Watch the Tape: Florida A&M Rattlers

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We went into this game knowing it would be hard to have a lot of takeaways. The idea was that Kentucky would win by 40 and head into Christmas break on a high note. However, it turned out that the Wildcats only beat the Florida A&M Rattlers by 20 points. This seems like a good time to revert back to the first sentence. If we weren’t going to overreact to winning by 40, then we shouldn’t overreact to “only” winning by 20. Aside from a 14-0 Rattlers run for five minutes in the middle of the second half, Kentucky mostly controlled the game. Granted, that is the minimum expectation for a team ranked near the bottom in the country on KenPom. That doesn’t mean that it is all doom and gloom, though.

The ‘Cats had their most efficient offensive game of the season scoring 88 points on just 59 possessions. Cason Wallace scored 27 points and proved himself as a primary playmaker in the Wildcats’ backcourt. Most importantly, Kentucky still won by 20 points despite one of the worst offenses in the country uncharacteristically shooting 52% from the field and 56.3% from beyond the arc. Those are the positives despite a game that was undoubtedly closer than expected against the Florida A&M Rattlers.

There was some good, some bad, and some ugly on Wednesday night. That is to be expected when playing a weaker opponent the day before Christmas break. Then you get out to an 18-2 lead and it is simply human nature that you relax a bunch at that point. Head coach John Calipari was throwing different lineups against the wall and substituting much more than he would in a “bigger” game. Regardless, we will break it down here in another edition of Watch The Tape. Let’s dive into the film room and break down Kentucky’s win over the Florida A&M Rattlers.

Offense Takes Too Long to Initiate

It’s hard to criticize the offense too much when they score 88 points in 59 possessions. However, we all know that the Florida A&M Rattlers didn’t exactly provide the highest level of competition. From a schematic and structural standpoint, there were a lot of positive takeaways for Kentucky offensively.

Still, there were a few possessions that were a total waste. The slow-developing halfcourt offensive sets with no clear action to try and score the basketball have to stop. They weren’t as prevalent on Wednesday as in some games, but they still showed their ugly head at times. Let’s take a look.

This was the very first possession of the game and it looked like the Wildcats’ offense was going to be more of the same that we’ve seen this season. Cason Wallace ends up scoring, but the outcome isn’t all that important against a team like Florida A&M. Heading into SEC play, these types of possessions will result in losing close games.

Not initiating any offense until 13 seconds on the shot clock is a losing proposition. That is especially true when the first action is a lazy baseline pindown that is essentially impossible to score off of. Kentucky tries to go high-low, but that is hard with Lance Ware at the 4. Wallace bails the ‘Cats out by simply being the best player on the floor. However, this won’t cut it against Missouri next Wednesday.

The Florida A&M Rattlers’ fullcourt pressure did slow Kentucky down a little bit. However, the ball still crosses halfcourt with 24 seconds on the shot clock. At that point, the ‘Cats should be getting right into running offense. Instead, players are walking around and still waiting for a call that doesn’t come until about 18 on the clock. Nothing is open off of the first action and the ball finally gets passed for the first time with 12 seconds on the shot clock. Now it is time to break off and go make a play because you are up against the clock. The end result this time is a missed Sahvir Wheeler 3-pointer. Bad offense.

Here is another look at the Wildcats’ slow-developing offense, this time in the second half. All of these possessions feature the diamond baseline pindown set. Kentucky has a lot of good halfcourt actions. Coach Calipari showed a new wrinkle on Wednesday that we’ll talk about later. However, this play probably needs to be scrapped. It just takes too long to develop and has no clear directive to score. When you waste over half of the shot clock before even attempting to run offense it makes the defense’s job very easy.

How About Lance?

