Another tough UK loss moves Calipari from ‘frustrated’ to ‘discouraged’
With Kentucky already off to its worst start to a season since Calvin Coolidge was president, it would seem things could not get any worse.
Then Kentucky lost at Georgia 63-62 Wednesday night on a layup with 1.3 seconds left.
What could John Calipari tell his players to lift what has to be suffocating discouragement in the form of a 4-9 record (UK’s worst start since 1926-27)? Was it a Great Depression re-do in the UK locker room?
“I need someone to talk to me because I’m discouraged,” the UK coach said. “What I just saw? The way we finished the game?”
Calipari, who acknowledged frustration after Saturday’s loss at Auburn, went down a list of miscues and mistakes. Brandon Boston reverted to an ill-advised flip shot to smudge a breakout 18-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench. Devin Askew missed the front end of a one-and-one with 23.5 seconds left.
Maybe worst of all, not challenging Georgia’s P.J. Horne from getting to the basket and laying in the winning shot.
“We should have won the game,” Calipari said after a six-point lead entering the final two minutes was squandered.
Kentucky, which fell to 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference, trailed by as much as nine points in the first half. A 14-2 run midway through the second half put UK ahead 56-49 going into the final seven minutes.
“We basically just gave the game away,” Keion Brooks said, “which is tough. … This loss sucks. But we’ve got a short turnaround. (We’ve) got another game Saturday.”
UK looked to be in position to win despite poor three-point shooting and too many turnovers. UK made only one of 13 three-point shots. Eleven assists and 17 turnovers marked the eighth time in 13 games the Cats have had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.
Not for the first time, Calipari cited insufficient toughness as Kentucky’s chief problem. He cited Andrew Garcia’s layup with 34.3 seconds left and Horne’s winning shot as exhibits A and B in making the case.
“No. 4 (Garcia) just ran down, caught it and laid it in,” Calipari said. “Just laid it in!”
As for Horne’s game-winner, Calipari bemoaned the lack of a challenge on the shot.
“(Horne) fumbled” the ball, he said, “(Then) no one (tried to) block it. We just gave him a layup. C’mon!”
Said Brooks: “We just have too many breakdowns at times.”
Speaking of opponents, he added, “They want the ball more than us. We really can’t let that happen. … 50/50 balls, we don’t get nearly as many of them as we should.”
UK led 62-56 inside the final two minutes.
After K.D. Johnson’s three-pointer tightened the score, Boston missed that ill-advised flip shot. Georgia got within 62-61 on a layup with 34.3 seconds left.
Askew missed the front end of his one-and-one with 23.5 seconds left.
Horne’s winning layup came after three timeouts, two by Georgia and one by Kentucky.
The first half showed Boston had no problem with a reserve role. He looked lively as soon as he entered the game and scored 12 points in the opening half.
That helped Kentucky stay close in another half that saw many missed shots. The Cats missed all nine of their three-point shots, most of the no-chance variety. Overall, UK made only 11 of 29 shots.
Georgia did not shoot much better. The Bulldogs made 13 of 35 shots.
Sahvir Wheeler’s penetrating drives kept Georgia ahead much of the half. His driving layup in transition with 27.8 seconds left gave Georgia a 30-27 halftime lead.
Kentucky scored on its first two possessions of the second half to take a 31-30 lead. Then UK committed turnovers on its next three possessions, and four before the first television timeout to fall behind again.
“Our guard play was awful,” Calipari said. Askew and Davion Mintz combined to make two of 13 shots, get credit for six assists and commit seven turnovers
Kentucky made its only three-point shot when Brooks hit one with 14 minutes left. He had missed his previous five three-point shots this season and UK had missed its first nine in the game.
UK’s 15th turnover helped Georgia take a 47-42 lead with 11:39 left. Georgia cashed in with a fast-break layup. That increased Georgia’s point total off turnovers to 25.
Boston’s shot from the elbow, which bounced off the rim and backboard before going in, completed a 14-2 run that put Kentucky ahead 56-49.
Then came the unraveling.
“I know we’re not as bad as we played … ,” Calipari said. “We needed to break through in this game, and we didn’t. So what do we do? Now, we go on to the next game.”
Next game
LSU at Kentucky
6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 11:21 PM.
