The Harrison Twins' Impact is Key to Kentucky's Perfection
[caption id="attachment_173330" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Photo courtesy of SI.com[/caption]
Kentucky has reached 24-0 thanks to a total team effort. If you take away any of the top nine players in the rotation, at some point the Cats would suffer a loss or two, or more. Great players have bad games sometimes. It happens. But most teams do not have nine guys who can step up to win a game when others aren't playing well.
Kentucky's had many impact performances by a lot of different players to keep the undefeated season alive.
Without Willie Cauley-Stein's 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks, Kentucky easily loses to Texas (and numerous other opponents without WCS).
Without Tyler Ulis' 14 points and zero turnovers, Kentucky loses in the Yum Center to Louisville.
Without Trey Lyles in back-to-back OT games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, Kentucky loses two straight. Lyles combined for 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in those two nail-biters.
Without Dakari Johnson's combined 16 points and 12 rebounds in those same two games, Kentucky wouldn't have escaped without losses.
Without Devin Booker's 18 points at Texas A&M, Kentucky wouldn't have stood a chance to win that day (and several other days without his shooting).
Without Marcus Lee's seven points, six rebounds and 2 blocks in just 12 minutes, Kentucky falls at home to Vanderbilt.
Without Karl Towns' recent emergence, Kentucky suffers a three-game losing streak. Towns posted double-doubles against Georgia and LSU. He scored 19 at Florida.
Last but not least, the Harrison twins have saved Kentucky too.
Without Aaron Harrison's 14 points, three assists and three steals against Columbia, Kentucky is upset by an Ivy League school. The Cats also lose without Aaron's 26 points vs. Ole Miss, without his 14 points vs. Vanderbilt and 23 vs. Florida.
Without Andrew Harrison's 12 points, five assists and two steals, Kentucky loses to Ole Miss. Without Andrew's 23 points and seven assists, forget about defeating Georgia. Also, his 13 points, four assists and zero turnovers was key vs. LSU.
Without the twins' joint effort at Ole Miss, Kentucky would have had no chance to beat the Rebels. You could make the argument that Kentucky could have six losses without its starting backcourt. Kentucky’s pursuit of perfection depends on the twins as much as any in the top nine of the rotation.
Photo courtesy of SI.com[/caption]
Kentucky has reached 24-0 thanks to a total team effort. If you take away any of the top nine players in the rotation, at some point the Cats would suffer a loss or two, or more. Great players have bad games sometimes. It happens. But most teams do not have nine guys who can step up to win a game when others aren't playing well.
Kentucky's had many impact performances by a lot of different players to keep the undefeated season alive.
Without Willie Cauley-Stein's 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks, Kentucky easily loses to Texas (and numerous other opponents without WCS).
Without Tyler Ulis' 14 points and zero turnovers, Kentucky loses in the Yum Center to Louisville.
Without Trey Lyles in back-to-back OT games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, Kentucky loses two straight. Lyles combined for 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in those two nail-biters.
Without Dakari Johnson's combined 16 points and 12 rebounds in those same two games, Kentucky wouldn't have escaped without losses.
Without Devin Booker's 18 points at Texas A&M, Kentucky wouldn't have stood a chance to win that day (and several other days without his shooting).
Without Marcus Lee's seven points, six rebounds and 2 blocks in just 12 minutes, Kentucky falls at home to Vanderbilt.
Without Karl Towns' recent emergence, Kentucky suffers a three-game losing streak. Towns posted double-doubles against Georgia and LSU. He scored 19 at Florida.
Last but not least, the Harrison twins have saved Kentucky too.
Without Aaron Harrison's 14 points, three assists and three steals against Columbia, Kentucky is upset by an Ivy League school. The Cats also lose without Aaron's 26 points vs. Ole Miss, without his 14 points vs. Vanderbilt and 23 vs. Florida.
Without Andrew Harrison's 12 points, five assists and two steals, Kentucky loses to Ole Miss. Without Andrew's 23 points and seven assists, forget about defeating Georgia. Also, his 13 points, four assists and zero turnovers was key vs. LSU.
Without the twins' joint effort at Ole Miss, Kentucky would have had no chance to beat the Rebels. You could make the argument that Kentucky could have six losses without its starting backcourt. Kentucky’s pursuit of perfection depends on the twins as much as any in the top nine of the rotation.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard