After what can only be considered a bad loss to Arkansas, Big Blue Nation is left wondering what is next. Kentucky struggled to put the ball in the basket all night long from virtually every spot on the floor. Combine that with some terrible decision making and you had the recipe for an upset. The Cats shot 34.2% from the floor and if you subtract Willie Cauley-Stein’s 8-12 performance it puts the rest of the team at 28%. As brutal as those numbers are the Cats would have won the game with a few made free throws. They went 12-22 from the line for 54.5% and missed some crushing ones late in regulation that could have sealed the game. Meanwhile Arkansas was burning the nets at the line, by going 16-16. Compare the 100% to their normal 70.9% and they picked up 5 more points by making them all. Had the two teams simply shot their season percentages it would have been an 8 point swing by the numbers.
Arkansas actually turned the ball over two more times than Kentucky who finished with 18 for the game. Unfortunately for the Cats many of their own turnovers came in unforced situations due to some poor decision making. In addition, on multiple occasions Kentucky players were taking poor shots that became virtually like a turnover. Outside of Willie Cauley-Stein who played a great game it was a terrible game for nearly every other Wildcat.
John Calipari is a wonderful coach and the perfect fit for Kentucky, but that does not mean he is above some criticism. In the last five minutes of regulation and overtime the Cats looked completely gassed. It appeared as if their legs were gone and in particular Julius Randle seemed to be playing in mud. Coty Clarke of Arkansas said after the game that he could tell that they were tired and he thought that had a lot to do with the free throw misses. Randle played 40 minutes, Aaron Harrison 38, and Andrew Harrison 39. This was against a team that plays a frenetic up and down style like Arkansas so it is important to try to keep players fresh. Cal wants for his guys to realize when they are tired and to sub themselves out because they know their own body best. That is a great idea in theory but sometimes it just does not work. Arkansas had 9 players that played double figures in minutes last night compared to 6 for Kentucky. The Cats bench is deep enough to allow guys to get a little more rest throughout the game so they are fresh when crunch time comes. Julius Randle and the twins are competitive players that want to be on the floor all the time because they want to win. They are just too young to understand the need for them to sub themselves out and that is when the coach must do it for them.
Thankfully the Cats have a quick turn around and will play South Carolina on the road tomorrow. It will help them and the fans forget about this game a bit. It is of course imperative that the Cats win that game and beat Alabama on senior night to prevent a downward spiral.
The biggest question fans have is whether to give up hope on this team and start thinking about next year. Clearly this team has struggled more than most expected coming into the season but in hindsight we should have seen it coming. This recruiting class was hailed as the best class since Michigan’s Fab Five that went to the championship game as freshmen. So surely this team would march through the season just like that one did. Except we all forgot one minor detail. Michigan did not steam roll through their season, they spit and sputtered. The greatest recruiting class of all time went 20-8 in the regular season and earned a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. All that is ultimately remembered about that team now is their tournament run and the talent they had. Here are the losses they suffered during that Michigan season:
85-88 LOSS vs. Duke on a neutral site
64-73 LOSS at Minnesota
60-65 LOSS vs. Purdue at home
74-89 LOSS vs. Indiana at home
58-68 LOSS vs. Ohio State at home
59-70 LOSS vs. Michigan State at home
78-96 LOSS at Wisconsin
66-77 LOSS at Ohio State
They lost four games at home and were blown out on multiple occasions. It was a young and extremely talented team that struggled to learn how to play at the collegiate level. That team is really the only one in history that can be compared to this UK team in terms of youth and talent. As part of the media I take blame myself for not looking back at the Wolverines struggles when projecting what this team could be. In reality they are what we should have expected them to be. They will likely lose at Florida and finish the season with 8 losses just like Michigan did. At this point in time it appears very possible that they also end up as a 6 seed just like them as well. The SEC tournament will provide a chance for the Cats to possibly move to a 4 or 5 seed depending on what teams ahead of them do. In reality the 6 seed is a slightly easier path to the elite eight so if the Cats indeed end up there it will be fine. Despite the recent frustrating loss, the season is not over and what Michigan did should serve as a reminder of that.
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