Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s surprising loss to Utah
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 69-66 upset loss to Utah in Las Vegas:
1. The Cats just have a hard time making threes
John Calipari’s club came into the game at T-Mobile Arena shooting just 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, which ranked 285th out of the 353 Division I teams. And that ranking is sure to drop after the Cats went 2-of-17 from three against the Utes.
Ashton Hagans and Kahlil Whitney were the only two players to actually make a three. Hagans was 1-for-4. Whitney was 1-for-3. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey was 0-for-4, including a three-point attempt late that would have tied but missed badly. Immanuel Quickley was 0-for-4 from three, including one from the left corner at the end of the game. And Keion Brooks was 0-for-2.
So far this season, UK has gone 2-of-14 for 14.3 percent from three against Eastern Kentucky; 4-of-17 for 23.5 percent against Evansville; 1-of-12 for 8.3 percent from three against Utah Valley; 2-of-11 for 18.2 percent from three against Fairleigh Dickinson and now 2-of-17 for 11.8 percent against Utah. Not good.
2. Kentucky’s defense wasn’t very good either
Utah ended up shooting 62.5 percent for the second half and 54.8 percent for the game. Over the final 20 minutes, the Utes were 10-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. On the night, Utah was 8-of-15 from behind the stripe for 53.3 percent.
After Kentucky missed a pair of three-pointers that would have tied the score, Utah’s Riley Battin drilled a triple from the left corner that extended the Utes’ lead to 66-60 with 2:27 to play.
The 54.8 percent was the highest field goal percentage against the Cats since Buzz Williams’ Virginia Tech Hokies shot 58.2 percent at Rupp Arena on Dec. 16, 2017. UK managed to win that game 93-86. The Cats were not so fortunate in Las Vegas.
And the 53.3 percent three-point shooting percentage by the Utes was the highest by a UK opponent with 10-or-more attempts since Georgia was 6-of-10 against the Cats on Jan. 31, 2017. It was the highest by a team taking at least 15 three-pointers since Auburn went 11-of-19 from three for 57.9 percent against Kentucky on Feb. 21, 2015.
3. Maybe Kentucky was looking ahead to Ohio State
Indeed, all in all it was a bad first night in UK’s two-game trip to Vegas. The Cats fell behind 18-9 early, trailed by 17 in the second half and had multiple chances to take control in the final minutes only to come up short. Plus, we watching at home had to endure Bill Walton for two-plus hours.
Now comes fifth-ranked Ohio State on Saturday, the game that was supposed to be the real litmus test for this Kentucky team. Or at least until the Cats returned home to face Louisville on Dec. 28. Ohio State no doubt wants to make amends for its first loss of the season, an 84-71 setback at Minnesota on Sunday night in a Big Ten battle. That defeat may have kept the Buckeyes from the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AP poll.
Now Kentucky has something to make amends for, as well. And you have to wonder about Calipari’s club on the offensive end. It managed just 69 points against UAB and 67 against Georgia Tech before Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Ohio State ranks fourth nationally in kenpom’s defensive efficiency rankings.
The Cats have a couple of days in Vegas to lick their wounds and try and figure things out before Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic. Ohio State will be waiting.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 2:08 AM.
