Season’s many close games make Kentucky basketball ‘tough,’ ‘resilient’
Of Kentucky’s 25 games so far this season, 19 came down to a possession-by-possession test of wills with neither team leading by more than seven points inside the final seven minutes. In 13 of those games, a single possession separated the teams inside the final six minutes.
“Of course, we’d prefer them all to be 20- or 30-point blowouts,” assistant coach Tony Barbee quipped Monday. “It would make the bench a lot more (relaxed).”
But Barbee suggested the many nip-and-tuck games will serve Kentucky well in the late-season drive to win the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and then in the do-or-die postseason tournaments.
“Being in those close games is definitely a benefit to our young guys,” Barbee said.
In games decided by a single-digit margin, Kentucky takes an 11-4 record into Tuesday night’s game at LSU.
“We’re tough and we’re resilient,” Barbee said. “We’ve got a don’t-give-up, refuse-to-lose attitude. And that’s a positive thing.
“If we lose, it’s just because we ran out of time. Not because we let go of the rope. That’s something that’s hard to develop, but it’s a a positive when you see your team has that innately.”
Graduate transfer Nate Sestina said the many down-to-the-wire games have steeled UK for such tests in the future rather than worn-down the players.
He cited the clutch free-throwing in recent games by Immanuel Quickley and Nick Richards as evidence.
“We’re built for it,” Sestina said.
Testing UK’s defense
Earlier this season, LSU was reported to be the only Division I team with five players averaging double-digit points. Not sure if that’s true, but five players continue to average more than 11 points: Skylar Mays (16.5), Trendon Watford (13.9), Emmitt Williams (13.9), Javonte Smart (12.5) and Darius Days (11.8).
As of Monday, LSU averaged 80.8 points. That ranked ninth in the nation. LSU also ranked in the top 20 in shooting accuracy on field goals (20th at 47.7 percent) and free throws (14th at 77.4 percent).
Kentucky’s defense figures to test LSU’s offense. UK ranked in the top 30 in opponents’ overall shooting (18th at 38.5 percent) and three-point shooting (26th at 29.5 percent).
Barbee spoke optimistically about how UK’s defense is trending as freshmen become more acclimated to college basketball.
“We’re becoming a pretty special defensive team,” he said.
Old news
LSU won at Kentucky last season on Kavell Bigby-Williams’ controversial tip-in at the buzzer. The play led the NCAA to amend its rules to allow referees to review possible basket interference in the final two minutes of a second half or overtime period.
Sestina dismissed the notion of Kentucky avenging that loss. Even with several veteran players, the tip-in has not come up in conversation, he said.
“I think last year is last year,” Sestina said. “Our guys are really focused on what’s going on right now with us and this year and this team we have.
“I haven’t talked to any of them about it. I don’t know if the coaches have talked to anybody about it. But we haven’t really discussed it as a team.”
Who?
After the Vanderbilt game, John Calipari used a player he coached with the New Jersey Nets to make a point about Sestina’s defense. The UK coach said he told Keith Van Horn not to worry if his defense could not corral future Hall of Famer Karl Malone. Instead, Van Horn should not forget to try to score himself so as to neutralize Malone.
Sestina did not sound ready to fully embrace this approach.
“He was talking about outscoring your matchup,” the grad transfer said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m trying to stop my guy from scoring.”
Sestina said he thought he had done a better job moving his feet and staying in a defense stance in recent games.
And Calipari’s execution in making the Van Horn-Malone analogy to the UK players could have been better, Sestina said.
“That story, for everybody, was kind of funny,” Sestina said. “Because he didn’t remember Karl Malone’s name. He was, like, talking about it and he’s, like, ‘That Malone guy.’”
Etc.
Karl Ravech, Jay Bilas and sideline reporter Marty Smith will call the game for ESPN.
