So what's the deal with Kentucky?
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They don't seem to have the same forty minutes of intensity. They have lost way to many games, 5-5 in the SEC.
UcMiami
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In conference play they are getting out shot (.393 v .411) and out rebounded (39.4 v 39.8) while barely winning the TO (15.6 v 17.6) and A/TO (0.8 v 0.7) and committing one more foul per game.
So without the normal transition game advantage KY has never had a good half court offensive game. And the quality of their defense outside of steals has never been that great. Those stats look very middle of the pack and that is where they sit. Suspect teams are also getting pretty familiar with their pressure so it isn't as big of an advantage in conference as it once was and still may be in the OOC.
So without the normal transition game advantage KY has never had a good half court offensive game. And the quality of their defense outside of steals has never been that great. Those stats look very middle of the pack and that is where they sit. Suspect teams are also getting pretty familiar with their pressure so it isn't as big of an advantage in conference as it once was and still may be in the OOC.
pap49cba
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Now that's what's great about the BY.... Incredibly penetrating analysis of an opponent's weaknesses.
alexrgct
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Certainly, something isn't right. I don't watch them regularly, so it's tough to say. However, I'd bet the issue has become psychological. I like Matt Mitchell as a coach, how has brought Regional finals level of success to a program that didn't sniff such success previously. I was a bit surprised he didn't make it back Tennessee after Pat retired.
DobbsRover2
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As UcM noted, it's the conference play that's killing KY so far in their 10 SEC games. Last year they outscored conference opponents by almost 14 points, and this year is about 2.5 points. Except for a conference opener that was a blowout over Alabama, all of the games have been settled by 10 or less points, and KY has lost two games by 2 points.
The Wildcats played pretty much the same OOC as last year, a decent mix of elite and very good teams along with some turkeys. Both years they had one OOC loss, last year to Baylor and this year to Duke, but this year their OOC stats were actually better than last year's. It's a combination in conference of the Wildcats scoring a lot less (7 points) than last year and opponents scoring more (almost 4 points). The FG% in the ten games is way down, and though SEC opponents shot a little better than KY last year, KY had 13 more shots per game while this year it's only 4 more. Also important and a related stat is that KY is getting only 8 steals a game to the opponent's 7, whereas last year the average was 11 to the opponent's 6.4. So they just haven't had as much dread in them.
The reason for the lack of dread can be pretty much traced to the loss of one key player, their graduated top scorer and only good 3-pt shooter A'dia Mathies. She was able to stretch out opponent's defenses and scored 6 more points a game than any other Wildcat. They have not replaced her scoring, and opponents are daring the Wildcats to shoot from the outside. KY is taking 31% of their shots from beyond the arc (UConn takes 24%) but are connecting at a 30% rate, down from last season's 34.5%.
That's the story, and again all figures are for conference play, where KY is 5-5.
The Wildcats played pretty much the same OOC as last year, a decent mix of elite and very good teams along with some turkeys. Both years they had one OOC loss, last year to Baylor and this year to Duke, but this year their OOC stats were actually better than last year's. It's a combination in conference of the Wildcats scoring a lot less (7 points) than last year and opponents scoring more (almost 4 points). The FG% in the ten games is way down, and though SEC opponents shot a little better than KY last year, KY had 13 more shots per game while this year it's only 4 more. Also important and a related stat is that KY is getting only 8 steals a game to the opponent's 7, whereas last year the average was 11 to the opponent's 6.4. So they just haven't had as much dread in them.
The reason for the lack of dread can be pretty much traced to the loss of one key player, their graduated top scorer and only good 3-pt shooter A'dia Mathies. She was able to stretch out opponent's defenses and scored 6 more points a game than any other Wildcat. They have not replaced her scoring, and opponents are daring the Wildcats to shoot from the outside. KY is taking 31% of their shots from beyond the arc (UConn takes 24%) but are connecting at a 30% rate, down from last season's 34.5%.
That's the story, and again all figures are for conference play, where KY is 5-5.
easttexastrash
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Beating UK is no longer considered a "good win." Not sure what happened since the start of the year.
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IMHO, they have No Go-To player (a la Adia Mathes) like they did last year , and were over-rated at the beginning of this year. They have talent but when they need a key basket they don't have anyone to really go to to stop a run by the other team.
Thus, having No Go To player, playing tough teams , and maybe being over-rated at the beginning of the season will have fans asking: What's The Deal With Kentucky?
Thus, having No Go To player, playing tough teams , and maybe being over-rated at the beginning of the season will have fans asking: What's The Deal With Kentucky?
UConnCat
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Mitchell hired former WNBA coach Jeff House as an asst coach to help with half-court offense. The problem is the makeup of the roster. Mitchell hasn't shown he knows how to put together a team with different size and skills that can function effectively in the half court and against a variety of opponents. He has about 7 guards who look and play exactly the same way. If opponents take care of the ball, Kentucky is a pretty easy team to defend.
UcMiami
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I still think UK's problem is the same as their strength - it seems like every 2-3 minutes they have a completely different mix of players on the floor. Great for fresh defensive legs, really bad for any type of offensive flow or communication amongst the players. If the fresh legs do not get steals, the half court defense also suffers because no one knows where the other four players are likely to be on defense or when and where help is available.
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