Sooo, how about that game yesterday? Saturdays as a Kentucky fan are getting stressful and euphoric all at once. Last week we had the Tennessee football win, yesterday was UNC, and next weekend the team travels to Indiana to hopefully give another stupid looking Zeller a loss.
By now, we’ve seen flashes of what this team is made of: great defense, length, inconsistent play, and second half scoring bursts that seemingly put the game away. But something I’ve not really heard mentioned is balance. I’ve heard depth (which is arguably the same thing) and talent, but not balance. But then, I’m not exactly hands on when it comes to reading up on this stuff. For all I know, there could be six articles written yesterday showing the team split up into two groups, with a group sitting on each side of the scales of justice, saying "Fair and Balanced", or a picture of a checkbook and a bank statement with a UK logo, and a picture saying "Balanced and In the Black", but that would just be racist, so let’s scratch that. I’ll just use my own lame headline pun, and a picture of an elephant on a beach ball. As a one-time-only special Sunday offer, here is a picture of a gymnast on a balance beam for the perverts in the crowd:
[I][SIZE=1]Pictured: Alicia Sacramone’s butt. Sort of.[/SIZE][/I]
But, getting back to my point, which is somewhere in that gibberish, is that this is a balanced team. Yesterday proved that, with Terrence Jones doing work early, giving way for MKG in the late first-early second, then it was a quick dose of Darius Miller, followed by Doron Lamb’s late burst. Coincidentally, all four guys hit double figures.
Here’s a stat for you: Through 8 games, Kentucky has 5 guys averaging double figures. Jones (15.0), Lamb (14.4), Anthony Davis (12.3), MKG (12.1), and Marquis Teague (10.3). Miller is right below Teague with a 9.0 average, and I believe that he will be in double figures before the year is out. Now, it’s obviously early, but the way this group plays together, and with the bulk of the minutes going to 6-7 guys, there’s no reason to think it won’t be any different down the stretch.
Here’s another stat: Through 8 games, Kentucky has been led in scoring by 5 different guys. Jones, Lamb, and Miller twice each; MKG and Davis once each. I have no reason to doubt that Teague will eventually do this before the season is out, especially once he gets more comfortable in the offense. Kyle Wiltjer has a chance as well, if one of the top 6 gets in foul trouble early.
Here’s yet another stat: Through 8 games, Kentucky has put at least 3 guys in double figures every time. And, in 5 of them, 5 guys have hit double figures. That’s just nuts to me.
Again, it’s very early. But what you have are six guys that can beat you six different ways, and it’s up to opponents to figure out a game plan for this (HINT: pull a 61% 3pt-shooting performance out of your ass). If Kentucky gets by Indiana next weekend, it may be time to start discussing the potential for this team to go undefeated (NOTE: I don’t think they will, nor do I want them to.)
In the meantime, teams playing UK are going to have to pick their poison, and this team has so many different kinds of poison on it, the Center for Poison Control is designing a placard as we speak informing us what to do in the event we have to face Kentucky ourselves. I’m going to spend the next few days coming up with a not-at-all catchy or clever nickname for these guys, like "Six Pack of Suffering" or something stupid like that. Feel free to throw in your two cents in the comments. You won’t win anything, though. And neither will any team that Kentucky plays, as long as the load remains this balanced.
[I][SIZE=1]Pictured: High horse.[/SIZE][/I]
Have a great week.
