January 27, 201016 yr Not that it's even close to over, but I'd bet last night helped Downy more for POY in the SEC than it did for Wall. Heck Cousins made a lot of noise as well. Yep. They were the 2 best players on the floor last night.
January 27, 201016 yr Let' not short change what Downey did tonight from the UK side. He is fun to watch. He is a two guard and not a point guard, which makes me curious as to how that will play over at the next level. In addition, he has a very high dribble which he will have to correct before getting to the League. When you allow teams to hang around, then things get magnified. People forget there is a lot of fools gold in UK's season this year...a lot of games they were able to pull out at the end...not this one. I think one big play in the game is when Bledsoe missed that layup. I think that would have pushed it to 7 point lead if I'm not mistaken. In regards to Patterson, he is playing out on the floor and still has some things to learn there. He still needs to hit the glass with a consistent effort. He hasnt really played that great in about a month. Someone needs to step up and take the 3 spot by the horns. I don't remember who, but someone earlier in the season (it may have been Coach Cal) even said that they have to learn how to put teams away. That one of their weaknesses is not staying cut-throat. If you let teams just keep hanging around till the end of the game, eventually some of those teams will beat you. This could be a good wake up call. Maybe now they realize that you can't slack off at any point. Could be a good thing in the long run. Besides, going ___ & 1 still wouldn't be a bad season.
January 27, 201016 yr My thoughts: South Carolina has beaten us 3 times in a row. No reason to rush the floor, but I understand their excitement. I take it as a compliment to our team & our program. I'm glad Kentucky doesn't pull those stunts, though. Demarcus Cousins played well. His stock continues to rise with each performance. Did Patrick Patterson play? Devan Downey confirmed what we already knew. The little guy can play. The amount he's scoring in conference play is incredible. But, to keep things in perspective, you have to realize how often he shoots. He did not shoot a great %, but he's doing what he needs to do. The fact is that SC lacks in talent & for them to have any shot at competing, Downey has to take that many shots. Other teams know it and can't stop it. Kudos to the little guy. Kentucky was sending a double team at Downey to make him give the ball up. The problem is that the 2nd defender was very frequently Patrick Patterson, a guy who has no shot at guarding Downey. Why not send Bledsoe & Wall, or Wall & Harris, or Miller, or SOMEBODY who has a SHOT at guarding Downey? By sending Patterson (or another big guy) out to guard Downey, it essentially creates a 5-3 advantage for SC. Downey just dribbled right around them virtually every time. I think Darius Miller has lost his spot at the 3. Darnell Dodson played GREAT defense tonight with a lot of energy. Dodson is a much bigger threat offensively, too. I love Miller, but he's playing too soft & you can tell it's eating Cal up. Unfortunately, Dodson didn't dunk the ball on that breakaway (which is a huge problem w/ Cal.) Had Dodson finished, the Cats would've tied it up with 5 mins to go and the outcome may have been very different. A lot can be taken from this loss. Most knew that we wouldn't go undefeated anyway. South Carolina has struggled, but everyone knew we were in for a dog fight. The beauty of this is that Calipari will get the team back to work and we'll continue to get better. Last but not least: Darrin Horn will be the next coach at the University of Kentucky in the post-Cal era.
January 27, 201016 yr The issue was UK didn't make him pay for missing a lot of shots, and instead rewarded USC by not boxing out at all. It was far from Downey's best game in the numbers, but will likely be remembered for the rest of his life in SC because they needed him to be the man, and as a team they got it done... A few thoughts and I'll start here. I thought Bledsoe did a great job on Downey man to man. Why didn't UK just let Downey get his 30 and block everyone else out? They went to help and tried blocking his shot every time and the only block on Downey I remember was Patterson blocking a semi break away after Bledsoe missed the open dunk/layup. I'd guess answering GT's question earlier that they had at least 14 points on put backs b/c someone went and tried blocking Downey instead of just showing help. The sky isn't falling, but I hate when people say "losing is a good thing". No it isn't. If it takes a loss to learn a lesson these guys aren't as good as I thought. When was the last time Wall dominated a game? UConn? If Bledsoe and Wall are going to comment on Downey they might want to back it up. Terrible decision for Bledsoe not to hammer that dunk. It swung momentum big time. Also Wall missed some shots he usually finishes around the basket. Patterson needs to get shots even if he isn't demanding the ball. He's their experienced All American. He can score w/ his back to the basket in ways Cousins can't. Cousins moves around the basket are spin one way or the other and go to the rim as hard as possible. It's great and it works b/c of how big he is, but when the guy guarding the 4 helps he gets blocked or misses more than when he destroys single coverage. Patterson finishes around the basket w/ jump hooks and other moves. He would score 65% of the time IMO if they posted him up. If the guy guearding Cousins helps Patterson is an able and willing passer. It isn't his fault that only Dodson attemted shots in the second half other than the three freshman. He needs to get the ball. If he doesn't demand it Wall needs to lead the team better and get him touches. The offensive goaltending was a terrible call on Orton. He had a shot blocked that was a clear goal tend and he clearly tipped a put back in after the ball left the rim. It was also a momentum changer.
January 27, 201016 yr Also, I remember some very good Kentucky teams that struggled against South Carolina each game. Despite the loss, I still feel pretty good about this team and our chances. Nothing has changed, except the pressure of perfection has been taken off of their shoulders.
January 27, 201016 yr Great win for South Carolina and I'm sure they will never forget it. My cousin is an Alum there and I know I'll never hear the end of it. At the end of the day, USC is NIT bound and UK is headed for a #1 seed.
January 27, 201016 yr Great win for South Carolina and I'm sure they will never forget it. My cousin is an Alum there and I know I'll never hear the end of it. At the end of the day, USC is NIT bound and UK is headed for a #1 seed. Probably right. Kentucky is still one of the few "teams to beat."
January 27, 201016 yr If UK gets production from the three spot they are virtually unbeatable. It makes them difficult to beat, but when UK comes to play and gives maximum effort, that is when they are toughest to beat. Amber Alert issued for PPat and Miller. Did Wall and Cousins score all but two points in the second half?
January 27, 201016 yr That seems to be a recurring pattern with Wall and one that he probably needs to work on or NBA scouts might wonder enough to drop him a spot or two. I love it. He doesn't force anything. He could have the biggest ego in the world and Rajon Rondo the ball the whole game. He doesn't, he works w/in the system and takes it over when it's on the line. That makes for a good PG. The problem w/ this team is that since SEC play has started, PP's role on the team has changed, to the point that last night he was non-existent. You could have put Harrelson out there for 2nd half and gotten that production. He needs to assert himself w/out disrupting the chemistry.
January 27, 201016 yr It makes them difficult to beat, but when UK comes to play and gives maximum effort, that is when they are toughest to beat. Amber Alert issued for PPat and Miller. Did Wall and Cousins score all but two points in the second half? Go ahead and put Bledsoe on that Amber Alert as well. 31 minutes, four points and five turnovers.
January 27, 201016 yr Go ahead and put Bledsoe on that Amber Alert as well. 31 minutes, four points and five turnovers. We have seen this act before from Miller, so his performance was not a big surprise. I thought Bledsoe was the worst player on the court last night.
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