Kentucky’s first-round NCAA opponent reminds Scott Padgett of ‘our Pitino days’
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Men’s NCAA Tournament: Previewing Kentucky vs. Saint Peter’s
Click below to view more content from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com previewing Kentucky’s men’s basketball matchup against Saint Peter’s on Thursday night in the NCAA East Regional at Indianapolis.
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Former Kentucky player Scott Padgett is familiar with UK’s first-round opponent in this year’s NCAA Tournament. As an assistant coach for Manhattan, he competes in the same Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as Saint Peter’s.
Saint Peter’s beat Manhattan twice this season: 73-51 at Manhattan and 77-51 at home.
“The first game, we actually were all right,” Padgett said this week. “Then our best player got ejected, and it fell apart. But the second game, that was just a total butt whipping.”
Padgett summed up Saint Peter’s succinctly. “What they are is a team,” he said.
He described Saint Peter’s as a deep team that plays hard and emphasizes defense.
“There’s not one guy that makes them go,” Padgett said.
Guard Daryl Banks (11.0 ppg) and forward KC Ndefo (10.6 ppg) are the leading scorers.
“If both of those guys end up with four (points each), somebody else can get 20,” Padgett said. “They play 10 guys (about) 10 minutes a game.”
Saint Peter’s has 10 players averaging between 10 and 26 minutes a game.
In terms of multiple options, Padgett likened Saint Peter’s to the Kentucky teams he played on in the 1990s.
“It’s kind of like our (Rick) Pitino days,” said Padgett, an assistant at Manhattan under another former Wildcat, Steve Masiello. “The 10th man could be on the starting team for them. I’m not saying it’s the same level of talent.”
But the benefit is the same: depth equals accountability and effort.
“If somebody isn’t playing hard, (the coach) is just going to get somebody in who is,” Padgett said. “And they understand that. Now, everybody plays hard and it makes them a tough team because they’re not going to wear down.”
Saint Peter’s Coach Shaheen Holloway, once a standout player for Seton Hall, told the New York Post that putting a priority on defense helped the Peacocks recover from a 3-6 start to the season.
“I got back to doing what I did that got me here,” Holloway told the Post. “That’s being a good defensive coach and locking people up.”
Saint Peter’s opponents averaged 61.8 points, which makes for the 19th-best scoring defense in Division I. Ndefo averages 2.73 blocks, which is 13th best in Division I.
“They’re totally defensive-minded,” Padgett said.
In two games against Saint Peter’s, Manhattan shot with 30.9 percent and 38.8 percent accuracy. Manhattan made eight of 31 three-point shots in those games.
Overall, opponents made 38.3 percent of their shots and 29.3 percent of three-point attempts, the latter ranked 13th-best in Division I. Opponents also had more than 100 more turnovers than assists: 419 of the former, 313 of the latter.
Of course, rebounding is a key for any Kentucky opponent. The Saint Peter’s front line has size, but not bulk, said Padgett, who added, “I think it’s going to be an issue.”
Saint Peter’s outrebounded its opponents by an average of 36.2-33.1.
On his radio show Monday night, UK Coach John Calipari said that one of Saint Peter’s players was “the Oscar of the MAAC.”
Padgett said this was probably a reference to Ndefo, a 6-foot-7 small forward who sometimes moves to the center position. He averaged 6.2 rebounds in 25.7 minutes. “He’s the best rebounder in our league,” the former UK player said.
Padgett likened Saint Peter’s to the Wofford team that played against Kentucky in a second-round game in Jacksonville in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He said the similarity rests in having players who know their roles. UK outlasted Wofford 62-56.
Holloway told the New York Post that he expected his team to compete against Kentucky.
“It’s going to be a great experience for our guys,” he said. “I’ll tell you what. My guys aren’t going to be intimidated.”
Padgett agreed.
“No, they won’t,” he said. “He’s built their program on toughness. And I think because of the way he’s built the team, there isn’t any superstar.”
Padgett said he expected Saint Peter’s to exceed its average of 16.7 three-point shots per game against Kentucky.
“If they try to take on (Oscar) Tshiebwe and some of those other guys, they’re going to get the shot blocked,” he said.
Banks (36.4 percent) and Doug Edert (41.2 percent) combined to make 89 three-point shots this season.
When asked for a prediction on the game, Padgett said, “I’ll be honest. I don’t think they can beat Kentucky. But I think they can make it tough for a while.
“Like, they’re not just going to roll over. The only way (UK loses) is along that Tennessee line: Oscar’s in foul trouble and we shoot 2-for-20 from the three.”
Etc.
Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl will call the game for CBS.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
