Watch the Tape: Florida Gators

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The Kentucky Wildcats have now won six straight Southeastern Conference games. Things got a little close for comfort down the stretch, but the ‘Cats held on to beat the Florida Gators 72-67 on Saturday night at Rupp Arena. Kentucky now finds themselves 16-7 overall and 7-3 in the SEC as they climb the league standings. Meanwhile, the Gators fell to 13-10, 6-4 with the loss. The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday night with a big game in Lexington against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

If you told Big Blue Nation that Oscar Tshiebwe and Antonio Reeves would combine for just eight points, most would have expected a loss on Saturday night. However, despite Kentucky’s two leading scorers being held 21 points below their average, they still scored 72 points as a team against a Top 10 defense in college basketball. Cason Wallace stepped up to lead the Wildcats in scoring with 20 points on just 10 shots. Jacob Toppin added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Additionally, CJ Fredrick knocked in three three-pointers on his way to 12 points. That trio helped offset Tshiebwe’s 2-14 performance and getting just 18:31 from Reeves.

This team is still a work in progress. However, over the recent seven game stretch things have improved on both ends of the court. Offensively, Kentucky is scoring 1.097 points per possession since the South Carolina loss. On the defensive end, the ‘Cats are allowing just 65.3 points per game during that same stretch. That is a winning recipe. There have been structural changes, lineup tweaks, and several other factors that have led to winning six of the last seven games. Most importantly, the Wildcats now look like a cohesive unit pulling in the same direction. It may have taken longer than any of us would have liked, Coach Calipari certainly included, but we are starting to see signs of a really good basketball team.

As we do after every game, it is time to breakdown the film. In this edition we will focus on Kentucky’s offensive execution, highlight Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin, and take a look once again at how the Wildcats ballscreen defense is coming along. Let’s dive on in and see what led to UK earning a sixth straight SEC win over the Florida Gators.

Offense Found Success Against Top 10 Gators Defense

It is no secret that Kentucky’s offense has struggled at times this season. Especially against the best teams and best defenses the results haven’t always been pretty. Just think back to scoring 53 points against UCLA or 52 points at Alabama. However, those struggles are part of what has made this recent seven-game stretch that much more encouraging. There have been real changes that have resulted in vastly improved offense. The ball is moving much better, players are cutting harder, and Coach Calipari has found a few half court sets that really work. Let’s take a look at some the of Wildcats offensive execution from Saturday night against the Florida Gators Top 10 defense.

This play has become a staple in Coach Calipari’s playbook recently. After some initial pre-movement just to shift the defense, the Wildcats get into a simple zoom action. That means Jacob Toppin downscreens for CJ Fredrick who runs directly into the handoff from Oscar Tshiebwe. Fredrick is really useful in this sort of action because he is such a good cutter and reads the defense so well on the fly. Knowing that his defender is chasing him, Fredrick turns the corner on the handoff towards the basket. This forces #12 Castleton to step up and stop the ball leaving the lob to Tshiebwe open. Absolutely beautiful offensive execution.

Kentucky’s other most common half court set, which they turned to a lot against the Florida Gators, is this floppy action. One of the most used actions in basketball these days, “floppy” refers to having a screener on either block with a cutter positioned underneath the rim with the option of coming off in either direction. CJ Fredrick could have gone off of the double to the right wing. However, he chose to cut off of Daimion Collins to the near left side wing. After the initial cut, the Wildcats generally get into a side ballscreen as you see here. Fredrick was open enough that he could have taken the pull-up jumper. After a bit of a scoring drought though it was a good turndown. His patience was rewarded by an excellent drive and finish by Jacob Toppin.

This was one of the more encouraging offensive possessions of the night. There isn’t really a set play here or call from the sidelines. It is just offense. After an early handoff, Antonio Reeves plays off of a high ballscreen set by Oscar Tshiebwe. That is great action for the ‘Cats. It was defended well in this instance by the Florida Gators so Reeves moves the ball ahead to Sahvir Wheeler. Wheeler has improved in not letting the ball stick quite as much and has been purposeful about changing sides of the floor. He is able to toss it to Jacob Toppin and get just enough of a “rub” screen to force Florida to switch. Toppin is so hard to guard when he can get downhill to the rim. Two dribbles from the right wing to a layup on the left side.

