This Week in Kentucky Basketball: New Year, New 'Cats

On3 imageby:Brandon Ramsey01/02/23

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New Year’s resolutions sometimes get made fun of in today’s society. We know your local gym will be packed this week as everyone begins their fitness journeys. Everyone sets out to lose weight, improve at their jobs or maybe in their relationships, and make 2023 the best year yet. All joking aside, starting a new year with a clean slate makes a lot of sense. The Kentucky Basketball team has that same ability as the rest of us. After going 9-4, including a 0-1 start to SEC play in 2022, the Wildcats officially start the grind of the conference schedule this week. Time will tell if Coach Calipari and company have what it takes to make necessary changes and be more successful in 2023.

At this point of the season it is all about results. Excuses of still figuring things out, new players in new roles, or lack of time together don’t really fly once the calendar turns. We are now two months into the college basketball season and it is time see a complete product on the floor. However, for Kentucky, we still don’t really know what that means yet. Are the Wildcats really the 9-4 team that failed to register a truly quality win in non-conference play? Is Kentucky really the team that for the most part got blown out at Missouri? Or, are they more like the preseason Top 5 team with high expectations? These next two weeks will go a long way to answering those questions.

Tuesday’s home date with LSU is followed by weekend trips to Alabama and Tennessee. South Carolina comes to Lexington next week as well. The grind is officially here. It is Tuesday and Saturday every week in January which should hopefully allow for a consistent rhythm. For the Kentucky Basketball program that rhythm needs to include stacking up some wins in 2023.

It is Monday which means it is time to preview another week of upcoming action. We will break down the top storylines surrounding the Wildcats and preview the week’s two opponents. Then, we will take a look around the SEC and highlight the best games to watch nationally. Let’s dive on into another edition of this week in Kentucky Basketball.

Top Kentucky Basketball Storyline: New Year’s Resolutions

Sticking with the New Year, New ‘Cats theme we will outline some resolutions for the Kentucky Basketball program in 2023. What needs to change to improve the 9-4 record and start beating Top 25 competition? These four ideas seem like a good place to start.

  • Establish an offensive identity. We might have started to see some glimpses of this in Saturday’s 86-63 win over Louisville. Kentucky’s ball movement was the best it had been all season. The players looked sharp, decisive, and confident. There was also some form of an identity to what the Wildcats were trying to do offensively. Ballscreen/handoff continuity was used as much as we’ve seen in any game this season. That fits the personnel, provides half court structure, and emphasizes ball movement from side to side. Turning to more of that in 2023 will continue to be good for the Wildcats.
  • Use defensive pressure to create easy offense. Against Louisville, the ‘Cats used 15 turnovers to create 19 points. Kentucky was much more aggressive defensively than we’ve seen at times this season. Per KenPom, the Wildcats set right at the national average of turnover percentage at 19.1%. With the length and athleticism of this team simply being average isn’t good enough. Creating easy points from turnovers should be a strength in 2023.
  • Improve at the free throw line. This one is very simple. Kentucky continues to struggle mightily at the free-throw line. Their 65.9% mark is 307th in the country. Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe are both well below career averages. Meanwhile, Cason Wallace is just 15-26 from the line. That is unacceptable. From here on out it needs to be a goal to shoot 73% or better in every game.
  • Continued expansion of Chris Livingston’s role. The 5-star freshman is going to be a big part of this Kentucky Basketball team reaching their ceiling. He provides the two-way versatility needed for the Wildcats to be their best. His 8-19 shooting from beyond the arc is encouraging despite the small sample size. He also has been the ‘Cats best free throw shooter at 15-18. At this point, it doesn’t matter if it is at the “3” or the “4.” Livingston just needs to continue to play more and more minutes.

This Week in Kentucky Basketball: LSU Tigers & Alabama Crimson Tide

The Southeastern Conference schedule can be very unforgiving. After starting league play with a trip to Missouri, the Wildcats will host LSU before traveling to Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Similar to Mizzou, the Tigers of LSU are off to a better-than-expected start under their new head coach. Coach Matt McMahon came to Baton Rouge having to essentially rebuild an entire roster in the wake of the Will Wade saga. He started with two of his own from Murray State, Justice Hill and KJ Williams, and kept building from there. The result has been a 12-1 start including an SEC win over Arkansas last Wednesday. LSU’s non-conference schedule left a lot to be desired, but they proved themselves with that win over the Razorbacks. The Kentucky Basketball team will in many ways have a must-win game ahead of them on Tuesday night against a very dangerous Tigers squad.

