Debacle in the Desert? No, but this Kentucky team has one big problem.
The Kentucky basketball team came all the way out to the desert to learn something that we should have known all along.
This team is offensively-challenged.
That’s the main takeaway from John Calipari’s club’s two-game trip to Las Vegas in which the Cats suffered an upset loss at the hands of Utah on Wednesday, then came up short in a possession-by-possession battle with No. 5-ranked Ohio State 71-65 in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
“If this is who we are,” said Calipari afterward, “we’re going to be fine.”
“John always has teams playing their best in March,” said Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann, the Jessamine County native who has the Buckeyes off to an 11-1 start.
Fortunately, there’s a long time between now and March. Unfortunately, this Kentucky team has one big problem that needs fixing.
“We’ve got guys open,” said Calipari, “we’re just missing shots.”
After shooting just two of 17 from three-point land in the 69-66 shocker on Wednesday night against a Utah team that lost by 28 points on Saturday to San Diego State, UK shot just 34 percent the second half against the Buckeyes, making just 10 of 29 shots.
Thanks to the emergence of Nate
That was glaringly obvious late with Ohio State nursing a 62-57 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Three straight awful UK possessions followed. Tyrese Maxey missed a contested drive. Immanuel Quickley forced a drive and had his shot blocked by Ohio State’s Nick Young. Then, last but not least, Quickley took a pass while falling out of bounds and heaved the ball to midcourt where it was intercepted by a Buckeye.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Ohio State’s freshman guard D.J. Carton scored on a left-handed drive in the lane. And when Florida State transfer C.J. Walker buried a three-pointer from the right wing with 26 seconds left Kentucky had fallen to 8-3.
To be sure, Ohio State has a terrific basketball team. The Buckeyes boast experience and a toughness that this Kentucky team lacks. At least right now. Ohio State rebounded UK 33-25. Kentucky’s leading rebounder was Maxey, who pulled down six boards.
Nick Richards, UK’s junior center, played all of 12 minutes because of foul trouble. He scored two points and failed to grab a rebound. EJ Montgomery, UK’s 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, scored all of four points and grabbed five rebounds in 27 minutes. Calipari said he told Richards that his play right now is “unacceptable” and as for Montgomery, “how about grab an offensive rebound.”
The loss to Ohio State wasn’t all that unexpected — the Buckeyes are good — but after the Utah loss, surely Kentucky wanted to show the nation that it was better than a couple of losses to teams that probably won’t make the NCAA Tournament in Evansville and Utah. The Utes followed up their Kentucky win with an 82-58 loss to No. 20 San Diego State.
And Kentucky fought on Saturday. The loss didn’t result from lack of effort. It resulted from a team that right now is struggling to put the ball in the basket, especially at key times of the game. And when you look at the roster, you have a hard time exactly seeing where that consistent scoring will originate.
“I think they’re going to be fine,” Holtmann said. “They’ll shoot it better moving forward. Obviously, that’s what everybody is pointing to shooting and offense. I think that will come.”
With Louisville next up on the schedule, Kentucky fans hope it comes sooner rather than later.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 9:48 PM.
