Inconsistent Kentucky asks, where is Andrew Harrison when we need him?
Kentucky’s 76-58 handling of Florida on Jan. 9 was the program’s largest margin of victory in Gainesville since 1998. Three days later, Kentucky suffered its largest margin of home defeat against Alabama since 1974.
Blowout bliss followed by discouraging defeat fits this be-ready-for-anything Kentucky season. Heading into Wednesday’s game at Georgia, UK Coach John Calipari has repeatedly voiced a longing for same old-same old. Of course, he means consistently productive play.
“It’s the most important thing,” he said Tuesday of consistency. “Like, that’s the No. 1 thing.”
On his radio show Monday night, Calipari lamented Kentucky’s inconsistency this season.
“We’ve got a couple players really trustworthy,” he said. “You know what you’re getting game to game.”
These players, whom the UK coach did not name, stand out.
“One game Lance (Ware) is off the charts,” Calpari said. “One game Olivier (Sarr) is off the charts. One game Davion (Mintz) or Devin (Askew). . . .
“Everything with this team has been game to game.”
Sarr’s inconsistency has been vivid. Against North Carolina and Louisville, he did not make a shot. Against Richmond and at Mississippi State, he posted double-doubles.
“Olivier has got to start dominating games,” Calipari said after Saturday’s loss at Auburn.
Kentucky has not been the only Southeastern Conference team marked by inconsistency.
“We haven’t been Jekyll and Hyde game to game,” Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams said last week. “We’re more Jekyll and Hyde half to half.”
Calipari could relate. After the loss at Auburn, he said, “There are points in the game where I’m proud of these guys. And there are other points in the game that I’m thinking, what in the world are we doing?”
Earlier this month, Florida beat LSU 83-79, then three days later lost 86-71 at Alabama.
Missouri lost 73-53 to Tennessee, then three days later beat previously undefeated Arkansas 81-68.
Three days after handling Missouri, Tennessee lost 71-63 to Alabama.
“There are some coaches who are wondering who are those guys in our uniforms?” ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli said. “Where did that come from? That’s not the team we prepped with or the team we practiced with.”
‘These are not easy times’
To explain the inconsistency, the coaches cite departures from the norm caused by the coronavirus. Missouri Coach Cuonzo Martin also noted disquieting examples of systemic racism and societal convulsions, marked most egregiously by the mob riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
“I think more than anything, it shows and proves there are other things going on in this world outside of the normal things you deal with,” Martin said. “And you just have got to try to find a way to help your guys understand. . . . Of course, you want to win games as a coach. But you have to listen to what they say and what’s going on. You have to have a pulse on your team. These are not easy times.”
COVID, blatant examples of racism, plus the sight of guns and rioters at the seat of government do not help create basketball consistency, Williams said.
“I think all of us collectively do not have the same attention span we once did,” the Texas A&M coach said. “And I think it has become increasingly harder amidst all the change to be able to concentrate for longer pieces of time. . . .
“I just think the volatility of all this is harder to get guys going in the right direction because everything is so unique. Then, if you can’t get them going in the right direction, you turn on the TV two nights ago, and ‘You guys were really good. Now, I don’t even know what team you are.’”
Who can trigger a turnaround?
Florida big man Colin Castleton can serve as an example of ups and downs. He was practically a nonentity against Kentucky, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds. Three nights later against Ole Miss, he posted a double-double (21 points and 10 rebounds), plus he blocked eight shots.
Florida Coach Mike White said his staff had talked to the players “a bunch” about consistency.
“The team or teams in the late season that are simply the most consistent — whether home or road — can deal with adversity,” he said. “This man’s not playing, next man up. Maturity. Continuity. These are the teams that will have the most success at the end of the day.”
In more ways than one, Alabama has been exceptional. As a model of consistency, the Tide took a 6-0 Southeastern Conference record into Tuesday night’s game at LSU. The average margin of victory was 16 points.
“We’ve been consistent because I think the things that you can control, we’ve been pretty good at,” Coach Nate Oats said. “Your effort. Your defensive focus. You can’t always control whether your shots are going in or not. You can control the quality of the shots you take.”
Not for the first time, Calipari held out the 2013-14 season as a reason to believe. After losses in four of the final seven games of the regular season, a much-hyped “tweak” set Kentucky on a Final Four run.
The tweak? Point guard Andrew Harrison looked to pass to an open teammate after driving into the lane and drawing defenders.
“It became contagious,” Calipari recalled. “Now, everybody passed. We had a pass-fest.”
Who will be this season’s Andrew Harrison — the trigger man that inspires consistently good performances?
“It’s hard right now,” Calipari said, “because we’ve got to get that first guy.”
Wednesday
Kentucky at Georgia
When: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 4-8 (3-2 SEC), Georgia 8-4 (1-4)
Series: Kentucky leads 129-26.
Last meeting: Kentucky won 89-79 on Jan. 21, 2020, in Rupp Arena.
