If you’re into fireworks, Saturday’s Kentucky-Alabama matchup is the shootout for you
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Game day: No. 8 Kentucky 81, No. 11 Texas A&M 69
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Texas A&M in Rupp Arena.
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Note to the Central Bank Center maintenance crew: Better make sure there are new fuses in the Rupp Arena scoreboards. Saturday, those things could blow.
Before Tuesday night’s college basketball action, Alabama led the nation in scoring at 91.1 points per game.
Kentucky was No. 3 in that category at 89.6 points per game.
Saturday brings the offensive matchup we’ve long awaited. No. 4-ranked Alabama vs. No 8 Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Nate Oats vs. Mark Pope. High noon. ESPN. If we’re lucky, we will not have seen this many fireworks since July 4.
In fact, when Pope was named Kentucky coach back in April, we super sleuths asked around in an effort to learn about his offensive style at BYU. More often than not, the response was the same. Think Nate Oats. Think Alabama.
Translation: Fast pace. Spread the floor. Lots and lots of 3-point shots. Few tough 2s. Bombs and layups are the desired attempts. Heavy on analytics. Heavy on entertainment.
That’s the approach that Oats, the former high school math teacher, has used to transform hoops fortunes in Tuscaloosa. The 50-year-old from Watertown, Wisconsin, is 131-57 since taking over the Crimson Tide. Last season, Alabama reached the Final Four for the first time in the history of the program.
It’s also the approach that Pope, the former Columbia med school student, has used to make Kentucky basketball fun again. Alabama has scored 90-or-more points in eight games this season. Kentucky has scored 90-or-more in nine games. Bama owns four Quad 1 wins in the NCAA NET rankings. Kentucky owns six. (Auburn is the only team with more with nine.)
What’s that? You say that Ole Miss slowed the Crimson Tide to a crawl on Tuesday night? True. Further proof that Chris Beard can coach a little defense, the Rebels gummed up Alabama’s works on the way to a 74-64 win. Bama missed 15 of its 20 attempts from 3-point territory. Freshman guard Labaron Philon missed all eight of his shots. Preseason SEC Player of the Year Mark Sears was 2-of-8 from the field.
“It’s disgusting, to be honest with you,” Oats said after the game of his club’s effort. “With the amount of fifth-year seniors and the leadership that should be showing on this team — to have guys not come ready to play — it starts with me because I’m supposed to be the one motivating these guys and I obviously didn’t motivate them very well to make sure they’re ready.”
Kentucky had to fight the frustration
Kentucky wasn’t its regular self either in its 81-69 win over No. 11 Texas A&M on Tuesday in Rupp. To be fair, the Aggies were without leading scorer Wade Taylor IV. But despite the beating glass-gobbling visitors 40-30 on the boards, Pope said his Cats never found a sustainable groove. They had to fight through the frustration. And did.
“Our guys are pretty good about metabolizing frustration,” Pope said afterward. “If you are going to be a good team, you have to get rid of frustration. You have to absorb it and spit it out and our guys can do that.”
That’s not all they can do.
““I really enjoyed studying it,” said Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams on Tuesday. “I know that sounds condescending. I mean it in the most respectful way. Really good players, a lot of variety to the skill as you know. But I think the utilization of the talent and the skill considering the newness of the coach and his staff and the players. That’s really difficult to do. I have not seen any of their practices or their film sessions but the teaching that is going on and the itinerary of the practices — for them to have the execution that they have — (it is) remarkable. The third best offense in the country.”
So, I expect both teams to bring their A-games to Rupp. Or at least that’s the hope. There may be some traditionalists turned off by these so-called modern offenses that love to run and gun. Not me. Pine for the wrestling matches of yesteryear all you want. I love the sweet sound of the ball ripping the net.
There should be plenty of that Saturday.
