Weekend Wrapup

With the Cats playing two games at Rupp with less than 24 hours in between, Kentucky struggled to come back against Miami (Fl) and had to use a 17-1 run to put away the winless Mississippi Valley State.

So what happened?

The Miami game was respectively similar to the VMI debacle earlier this season. Kentucky got down by a considerable margin, went on a run, and almost pulled off the comeback. Outside of the North Carolina game, this team has shown that if they can keep the margins between 5-15 that they can mount a serious run to keep them in games. The problem is, this is something that cannot continue.

Three trends that I noticed in this game:

1. Just like the UNC game, Kentucky tried to turn it into a horse race instead of feeding to Patterson. The numbers don't lie either, with Meeks and Liggins combining to go 2/20 from deep. Running down the court and trying to take contested three's isn't going to win many games.

2. When Patterson would get the ball, Miami's defenders immediately zoned in on him. This is where Perry Stevenson or Josh Harrellson could have had monster nights, specifically Harrellson. Kick the ball into Patterson, and let Patterson give it up to Stevenson on the inside for some dunks, which did happen. The other option would be kick it out to Harrellson, who can drill it from 16-17 deep.

That is where I believe Gillispie may have played a hand in costing Kentucky the game. I applaud him for benching Meeks to start the second half, as he clearly wasn't playing within the team. However, Harrellson only logged eight minutes during the first half and never seen the court in the second half. AJ Stewart replaced Stevenson and quickly picked up a foul setting Miami up for the bonus. Had Harrellson played more, he and Stevenson would have benefitted from the coverage of Patterson and would have had some easy baskets.

3. Jack McClinton torched Kentucky to the tune of 23 points. However, most of those came in the first half. Kentucky implemented a zone defense that shaded 2-3 players to keep him off balance.

Some final notes:

• I didn't get to see the Kentucky-Mississippi Valley State game today, but my impression is that the team was drained after the Miami game and it showed. A Kentucky team with full rest more than likely would have had the game in control from the onset.
• Another factor for Kentucky to have success this season is finding some gems on the bench, and I believe Gillispie did that today. Some of these walk-ons I believe could really flourish under Gillispie's tutilege, especially Landon Slone. These are the players who are going to give everything regardless of what is asked for the simple reason that they grew up here and know what Kentucky basketball is about. It's what made the "Unforgettables" unforgettable and has even given the Kentucky teams of the past true leaders.
• On the football side, I hate to be the pessimist, but Kentucky is going to have its hands full with East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. This is the same team that stifled the high powered WVU offense earlier in the season. Needless to say, even with Randall Cobb, Kentucky isn't even on par with West Virginia. This will be a chance to see one of the top up and coming coaches in the league in Skip Holtz as well.

Oh, and I like the black uniforms.