UK 63-56 #5 UT
Thompson-Boling Arena is bleeding blue.
If you take on a wounded animal, you better be prepared fight. Wounded animals fight to survive, not to win. And that's what the Wildcats are, wounded. The players and coaching staff, battered and bruised. Poor results that led to what appeared to be a program on the brink of collapse. Rumors of Texas reaching out to Calipari, and the ever evolving headbutting between Cal and UK AD Mitch Barnhart over a future practice facility. Ultimately leading to Barnhart making an appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio to address the leaks and rumors publicly on Friday. What started off as frustration with the product being put out on the court, was quickly turning into an off-court soap opera. Something that I am unfortunately all too familiar with growing up a HTTR fan.
Most of that went away for the time being thanks to what felt like a 2010-era college basketball game. 63-56. A scoreline only familiar nowadays to the basketball terrorist Tony Bennett. A result that would have solidified Kentucky as a national championship contender before the season began. But now, it's barely keeping the Cats alive.
What a game and what a win. Toughness and grit. It's what you want to see your team have. Backs against the wall and choosing to fight. Sports are a funny thing. Playing at your worst can sometimes lead to a freeing experience. You can't play any worse, so just go play. And that's what the Cats did. Signified by CJ Fredrick going 3-9 on 3pt. An unheard of statline in the recent Coach Cal era. Typically, guys like Derrick Willis, Jemarl Baker, and Johnny Juzang get one shot. If they miss it, they're out. A short leash with no room for error. Leading to tense play when shooting is all about rhythm. Yesterday that changed, and hopefully signified a shift in how the Wildcats play.
CJ was able to play freely and work into a rhythm as the game progressed. The 9 points from the three point attempts were crucial, especially in a low scoring game. However, what was arguably more important were the 9 three point attempts from Frederick and 15 as a team. Three point attempts provide spacing which allows more room for the offense to attack. Highlighted by the Freshman Chris Livingston's strong drive to the basket at the 6' mark in the first half making the score 19-18 UK. A bucket that UK fans used to see regularly. A driver taking it to the hoop because he knew he was better, faster, and stronger than the opponent. UK was attacking the rim.
Attack attack attack. This mentality led to a 43-23 advantage in rebounds, including 13 offensive boards in favor of Kentucky. In such a low scoring affair, second chances are vital. Additionally, UK earned 25 free throw attempts on the road compared to #5 Tennessee's 10. An unheard of discrepancy for a road team in college basketball. And with all of this being said, with how gritty of a win, I don't know what to make of it.
I couldn't have asked more from the team. KENTUCKY WON. I decided to sleep on this blog because I still wasn't sure if this was Kentucky win or a Tennessee loss. A ridiculous age-old debate held by fans and sports-talk shows alike when analyzing a game. On one hand, Kentucky was the aggressor and had an overwhelming FT and rebounding advantage while also making 5 3pt compared to UT's 3. It seemed as though UK dominated or won in every metric and yet it was 59-56, a three point game, with 30 seconds to go and Tennessee had a shot to tie the game. Was it a fluke or is this the Kentucky we thought they were going to be after the pre-season Bahamas trip?
The Volunteer PG Zeigler missed at least three wide open layups. Tennessee shot nearly 20% below their average 3pt%. Possibly explained by Kentucky's stellar defensive performance. Contrastly, Kentucky went 22/25 from the FT line. An incredible and atypical stat line for a Coach Cal Kentucky squad. A program that has typically always struggled at the line and that is only shooting 67% on the year.
I want to be excited. After all, this game felt like an Elite 8 type matchup between the 1 and 2 seeds to make the Final Four. A slug fest. Elbows being thrown, bloody lips, and touch fouls called 35 feet from the basket. Hopefully this is who Kentucky is now, and not the same team that inexplicably got outplayed by South Carolina at home earlier in the same week.
Big time game against Georgia on Tuesday. A Georgia team at 13-4 outperforming all expectations. A classic and ridiculous 9:00pm tip off at Rupp. No room for error. Yesterday's win starting a healing process for the team. The Cats are stitched up from all of its wounds sustained earlier in the season, lets not rip them open.
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