UGH.....Kentucky beats Stony Brook 62-52

by:Matt Jones11/27/07
otuyhj That wasnt pretty. Kentucky, coming off its best performance of the young season mailed in a turnover-filled horror show tonight against the WINLESS Stony Brook SeaWolves. Unlike the loss to Gardner-Webb, in which the Cats were dominated on both ends of the floor, this game simply seemed like two American East teams slugging it out in a conference game where both teams were cold from the field.....the problem is that one of those teams was from the SEC and ended up beating Stony Brook by a smaller margin than Lafayette was able to do on the road. There were a lot of things to focus on, some good, most bad. Here are a few notes.... (1) We did end up with a career-high 17 points for our man Perry Stevenson tonight. While Stevenson still looks unbelievably uncomfortable with the ball and is prone to turnovers, he has shown a knack recently for getting garbage points that a man as long as he is can produce in bulk. His shots today were all up close, but he was able to get some off rebounds, including a dunk that was the play of the night. I am not ready to appoint Stevenson as the answer to all of the team's problems, but tonight was a step forward. (2) Also positive was the continued wonderful play of Patrick Patterson. Just five games into his college career, he looks like the Senior leader on the floor, directing traffic, playing good defense and continually being in the right spot on play after play. He is the rock on this team, the only one not prone to fits of insanity and the guaranteed double-figure scorer every night. He is meeting the fans' expectations going into the season.....something I thought to be impossible. (3) Ok thats all of the positive. Now to the negative. I am nost sure what lesson Billy Clyde was giving to Smooth, but it may have been that he was going to allow Michael Porter to turn the ball over as many times as humanly possible. At least I hope that was the lesson, because otherwise the decision to keep Porter in the game is inexplicable. I like Michael Porter. I want him to succeed. But for a player that very rarely shoots, isnt the best on defense and doesnt make a ton of athletic moves....well you simply cant turn the ball over at the rate that he does. (4) Nice return to the floor by Ramon Harris. I am still not sure if he can score and his defense at the end was a bit shabby, but he is generally in the right place (a RARE quality on the team right now) and his athleticism helps on the glass. His return meant no AJ Stewart whatsoever. He goes from Mr. Energy to not playing. Who would have thunk it? UPDATE: AJ Stewart fell asleep during the pre-game meeting.....LOL, what can you say? I love AJ and knew he was a bit absent-minded and care free, but come on AJ.....you gotta stay awake.... (5) When it comes to Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, what can you say? There will be inconsistency and there was tonight. I still think that without Crawford (considering the injuries to Meeks and Jasper), this team would be awful. There would be no one to take the ball to the basket and almost no one who can get their own shot. Ramel was inconsistent, but I admit to being perplexed at how he remained on the bench while Porter continued to turn the ball over. This team rides on these two guys backs. For better or worse..... (6) Jared Carter....I honestly dont know what to say......also this team looks absolutely baffled on offense whenever a team gets in any defense that is not man-to-man. The zone tonight left them on their heels time after time. Sometimes this team is baffling and tonight was one of those nights. UNC on Saturday......lets hope this isnt the team that shows up.

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