Similar to the first clip shown, this is still the zoom action that Kentucky has been running a lot of. However, the structure is different to try and get CJ Fredrick a three-pointer. Starting from a 1-4 High alignment, Fredrick and Antonio Reeves cut over and under as Jacob Toppin pops for a catch at the top of the key. From there, Fredrick runs off of the downscreen set by Oscar Tshiebwe into the handoff. The wrinkle is the angle at which Fredrick comes off. Cutting essentially straight up the lane line and receiving the handoff almost vertically forces the Florida Gators defender to go under the screen which results in a Fredrick three. This is elite offensive structure and execution.

Cason Wallace’s Playmaking Ability

This is the sign of a Kentucky offense that is becoming very hard to guard. Recently we have written about Antonio Reeves’ emergence as the Wildcats go-to scorer and playmaker. However, on Saturday night against the Florida Gators, Cason Wallace stepped up and looked like a NBA lottery pick. The freshman scored 20 points on just 10 shots to go along with some highlight-worthy defensive plays. If he can continue playing at this level, and Reeves bounces back after a quiet night, it is going to be very hard to stop the ‘Cats.

Typically Florida’s pressure defense on the perimeter pays off because Colin Castleton is one of the best rim protectors in college basketball. However, he was on the bench for a short stretch in the first half and Kentucky made the Gators pay. Cason Wallace simply whipped his defender off of the dribble and Jason Jitoboh was too slow on the rotation. Easy two points at the rim against a team where layups are very hard to come by.

Recently, Coach Calipari has gone to simple high ballscreens for his best players in the second half of games. Against the Ole Miss Rebels it was Antonio Reeves who continued to be called upon. On Saturday night against the Florida Gators it was Cason Wallace’s turn. Again, this is really basic and simple offense but it is also equally as effective. Put your best playmakers in a ballscreen and let them go to work. Pretty pull-up jumper for Wallace. Also, credit to Oscar Tshiebwe for the good screen.

This is why you recruit the best players. Sometimes you simply have to rely on your guys being better than the opponent. Cason Wallace is that type of player for the Wildcats. The Jacob Toppin ghost screen gets the Gators to switch, Wallace gets his defender to bounce off of him, and rises up for the massive three-pointer as the shot clock expires. The strength, balance, and athleticism that it takes to play through that level of contact is really impressive.

When the ‘Cats needed a bucket down the stretch against the Florida Gators it was Cason Wallace who stepped up. Coach Calipari deserves credit for moving the chess pieces around in this situation, but it was Wallace who ultimately executed the straight line drive to beat the “ICE” ballscreen coverage. Big time finish by the freshman.

Defensive Improvements on Display Against Florida

Over the last seven games the Wildcats have allowed 65.3 points per game. When you look at just the six-game SEC winning streak that number shrinks even further to just 63.3 points per game allowed. When you combine that with an ever-improving offense you start to get a recipe for winning basketball. Kentucky has made some strides in their ballscreen defense coverage since getting torched by Kansas. However, it is still effort, urgency, and concentration that has carried the turnaround on the defensive end of the floor. Here are some of the most impressive defensive possessions for Saturday’s win over the Florida Gators.

Right of the gate you could see that Kentucky was locked in. First off, you see the value of going under the ballscreens at the beginning of this possession. Antonio Reeves went under the ballscreen set for #0 Jones and it completely blew up Florida’s ability to score off of it. Then, Jacob Toppin did a good job of cutting off the right hand drive from #3 Fudge. Finally, Chris Livingston provided good, aggressive help on #12 Castleton in the post to force a turnover. Really good possession from all five Wildcats defenders.

Ballscreen defense is all about choosing what you are willing to give up. In Kentucky’s conservative drop coverage they are trying to force the Florida Gators into contest two-point jump shots. CJ Fredrick did a pretty good job of fighting over top of the ballscreen and Oscar Tshiebwe was active enough to get the ball stopped and deter the pass to #12 Castleton on the roll. This is obviously a decent shot, but forcing a semi-contested little push shot is a lot better than giving up a layup for the ball handler or roll man. The Wildcats are improving in their ballscreen coverage.

When the Wildcats had to have a stop to secure the win they turned in one of their best possessions of the game. Kentucky was much more aggressive at the point of the screen because Florida was obviously hunting a three-pointer in this situation. Jacob Toppin was out beyond the arc forcing #11 Lofton to pick up his dribble. Then, Toppin jumped out hard again on the handoff to take away #0 Jones. One more aggressive hedge when #0 Jones came off the handoff once again forced a highly contested three-pointer that didn’t even draw iron.