Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Peter’s
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Men’s NCAA Tournament: Saint Peter’s stuns Kentucky
Click below to view more content from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com on the Kentucky’s men’s basketball team’s loss to 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s on Thursday night in the NCAA East Regional at Indianapolis.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 85-79 overtime loss to the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in a first-round game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
1. Even in March Madness, this was an embarrassing loss
This will rank as one of the most embarrassing defeats in the storied history of Kentucky basketball. There’s just no other way to slice it. No ifs, ands or buts.
Since the NCAA began seeding teams for its basketball tournament in 1986, only nine times out of 144 had a No. 15 seed defeated a No. 2 seed. Now, make it 10. Kentucky was a 17-point favorite over the winners of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament, a team that finished second in its league, that was 12-11 before ripping off seven straight wins to make the Big Dance.
And yet Kentucky, a No. 2 seed, lost to the Peacocks, a No. 15 seed. The same Kentucky that ripped through North Carolina 98-69 in December, that obliterated Tennessee 107-79 at Rupp Arena in January, that brought a hush to Allen Fieldhouse by dominating Kansas 80-62 in Lawrence as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Only this wasn’t the same Kentucky. Not down the stretch. Blame it on injuries that constantly disrupted lineups. Blame it on fatigue. Blame it on not being able to produce when it counted most. Starting with that 76-63 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 5, John Calipari’s club went 5-4 over its final nine games, including two straight dispiriting defeats to close the campaign — the 69-62 SEC Tournament loss to the Vols, then this embarrassing first-round NCAA defeat.
“My whole thing this week, because they had never played in this stuff, was to get them to play free and loose,” Calipari said, “and we never got to that.”
2. Lack of late-game execution spelled UK’s exit
The game had been nip-and-tuck all night. Neither team led by more than five points before — finally — Kentucky put together a 10-2 spurt for a six-point advantage at 68-62 when point guard Sahvir Wheeler scored off a drive at the 4:12 mark.
After that, however, the Cats scored just one basket. Five possessions, three points. Wheeler and Kellan Grady misconnected on a pass Grady fumbled out of bounds. Then Wheeler overthrew Tshiebwe in the post. Then Mintz missed off a contested drive. Finally, after an offensive rebound by Tshiebwe, Grady hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to put the Cats up 71-69.
But after Doug Edert scored off a drive with 21 seconds remaining to tie the game at 71, Kentucky again failed to execute its offense when it counted, ending up badly forced TyTy Washington shot that missed badly, sending the game into overtime.
Even then, UK scored the first four points of the extra period only to see that evaporate thanks to its own mistakes. The Cats ended up 1-for-6 at the foul line in overtime. After Mintz made one of two foul shots for a 76-75 lead at the 2:05 mark, the Cats again went cold, scoring just one basket, a Washington three-pointer to make it 81-79 with 21 seconds left.
This wasn’t the first time that Kentucky failed to execute in the final minutes of a possession-by-possession game. It was the last time for this season, however.
Said Calipari, “I just wish I had had the answers to get them through it.”
3. Actually, defense was this team’s final downfall
Shaheen Holloway’s team brought a stellar defensive reputation into this first-round game, but Saint Peter’s offense clicked all night. The Peacocks shot 50.9 percent from the floor. They were 9-for-17 from three-point range. They were 18 of 21 from the foul line. And despite Tshiebwe’s 16 rebounds (to go with his 30 points), Saint Peter’s lost the battle of the boards by just one rebound at 36-35.
“The biggest thing,” Grady said afterward, “we got away from guarding like the way we were guarding at a high level.”
“They backdoored us to death,” Calipari said. “They beat us off the bounce and played off of screens. Give (Saint Peter’s) credit.”
Indeed, the gritty Peacocks from the swamps of Jersey were the tougher team all night long, one never intimidated by a crowd that was overwhelmingly pro-UK, one never giving an inch at either end of the floor to the team with “Kentucky” across its chest. Saint Peter’s deserved to win and then some.
And Kentucky deserved to lose. It shot 42.6 percent from the floor, including just 4-of-15 from three point range. Grady was 1-for-7 from behind the line. And UK was 23 of 35 from the foul line. It committed 13 turnovers. Wheeler was credited with six of those.
“I feel bad for the guys. They’re taking it hard,” said Calipari, adding he personally hated to see the season end considering how much joy they had brought him and their accomplishments this season.
Unfortunately, much of that will be overshadowed by how the season ended, of how a No. 2 seed Kentucky lost to a No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 11:21 PM.
