‘Even Stephen’: Dontaie Allen’s offensive plusses offset defensive lapses
Kentucky’s home-state hero, Dontaie Allen, came down from the Everest heights he set for himself Saturday at Mississippi State. How could he not?
After the 77-74 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, UK Coach John Calipari lamented Allen’s defensive mistakes.
“Broke down a ton,” Calipari said.
In his postgame remarks to the team, Calipari made the same point to Allen and the other players.
“You had seven or eight breakdowns, nine, eight,” Calipari said he told Allen. “Let’s just get it to four.”
Then, ever the quipster, Calipari added, “And keep making shots. Just keep making shots, kid.”
That got a laugh, the UK coach said.
Against Vanderbilt, Allen made two of five three-point shots and scored 14 points.
At Mississippi State, he made seven three-pointers, which were one shy of equaling the most by a UK player in Calipari’s 12 seasons as coach.
Of the four players who made eight threes in a game, only Jamal Murray had a bountiful encore. After making eight of 10 three-point shots against Florida on Feb. 6, 2016, he made six of 10 against Georgia three days later.
Immanuel Quickley made eight of 12 three-point shots at Texas A&M last season. Four days later, he made one of five against Auburn.
Malik Monk’s 8-for-12 blitz against North Carolina in Las Vegas was followed by one of nine three-point shooting at Louisville four days later.
Eric Bledsoe made eight of nine three-point shots against East Tennessee State in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. He made one of three in a second-round game against Wake Forest.
On his radio show Monday, Calipari said that Allen should not feel obligated to make seven threes a game. “I’d like you to make three, though,” the UK coach added.
Olivier Sarr said that Allen can contribute offensively by his threat to make multiple threes.
“He opens the court for everything,” Sarr said. “Whether driving lanes or room in the post for the ‘bigs.’
“It changes the game and makes it way more easy for us to operate.”
Allen’s defensive mistakes included going over screens when he should have gone under, and vice versa, Calipari said.
“He may have given up as many as he scored. I told him, if that’s the case and it’s even Stephen, I’m probably good.”
Future shock?
Calipari offered a word of caution.
“I’m getting a better feel, but we’re going to have to fight now,” he said. “We’ve got the top of the league coming up. The best teams in the league, here they come.
“But in January, we’re 2-0.”
In his latest statistics, Ken Pomeroy gave Kentucky only a 32-percent chance of winning at Florida on Saturday and a 47-percent chance of beating Alabama at home next week.
Pomeroy favors Kentucky in only two of the next nine games.
Homecoming game?
Before playing Vanderbilt, Kentucky’s most recent home game was against Notre Dame on Dec. 12. That span of 23 days between home games equals the second longest in Calipari’s 12 seasons as coach.
UK also went 23 days between home games in 2018-19: Playing Utah on Dec. 15 and then Texas A&M on Jan. 8.
The longest stretch without a home game in the last 12 seasons came in 2016-17. Kentucky played Valparaiso on Dec. 7, then did not play a home game until facing Texas A&M on Jan. 3. That was 26 days between home games.
Two straight
By beating Vanderbilt, Kentucky achieved its first two-game winning streak of the season.
While it might seem late in a UK season for such a modest achievement, you don’t have to go back much more than two decades to find a precedent.
In Eddie Sutton’s final season as coach (1988-89), Kentucky did not win two straight until the 13th and 14th games of the season.
Vanderbilt was the second team beaten (70-61), three days after Georgia in early January.
Prior to that, you have to go back to 1926-27 when Kentucky never won two straight en route to a 3-13 record.
Enduring underdog
Pomeroy gave Kentucky an 85-percent chance of beating Vanderbilt. He does not even give the Commodores a 50-50 chance of winning any game the rest of the season.
Pomeroy saw Vandy’s best chance of winning coming at home against Texas A&M on Jan. 20. He gave the Commodores a 40-percent chance of winning that game.
When …
On his radio show Monday night, Calipari said the medical staff will decide when Keion Brooks and Terrence Clarke play.
Cam’Ron Fletcher’s playing time might be minimal. “If there’s foul trouble, Cam will play some,” Calipari said before adding, “but only if we have foul trouble.”
