1-3 record away from Rupp Arena shows Kentucky’s not yet adept at ‘dogfights’
Kentucky’s 1-3 record in games away from Rupp Arena led Kellan Grady to characterize Tuesday night’s game at Vanderbilt as an opportunity.
Speaking Monday of Kentucky’s losses at Notre Dame and LSU, he said, “in both games, we felt we could have won. We felt we should have won, in fact.”
Grady suggested a victory at Vanderbilt would be significant.
“It would be huge for our team overall,” he said. “… We’ve been in two dogfights. And we’ve had our opportunities to win.”
Not for the first time this season (and echoing back to a familiar theme last season), Kentucky cited inadequate performance in late-game situations as the leading cause of defeat. That might include the neutral-court loss to Duke to open the season. In that game, UK rallied, then faded down the stretch.
“We didn’t make enough plays (at Notre Dame and LSU) in the last four or five minutes,” Grady said. “(We) didn’t get enough crucial stops. So, if we can learn from those two games and come up with a win on the road, I think just for our collective spirit, I think it’ll be big for us.”
Assistant coach Jai Lucas also linked the losses at Notre Dame and LSU to late-game stumbles.
“Around that six- (or) five-minute mark, when you have to really be on your Ps and Qs on both ends of the court,” he said in identifying the reason Kentucky lost.
In both cases, point guard Sahvir Wheeler was not on the court: at Notre Dame because he shot the ball poorly and at LSU because of a neck injury that resulted from running into a back pick.
Court awareness
A game at Vanderbilt means dealing with the unusual court conditions in Memorial Gym. The team benches are behind the baseline. The seats along the sidelines are farther away than usual.
Kellan Grady, who said he played for Davidson at Vanderbilt, acknowledged the different environment. But he downplayed its significance.
“At the end of the day, it’s a game and everything is decided between the lines,” he said.
But Lucas said that UK Coach John Calipari had spoken to the team about the different playing environment at Vandy.
“Something we’ve got to get accustomed to,” Lucas said, “which is hard in a short turnaround.”
As a member of Florida’s 2007-08 team, Lucas played in Memorial Gym.
“I remember my first time playing there,” he said. “It’s weird. It’s really different.”
‘Tremendous strides’
Daimion Collins and Lance Ware have played sparingly so far this season. Collins has played one time for 10 or more minutes in the last seven games. Ware played 76 seconds against Georgia on Saturday.
“They’ve made tremendous strides,” Lucas said. “… They continue to keep great attitudes and continue to work hard.”
Lucas cited Oscar Tshiebwe’s play as a factor.
“It’s hard not to have Oscar on the floor for every minute,” he said.
Freshman of Week
The SEC named TyTy Washington its Freshman of the Week for a third straight time. That made him the first player to do that since UK’s Devin Booker won it four straight weeks in the 2014-15 season.
Overall, Washington has been named SEC Freshman of the Week four times this season. The record is five times by Booker.
The SEC named Missouri forward Kobe Brown its Player of the Week.
‘Big’ void
Vanderbilt was expecting transfer 7-footer Liam Robbins to be a presence around the basket. Playing for Minnesota last season he led the Big Ten in blocks (2.7 per game). He also averaged 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds.
But Robbins has not yet played this season. He injured a foot in the preseason. Then his rehabilitation was halted when a “stress reaction” (a preliminary condition that might lead to a stress fracture) was discovered.
Robbins and Vanderbilt got encouraging news between Christmas and New Year’s when a MRI examination revealed the stress reaction has lessened. He no longer had to wear a protective boot.
Vanderbilt now hopes Robbins can play in early February. Coincidentally, Vandy is scheduled to play at Kentucky on Feb. 2.
Rebounding
Before his team played Kentucky, LSU Coach Will Wade noted that Tshiebwe’s average for offensive rebounds was greater than the total rebound average of all but two of the Tigers’ players.
The same is true of Vanderbilt.
Tshiebwe will go into the game averaging 5.5 offensive rebounds. That leads all Division I players.
Vanderbilt’s top two total rebound averages belong to Quentin Millora-Brown (5.8 per game) and Jordan Wright (5.7).
Overall, Vanderbilt has outrebounded opponents by an average of 2.1 rebounds (36.1-34.0).
Etc.
Kevin Fitzgerald and Jay Bilas will call the game for ESPN.
