Watch the Tape: New Mexico State Aggies

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Between the summer trip to Canada for the GLOBL JAM, the Blue-White game, and the pair of exhibition games, we’ve seen this Kentucky team play several times. However, Monday night against the New Mexico State Aggies was the first time the outcome mattered.

As discussed in the pregame scouting report, the Aggies were the toughest opening-day opponent in the country. Obviously, that isn’t because of their talent level. They likely will be a bottom-half Conference USA team this season. What made them tough though was the lack of information available. A completely new staff and a completely new roster left nothing to go off of from 2022-2023. That meant the ‘Cats had to feel some things out in the first half.

Much was made, both pregame and postgame, about the turnover experienced by the New Mexico State program. What seemed to go unnoticed was that Kentucky didn’t exactly have a ton of roster continuity. The Aggies’ nine-man rotation featured 518 combined college basketball games played. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s roster only had 245 combined games played. Only Antonio Reeves and Adou Thiero suited up for the ‘Cats last season. So, to act like one team was thrown together while the other is some cohesive unit is simply not true. After those initial growing pains in the first half though Kentucky absolutely dominated the Aggies. In the end, the Wildcats came away with an 86-46 opening-night victory.

Watching the tape of 40-point victories will never get old. Kentucky was excellent offensively, showcasing their new five-out system that accentuates the talent and skill level of this team. Tre Mitchell was once again the “connector” that brought it all together. The freshmen thrived in the open space and were impressive defensively. Overall, it was as positive of an outcome as you could ask for on the first night of the season. A week from now, things will get much more real in the Champions Classic against Kansas; however, as Michigan State proved on Monday night, you can never take winning for granted. Let’s step inside the film room and take a closer look at Kentucky’s blowout victory against the New Mexico State Aggies.

Tre Mitchell – The “Connector”

Kentucky placed five scorers in double-figures on Monday night. However, none of those guys were named Tre Mitchell. The well-traveled forward finished just shy of double-figures with nine points while also adding nine rebounds and five assists. Despite being the Wildcats’ sixth leading scorer you could make a compelling argument that he was the most valuable player against the New Mexico State Aggies. What Mitchell does as a floor spacer, screener, and passer unlocks everything they do offensively. We will take a look at all of the different ways that he impacts the game below.

You can tell that the Wildcats have had a lot of repetition in practice playing within their new five-out style. There is no clunkiness with guards wondering what they are supposed to be doing or where they are supposed to go. That is especially true with Tre Mitchell. He simply does not allow the offense to stagnate. He is constantly moving, screening, or initiating offense as a passer. The basketball IQ he displays is really impressive and has unlocked this team on the offensive end. All of that is seen in the above possession.

The initial action is Mitchell setting the little scoring screen for Antonio Reeves. Reeves reads his defender correctly and flares the screen. However, Justin Edwards isn’t comfortable enough yet to handle it and get that pass delivered. In years past, that would have completely stagnated the possession. What Mitchell does though is immediately flash to the top of the key to flow into a get action with Edwards. Mitchell keeps it as his defender overplays the potential handoff and drives it down the lane line. Excellent offensive action even after the initial called play had developed.

Here you can see some of the Princeton concepts we’ve highlighted before. Tre Mitchell flashes up the lane line and gets a catch near the top of the key. DJ Wagner cuts to the two-man side, back cuts to the rim, and Justin Edwards fills up into a get-action. Then, Edwards comes together with Reeves on the other side with a typical back cut and pop. Mitchell hands off with Edwards and forces the defender underneath which gives room for the open three-point attempt. The ball changed sides of the floor and there were multiple cuts on both sides. That is hard to guard.

There are going to be games where Tre Mitchell makes two or three three-point shots. Monday night against the New Mexico State Aggies wasn’t that night. However, despite going 0-3 from deep, the pure threat of his shooting opened up several drives to the basket. After setting the downhill ballscreen, Mitchell pops into space and attacks the closeout for a two-hand slam down the lane line. That is a really impressive play by Kentucky’s current five-man.

