Calipari: Close loss to Florida reveals what Kentucky basketball lacks
After yet another loss resulting from being outplayed down the stretch, Kentucky Coach John Calipari dismissed the notion that the lack of a midweek game disrupted his team’s rhythm.
Saturday’s 71-67 loss to Florida exposed something far more consequential missing from this season’s Kentucky team.
“We don’t have that guy out there to take the ball and say, ‘I’m going to make this stuff happen,’” Calipari said.
The UK coach wasn’t finished explaining what this Kentucky team lacks.
“And when your point (guard) is a little bit shaky because of how they’re playing, then the rest of us are shaky,” he said.
Calipari evoked memories of such a point guard: John Wall, Brandon Knight, Tyler Ulis, De’Aaron Fox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are on a long list.
“We’ve had that guy who would just go get a basket or create something …,” Calipari said. “We’re not having that right now.”
No go-to guy. No superior playmaking.
Possession-by-possession games put a premium on such players. From almost beginning to end, that was this Kentucky defeat.
Neither team could separate itself. Kentucky led by 10 for under two minutes midway through the first half. That was the only double-digit cushion for either squad. For all but 33 seconds, it was a single-possession difference In the final eight-plus minutes.
Florida won it by making four of four free throws inside the final 24 seconds.
Calipari called a jump shot by Tre Mann that put Florida ahead 67-63 with 1:47 left the kind of dagger that wounds. By contrast, Kentucky had one basket in the final 3:53.
Davion Mintz, who has been Kentucky’s Mr. Clutch, missed two “dagger” three-point shots down the stretch. He led UK with 21 points.
Kentucky fell to 8-14 overall and 7-8 in the Southeastern Conference. It was the 10th time UK had been outscored in the final four minutes of a losing game. It was the fifth time UK lost when it was a one-possession margin going into the final four minutes.
When asked if there is a wearing down effect, Olivier Sarr said, “it’s definitely not easy. Something that I think about is, hopefully it’s something that it will pay off someday. Just try to learn from these experiences.”
Florida, 13-6 overall and 9-5 in the SEC, came to Lexington in the midst of a topsy-turvy season of rallies and collapses, sometimes in the same game.
Kentucky saw to it that Florida’s seesaw season continued in the first half.
UK made its first four shots and seven of the first 10. That enabled the Cats to claim a 26-16 lead with 10:52 left.
But the good times did not last. From the 13:58 mark to 50 seconds remaining in the first half Kentucky had only one basket. From 7:31 to the 50-second mark UK did not have a basket.
In one stretch, Kentucky committed turnovers on five straight trips downcourt, and six in a four-minute span.
That helped Florida rally. But Kentucky led 39-38 at halftime.
Defense and free throws steadied the UK ship. Free throws by Isaiah Jackson (three of four) gave UK a 46-44 lead at the first television timeout of the second half.
At that point, UK had made 19 of 21 free throws, while Florida was four of four from the line.
Jacob Toppin’s fourth three-pointer of the season gave Kentucky a 49-47 lead with 13:09 left. At that point, another possession-by-possession test in the final minutes seemed inevitable.
Foul trouble hindered any chance Kentucky had to break away. Devin Askew picked up his third foul with 15:37 left. He sat out only two minutes. He returned to boost a Kentucky offense that was scoreless while he was on the bench.
Jackson picked up his third foul at the 15:47 mark, then got hit with his fourth with 10:25 left.
Still, Kentucky battled.
“The disappointing thing is this team fought to get themselves in a good position …,” Calipari said. “That something good could happen for us.”
Kentucky did not resemble the team that had won its previous three games. The Cats had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio (seven-to-15) for the first time in five games. UK made only one of 11 three-point shots in the second half.
To explain the poor shooting, Calipari cited the impulse to play as an individual rather than in a team concept. UK had made 44.4 percent of its three-point shots in the last four games.
“We were not as connected as we had been …,” Calipari said. “We weren’t the same team.”
Next game
Kentucky at Mississippi
When: 9 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ESPN