As for the Crimson Tide, it is no secret what you are getting from Coach Nate Oats’ group. Alabama is once again playing at a break-neck pace, shooting a ton of three-pointers, and scoring over 83 points per game. They began conference play with a road win at Mississippi State to move to 11-2 overall on the season. Their resume is as good as anyone’s in the country with wins over Michigan State, North Carolina, Houston, and Memphis. Only UConn and Gonzaga have knocked off ‘Bama. Now, the Wildcats will look to notch an impressive road win early in the Southeastern Conference schedule on Saturday. They will be playing without Nimari Burnett though who Jon Rothstein reported on Monday morning would miss another 3-5 weeks.

Around the Southeastern Conference

As we enter this week there are five 1-0 teams, five 0-1 teams, and four programs that have yet to begin conference play. The two most impressive wins of the opening week were LSU’s victory over Arkansas and Missouri’s beatdown of Kentucky. Now, the Wildcats have to face the Tigers in the marquee matchup on Tuesday night. Tennessee also takes on Mississippi State on Tuesday in a game that will feature two of the top defensive teams in the SEC.

On Wednesday, Arkansas plays host to Missouri as the Tigers try to improve to 2-0 with another quality when while the Razorbacks need to bounce back after losing to LSU. Saturday will feature a full slate of seven games and all 14 league teams. Alabama versus Kentucky will take place at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN and Auburn against Arkansas will be the other must-watch game of the day for SEC fans.

It is obviously still too early in the conference season to overreact to outcomes. However, with the league being as competitive as ever it isn’t just coach-speak to say that every game matters. Teams can find themselves buried in the standings with a bad start while others will solidify impressive resumes with quality wins. As the slogan goes, in the SEC, it just means more.

Games to Watch Nationally

Monday, January 2nd

#1 Purdue vs. Rutgers @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)

Tuesday, January 3rd

#8 Tennessee vs. Mississippi State @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Texas Tech vs. #3 Kansas @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#6 Texas vs. Kansas State @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Longhorn Network)

#7 Alabama vs. Ole Miss @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

Pittsburgh vs. #11 Virginia @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

#14 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)

Fresno State @ #21 New Mexico @ 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Wednesday, January 4th

North Carolina A&T vs. #23 Charleston @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Georgia vs. #22 Auburn @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

Georgia Tech vs. #12 Miami @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

NC State vs. #16 Duke @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

Oklahoma vs. #25 Iowa State @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Providence vs. #4 UConn @ 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#13 Arkansas vs. #20 Missouri @ 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

#19 Baylor vs. #17 TCU @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Thursday, January 5th

#24 Ohio State vs. #1 Purdue @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#2 Houston vs. SMU @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Iowa vs. #15 Indiana @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#10 UCLA vs. USC @ 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#5 Arizona vs. Washington @ 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

San Francisco vs. #9 Gonzaga @ 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Saturday, January 7th

#4 UConn vs. Creighton @ Noon Eastern Time (FOX)

Oklahoma State vs. #6 Texas @ Noon Eastern Time (ESPNU)

#20 Missouri vs. Vanderbilt @ Noon Eastern Time

#7 Alabama vs. Kentucky @ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Boston College vs. #16 Duke @ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

Illinois vs. #14 Wisconsin @ 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#17 TCU vs. #25 Iowa State @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPNU)

South Carolina vs. #8 Tennessee 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

Villanova vs. #18 Xavier @ 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#5 Arizona vs. Washington State @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Pac 12 Network)

#11 Virginia vs. Syracuse @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

#23 Charleston vs. Delaware @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

West Virginia vs. #3 Kansas @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)

#19 Baylor vs. Kansas State @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)

#22 Auburn vs. #13 Arkansas @ 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

#21 New Mexico vs. UNLV @ 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Santa Clara vs. #9 Gonzaga @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Sunday, January 8th

#15 Indiana vs. Northwestern @ Noon Eastern Time (FS1)

Maryland vs. #24 Ohio State @ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Cincinnati vs. #2 Houston @ 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Penn State vs. #1 Purdue @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)

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2024-03-28