‘We’ll keep chipping away.’ Vols another test of Kentucky’s ability to finish.
In the last week, Tennessee spanked No. 15 Kansas 80-61, then three days later, the Vols suffered a dispiriting 52-50 loss at Ole Miss.
After the loss, Coach Rick Barnes lamented, “The thing we’ve been looking for all year is consistency.”
Kentucky could serve as an example of consistency … for all the wrong reasons. The 75-70 loss at Missouri on Wednesday was the sixth time this season that UK lost a winnable game in the final four minutes.
Kentucky, which plays No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday, has been working on improving its performance in late-game situations. On his radio show Wednesday night, UK Coach John Calipari referred to “things we have to keep harping on.”
It’s not for lack of trying that Kentucky is saddled with a 5-11 record overall and 4-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
Assistant coach Jai Lucas, who substituted for Calipari on Friday’s teleconference, noted an atmosphere of experimentation in practices and games.
“You keep trying,” he said. “And we’ll keep chipping away.”
Of course, this work includes reviewing game film. When asked what the UK team looks like as he watches, Keion Brooks was blunt.
“We look like a team that can’t get it done in the last four minutes of a game,” he said. “Too many breakdowns. Mental errors. Too many times we don’t come up with a very crucial loose ball. …
“It sucks because I know we’re capable of doing it.”
Calipari has spoken about Kentucky’s lack of a so-called go-to guy, a player that can be counted upon to score or set up a teammate to score.
When asked about the importance any team would place on having a go-to guy, Lucas said, “It’s a security blanket. … especially in the last four minutes. That’s really when it’s the biggest.”
Such a player has not yet emerged for Kentucky.
“For us right now, it’s a game-by-game thing,” Lucas said. “It may be Olivier (Sarr) one game where he’s got it going. It may be Davion (Mintz) when he’s making jump shots. …
“It’s kind of a feel thing.”
Of course, Mintz, Brooks and Sarr have also missed key shots late in games.
“I need some dagger throwers,” Calipari said. The UK coach said he was looking for a player who thought, “‘Give me the ball. Watch this dagger.’ Not, ‘Oh my gosh, will I make this?’”
Who that player is remains a mystery.
“We don’t have that one (player) we know we can go to,” Lucas said. “Depending on how that game is going, that person could be anybody.”
Calipari spoke of a Catch-22 situation. He could put in more shooters late in games (looking at you Dontaie Allen). But might that diminish UK’s defense, which makes the team competitive?
“It’s very delicate,” Lucas said of this rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul dynamic. “You can have shooting in the game. And if they’re not making shots, then they’re not helping you on one end and they’re not helping you on the other end.
“It’s a dance. You kind of have to … balance it out.”
Lucas cited too many fouls as a problem at Missouri. The Tigers made only one basket in the final 7:42. But Mizzou made 10 of 14 free throws in that span.
It should be noted that Kentucky isn’t the only team that sent Missouri to the foul line a lot. Going into this weekend, the Tigers averaged more free throw attempts (23.6 per game) in Southeastern Conference play than any team.
Lucas spoke of the difference winning the final four minutes can make.
“It changes the pressure,” Lucas said. “It changes the momentum of the game. You have to have a little bit of luck. … That’s been a big thing the whole year.”
Stats savant Ken Pomeroy puts Kentucky 352nd (out of 357 Division I teams) in his latest ranking of luck.
Brooks spoke of a change of luck keying a UK turnaround.
“We’re basketball players,” he said. “We can hoop. We’ve got to make plays and be hoopers, and execute. And that’s really what it comes down to.”
Tennessee assistant Desmond Oliver, who substituted for Coach Rick Barnes on a teleconference Thursday, spoke warily of Kentucky.
“The thing that jumps out to me is that they’re desperate,” he said.
Tennessee (12-4 overall, 5-4 in the SEC) has shown its inconsistency perhaps most dramatically in its two games against Missouri. The Vols won 73-53 at Mizzou on Dec. 30. Missouri won the rematch 73-64 in Knoxville on Jan. 23 in a game Tennessee committed 18 turnovers.
Calipari downplayed Tennessee’s ups and downs as the new normal of this season.
“It’s nutty everywhere,” he said “They’re good. … They’ll be ready for this game.”
Saturday
No. 11 Tennessee at Kentucky
When: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 5-11 (4-5 SEC), Tennessee (12-4, 5-4)
Series: Kentucky leads 156-74
Last meeting: Tennessee won 81-73 on March 3, 2020, in Rupp Arena
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
