Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over LSU
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 82-69 win over the LSU Tigers on Saturday night in Rupp Arena:
1. Take care of the ball, make shots
It seems so easy. Why didn’t the Cats think of it before? After all, during his Friday meetup wit the media via Zoom, UK assistant coach Joel Justus said the coaches believed that despite its 4-9 record, Kentucky’s defense had been more than adequate. “We just need to figure out how to score some points,” Justus said.
Solution: Reduce turnovers and make baskets. Holding onto the ball being Job 1. After turning the ball over 54 times over the last three games, opposed to just 25 assists, John Calipari’s club sliced their generosity down to nine turnovers against Will Wade’s Tigers while dishing out 15 assists.
“I told them I want 10-12 turnovers,” said Calipari in his postgame presser. “I just don’t want 19.”
Able to secure the basketball, the Cats were able to then put it through the net. Shot selection was improved. And lo and behold, they hit those shots. At least in the first half. The Cats made four three-point shots in the first eight minutes on the way to a 23-9 lead over the Tigers. They made five of their first eight triples on the way to 6-for-17 in the first half before cooling down to 7-for-26 for the game. UK was 1-for-9 from three in the second half.
Still, those seven made threes were a big, big number. Consider: Kentucky is now 4-1 when it makes six or more three-pointers in a game, compared to just 1-8 when it makes less than six.
And Calipari wants them to shoot it more. He spent most of that postgame Zoom complaining that his players are passing up open shots while sometimes dribbling into bad ones. Kentucky ended up shooting 42.2 percent for the game, not that far off from its percentage for the season. Still, hitting early shots set the tone for the game.
“And the turnover number,” Calipari said. “That was big.”
2. Kentucky’s defense has been solid
On the flip side, LSU entered the game as one of the nation’s best offensive teams, ranked sixth by Ken Pomeroy’s analytics in adjusted offense. The Tigers boasted a dynamite scorer in freshman guard Cameron Thomas and a terrific post player in sophomore power forward Trendon Watford.
The result? The Tigers were held to 69 points. The same team that shot 50 percent or better in six of its previous 13 games, shot just 38.5 percent from the floor. LSU was an abysmal 4-for-23 from three-point range after going an abysmal 5-for-26 while being trounced by 30 points by Alabama on Tuesday. Thomas was held to 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Watford scored 26 points, but also took 20 shots.
And LSU’s defense, ranked 127th by kenpom, let the Tigers down. When the visitors reduced the Kentucky lead to 56-51 with 15:23 left, UK’s Brandon Boston went on a tear, scoring eight straight points - a three-pointer from the left wing; an old-fashioned three-point play off a drive and then a tip-in — to push the home team’s advantage back out to 64-51 with 10:13 left. LSU never got closer than seven the rest of the night.
Despite all its offensive woes, Kentucky entered the night ranked 20th by kenpom in adjusted defensive efficiency. LSU was the third straight opponent and fourth in the last five games to shoot less than 40 percent against the Cats. And UK rebounded those misses for a 46-35 edge on the boards. Isaiah Jackson grabbed a ridiculous 15 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Said Calipari, “Let’s keep taking pride in our defense and sees where this goes.”
3. Next up: A rematch with Alabama
Where the Cats go next is Tuscaloosa for a rematch with the best team in the conference. Alabama improved to 8-0 in SEC play and 13-3 overall with an 81-73 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. After making 23 of 43 three-point attempts in the romp at LSU, Nate Oats’ team was 14-for-34 beyond the arc against Ben Howland’s Bulldogs on Saturday.
Yes, that’s the very same Alabama that drilled Kentucky 85-65 in Rupp just last week. Since then, the Tide has run its win streak to nine straight. Its last loss was to Western Kentucky 73-71 at home way back on Dec. 19. Since then, Bama has scored 80-plus points in eight of its nine games. The one time it did not, it won 71-63 at Tennessee.
“It’s going to be a good game,” UK’s Lance Ware said on Saturday. “If we rebound and do what we have to do, it should be a good game.”
It’ll be a tall order, but it’s also a huge opportunity for a team that is in dire need of a huge wins. Beating LSU was a nice victory. The Tigers were 5-2 in SEC play. But Alabama is rolling. And a win over the Tide in Tuscaloosa could be a game-changer for a team that is desperately trying to change the direction of its season.
Said Ware: “We still believe we can do this.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2021 at 10:13 PM.