Playing in Space Makes Offense Look Easy

Big Blue Nation has been clamoring for more guys who can dribble, pass, and shoot. Gone are the days of playing no more than two guys at a time who are actually threats to score. Now, generally all five guys on the floor for Kentucky must be respected off of the dribble and from beyond the arc. That puts a ton of pressure on the defense and opens up a ton of space for the offense to play within. We have not seen the middle of the floor be this open in Lexington in the last couple of seasons. Being able to lift Tre Mitchell is a big part of that, but the skill level of the guards plays a key factor as well. It is really fun to watch this group play offense right now.

Right off the bat, Coach Calipari structured Kentucky’s offense to force the New Mexico State Aggies into a tough decision. The key in this clip is overloading the right side and bringing Antonio Reeves to the left corner. This allows DJ Wagner to drive it downhill and force Reeves’ defender to make a decision. Does he stay home and rely on his teammate to guard Wagner one-on-one? Or, does he slide over to help and allow a wide-open three-point shot for one of the best shooters in the country? The structure is the genesis of this play. Then, Adou Thiero simply makes a great play crashing the offensive glass from the perimeter.

We posed this question a time or two at the GLOBL JAM, but when was the last time you remember a Kentucky guard even having the option of curling into space? Typically, the paint would be clogged with defenders and a center on the block. Here, Reed Sheppard curls toward the free throw line for a beautiful jump shot. Furthermore, Tre Mitchell flaring in and Antonio Reeves on the backside occupies the help defense allowing Sheppard a clean look. Once again, Mitchell is constantly doing something that helps the cause.

This type of play will get a coach out of his chair in the film room. First off, yes, Kentucky is up 28 points, but it was good to see Antonio Reeves turn down the mid-range jump shot. There would be no reason to take that shot there regardless of the score. This possession is another example of the Wildcats showcasing good discipline and IQ. As soon as the ball hits Tre Mitchell’s hands you see DJ Wagner cut to the rim. Most importantly, he cuts HARD enough to clear the way for Justin Edwards’ back cut. This isn’t a set play and nobody told Wagner and Edwards to back cut. They just read the defense and refuse to simply stand and watch. Really impressive from a pair of freshmen.

Defensive Upside

Almost all talk surrounding this Kentucky basketball team has centered around the offense. That is understandable and fair. The bread and butter of this team will absolutely live on that side of the floor. However, there is some really intriguing upside defensively that is starting to shine through. Specifically, the Wildcats could force turnovers at a rate we haven’t seen in the Coach Calipari era aside from the possible exception of 2015. That might seem like a bold statement, but these freshmen guards can be that good.

Disregard the end of this play. The foul call on Rob Dillingham was horrendously bad. That should not take away from the first 20-25 seconds of excellence we see in this clip. His feet are so incredibly quick and he is putting a great deal of pressure on the ball for the first half of this possession. Then, Adou Thiero pushed the first catch out beyond the scoring area. Finally, more on-ball pressure SHOULD have been rewarded with an offensive foul call. That did not happen, but it doesn’t change how impressive this defensive possession was. The New Mexico State Aggies essentially never got the ball into the scoring area the entire possession.

One thing that really stands out when watching Rob Dillingham on film is how he consistently forces his man to catch the ball outside of the scoring area. He applies so much pressure on and off of the ball that they have to come out well beyond the three-point arc to get a clean catch. Look at where the New Mexico State cutter first delivered the ball compared to where he ended up with it. He travels from the three-point line all the way back to the mid-court UK logo. Dillingham can be a really high-level defensive player this season.

Obviously, Reed Sheppard is the start of this clip with his on-ball pressure defense. However, it is a very good example of some “team” defensive concepts as well. New Mexico State Aggies point guard Jordan Rawls simply can’t go anywhere with Sheppard hounding him. Rawls is trying to get rid of the ball to get a break, but he can’t even do that. Finally, he gets a little relief via a ballscreen that Tre Mitchell smartly switches due to it being set so low. The most exciting part of this defensive play though is Jordan Burks playing all the way in at the midline to deflect the pass and come up with the steal. Great job of playing off of a non-shooter and getting himself involved in the play.