It is safe to say that nobody in Big Blue Nation expected a lineup with Lance Ware at the 4-spot to potentially be Kentucky’s best. However, that is where we might find ourselves heading into Christmas break. In a college basketball landscape where shooting is king, Coach Calipari and the Wildcats continue to go against the grain. Arguments about roster construction can be had at a different time, but for now, you have to dance with who you brought. Playing Chris Livingston at the 4 obviously opens up the floor a little bit more, but it still doesn’t exactly turn Kentucky into the Golden State Warriors. When Lance Ware is in the game there is a different level of toughness and, more importantly, the ball simply MOVES. That can make up for a lot of spacing issues.

This first clip is actually from the defensive end of the floor. After the UCLA game two buzzwords used a lot in the Watch The Tape article were disjointed and disorganized. The Wildcats often looked unsure of themselves on the floor. Lance Ware is never unsure of himself. Against the Florida A&M Rattlers, his effort made an impact from the opening tip. You can cover up decision-making errors by simply playing really hard. This play was actually really smart by Ware, helping aggressively on #23’s left-hand drive, but even if he left an elite shooter at least he did so with a clear purpose. Ware’s effort got Chris Livingston a dunk on the other end.

There were a couple of stretches in the second half where Kentucky’s offense looked very, very good. Somewhat surprisingly, they came when Lance Ware was in the game at the 4. Too often the ball sticks in player’s hands, there is little movement, and the ‘Cats don’t change sides of the floor. Those issues usually don’t occur when Lance Ware is in the game. On this possession, he had the wherewithal to change sides of the floor instead of playing it back to where the ball came from. He also immediately runs at Chris Livingston’s defender for a little “rub” screen and it results in an easy dunk. Also, shoutout to Oscar Tshiebwe for sealing his man to allow Livingston to turn the corner at the rim.

Again, the ball simply moves better with Lance Ware in the game. He isn’t thinking about going to make a play. He isn’t tempted to take a one-dribble pull-up jump shot. Instead, he moves the ball as soon as it hits his hands. That is very valuable and forces the defense to respect him more than a typical non-shooter thereby solving some of the spacing issues that would normally be associated with having Ware at the 4. If the defense isn’t out there to help at the point of the handoff it is going to be easy basket after easy basket like this one for Cason Wallace. When the ball hits Ware’s hands in the trail spot he immediately gets into the dribble handoff. This is great offense. Early ball reversal, dribble handoff to Wallace, and a dunk all in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.

Look at how quick and decisive Lance Ware is with the ball. It made a real impact against the Florida A&M Rattlers. On his first catch, he quickly moves the ball to Antonio Reeves on the left wing. Then, he gets it back and immediately changes sides of the floor with a dribble handoff to Cason Wallace. Also, look at how HARD he rolls to the basket after the handoff. That hard roll pulled the Rattlers’ defender with him and created more space for Wallace to drive. Once again, a good seal on the block by Oscar Tshiebwe.

Staggered High Ballscreen

One exciting development from Wednesday’s victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers was the new staggered high ballscreen that Coach Calipari dialed up several times in the second half. Down the stretch, when the Wildcats built the lead back up to 20 points, this action was leaned on heavily. This can be very effective because it manufactures spacing and clears out the lane for potential drives or hitting the roll man. It is harder to not guard a non-shooter when he is ball screening because you have to provide help at the point of the screen. Hopefully, we will see more of this as we head into Southeastern Conference play.

This is a perfect example of the beneficial spacing that is created by setting the staggered high ballscreen. If Oscar Tshiebwe is planted on the block, or if Lance Ware is simply standing somewhere on the perimeter, it is much easier for their defender to clog up the lane. However, the Rattlers have to get out with their man to help on the ballscreen. In this instance, Sahvir Wheeler rejects the ballscreen and finds a wide-open Cason Wallace for three.

The execution isn’t perfect here. It would be nice if Oscar Tshiebwe would roll harder so that Cason Wallace could lead him with a pass for a dunk. However, with great spacing and scheme, you don’t have to be perfect. Instead of having six or eight defender’s feet in the lane, as we’ve seen often this season, there are literally ZERO when Wallace makes the pass. That is well-constructed offense.