Gary Parrish takes a look at what occurred the first time UK and IU met and the possibility of that perfect storm gathering again in Atlanta tonight.
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]…a lot went right for Indiana while a lot went wrong for Kentucky.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]That’s the truth.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]And that’s what you need to know as the most intriguing of our Sweet 16 matchups — No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Indiana in the South Regional — approaches its late Friday tip here at the Georgia Dome. I’m not suggesting the previous game — a 73-72 win for the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall — won’t have any bearing on this game. I’m just explaining why UK is a heavy favorite this time despite losing last time.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]It’s because it’s hard to imagine all of those bad things happening to UK again.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]Will Davis really get into foul trouble again?[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]Maybe.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]But the CBSSports.com National Player of the Year has played 27 games since that Dec. 10 loss, and he hasn’t been in foul trouble — or committed even four fouls — in any of them. Davis has only committed three fouls in a game four times since the loss at IU — point being that foul trouble, for the past three months, hasn’t really been his thing.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]”Coach Cal always tells me if I get in foul trouble it hurts my team, and my teammates are hurt as well,” Davis said. “When I’m not on the floor, teams try to attack the basket knowing I’m not going to block shots. So it makes it a lot harder for my teammates. So I just try to play without fouling.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]Will UK really shoot less than 29 percent from 3-point range again?[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]Maybe.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]But the Wildcats have played 27 games since that game and shot better than 29 percent in 19 of them. So odds are they’ll be better in this game, too. And odds are Indiana won’t be as good from beyond the arc again because the Hoosiers were 9-of-15 that day and, well, I’ll just turn it over to Kentucky coach John Calipari.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]”They,” Calipari said, “make about six [per game] now.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]It’s 6.4 to be exact.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]But, yes, it’s still six per game.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]And six per game is not nine per game.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]And, either way, Indiana guard Verdell Jones won’t be available to pitch a pass for a potential game-winning shot to anybody — like he did last time to Watford — because he’s out with a torn ACL. And the challenge that playing inside Assembly Hall presented for those young Wildcats won’t be a challenge this time around because the ‘Cats are more seasoned now, and the Georgia Dome is not Assembly Hall. UK fans are expected to outnumber IU fans by a wide margin here in Atlanta. That’s just kind of what UK fans do.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]”I love our fans — they’re crazy,” Calipari said. “They watch the game tapes three times; I don’t watch the game tapes three times. But that’s coaching and playing in Kentucky.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=arial][I]Which is easier than coaching and playing against Kentucky.
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I’m not one who is usually counted among Parrish’s biggest fans, but he’s pretty accurate with this one.
For the rest of the article, click [URL=”http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/17986817/in-loss-to-hoosiers-kentucky-did-as-much-wrong-as-indiana-did-right”]here[/URL].
