoulders completely commit to their teammate’s man, instead of simply jabbing at an opponent, leaving their man wide open for an easy bucket.
However, it all starts with bad on-ball defense. Sahvir Wheeler can’t play 40 minutes and get beat off the dribble so easily. He just can’t. It hurts the team. The same applies for Oscar Tshiebwe on the perimeter. The dude has been an excellent college basketball player for almost four seasons yet still has no idea how to defend the pick-and-roll. He has physical limitations in space, but playing smart basketball can mitigate the damage.
When Kentucky trailed by only one and needed a stop in the final minute, South Carolina attacked Tshiebwe with a pick-and-roll. He got stuck in the middle as an indecisive defender. Instead of committing to defending the three-point shooter, he softly hedged. South Carolina still got a three-point shot off, but Oscar did not get back to his man quick enough. Daimion Collins had to rotate to box-out Oscar’s man. The guy Collins was defending got the rebound, Oscar fouled him and sent him to the free throw line.
There are a lot of things wrong with this Kentucky basketball team. Oscar more than makes up for his faults with his offensive production, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds last night. However, the mistakes in fundamental defense are uncharacteristic of John Calipari-coached teams and it’s preventing these Cats from moving in the right direction.
What’s Next for Kentucky Basketball?
“Stick with these kids,” John Calipari said in his press conference. “If you want to get on me, that’s fine; I’m the coach. If we weren’t ready to play then I’ve got to look at me and say, ‘Well, what, why? Where were we mentally?’ And I was trying things today to get them in a positive mindset. Because it’s hard. It’s hard here.”
That’s easier said than done right now. Folks are already tuning out. We had boo birds at the first media timeout in a light crowd that got lighter when a fan was kicked out for bringing a “Please go to Texas” sign.
Even though this loss does not technically disqualify Kentucky from the NCAA Tournament, it might as well. If you can lose to South Carolina at home, you can lose to anybody in the SEC. Things have gotten ugly and there’s no indication they’ll be getting prettier anytime soon. How bad can it get? There’s no “Worst Case Scenario” that’s inconceivable.
Kentucky Basketball Postgame Vidoes
It Could Be Worse, You Could be This Guy
Two Significant Kentucky Football Updates
The news of the day from the gridiron was the announcement from the University of Kentucky confirming that Liam Coen will return as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. After spending one season with the L.A. Rams, Coen is back in Lexington on a three-year deal that will start with him earning $1.7 million in 2023. He will be re-introduced with a press conference on Thursday.
On the recruiting front, we finally have confirmation on a decision date for Jamarion Wilcox. The running back has delayed his decision numerous times. Tuesday night he shared that a decision is on the way this Friday. Kentucky is the team to beat in his recruitment.
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