It's almost like they let their players go by them so that they can pin them on the backboard lol.

 

They do, and that is frustrating.

 

I stated a few weeks ago in a thread that they do not hustle back on fast breaks either. Instead of cutting off the path to the basket, they go for the big highlight reel block.

 

Last night, John Wall got one of those blocks in the 1st half. I was frustrated because he jogged back so that he could go for the block, instead of sprinting back and taking a charge. The people behind me were drooling over the block.

They do, and that is frustrating.

 

I stated a few weeks ago in a thread that they do not hustle back on fast breaks either. Instead of cutting off the path to the basket, they go for the big highlight reel block.

 

Last night, John Wall got one of those blocks in the 1st half. I was frustrated because he jogged back so that he could go for the block, instead of sprinting back and taking a charge. The people behind me were drooling over the block.

 

The Sportscenter/LeBron Effect! Blah! I guess I love fundamentals too much.

If they have a let down like that against Kansas or Syracuse,they will be looking a 10 point or better deficit. That said,I would love to see just what this team could do if they would put 40 minutes together instead of around 20 to 25.

 

I thought they did that against Arkansas.

 

I also believe they'll play with more focus when the level of competition is upped. They simply have too much talent for SEC competition. That doesn't mean they can't lose (South Carolina proved that), but its hard to play with high intensity when you're significantly better than your opponents. It would be nice to see them learn to keep their foot on the gas and bury these teams, and they need to learn to keep the intensity level up.

 

If they do that against the top teams come tournament team, it will likely be their undoing. I'm confident they'll bring it for 40 minutes when the time comes.

Bingo.

 

The whole team lacks a focus as evident by them not always running back to the other end of the court. They are getting by purely on being more gifted than the other teams. It is almost like watching an NBA game. The skill set of our guys is just superior, but a lack of mental and physical intensity is shown. Maybe once the February grind is over, and the lights are on, they will turn it on. Who knows? You generally are who you are, and me hoping for them to flip the switch may just be wishful thinking.

 

The nightmare scenario for UK is to get to the Final Four in a showdown with Kansas and race out to a double digit lead in the first ten minutes. :lol:

Did anyone else notice the number of charges last night? I believe it was at least 5+, which tells me a couple things...

 

1) Our big men are doing a good job and moving their feet, as well as picking the appropriate time to go for a charge vs. attempt a block.

 

2) Our guards are letting a little to much penetration. I'm sure they really like having Cousins, Orton, Patterson, and heck even Stevenson back there. I mean we are the tallest team in the NCAA.

 

3) UK is back to getting some breaks from officials in SEC play, especially at Rupp.

3) UK is back to getting some breaks from officials in SEC play, especially at Rupp.

 

Coming from someone who has officiated many games, one of the toughest calls to make at times is the difference between a block and a charge. And the level of talent/speed that I officiated is nothing like that of this level. So, I give the officials the benefit of the doubt when it comes to that a lot of the time. Especially since they can't watch it on replay 3-4 times lol.

UK played well. I was proud our guys never laid down! We took a lot of shots in the chin from UK and didn't quit after every shot.

I just thought UK played ho-hummish, not well at all. They brought it for about 10 minutes of the game. The rest of the time they just maintained and did not do much.

Kentucky does not play defense well enough to win the championship right now.

 

They are capable of it, but Wall & Bledsoe (especially) are too lazy on defense & rely too heavily on their athletic ability to make plays. It can be frustrating to watch.

I thought the defense was making it too easy for Ole Miss players to get to the rim on drives. Better teams down the road will eat them alive if they allow that to continue.

This is not a knock on Ole Miss in any way, but as I was watching the game I couldn't help but think of the '96 Team. This was the type of game where after that 15-0 run in the 1st half they would have went on to win by 30 IMO. If this version could find half of that type of defensive intensity, they could be special.

I agree with most of the above posts on defense and lack of fundamentals. IMO Coach Cal needs to crank it up even more on raising the intensity level and he has enough firepower on the bench to do it. He has started doing this some, especially when he sees lackluster effort on the defensive end. He needs to do it even more. The message is play with intensity or come sit and watch someone else get it done. Poster child for this message is Liggins. He is bringing it every night and he is getting the playing time as a reward.

 

The defense the last 5 minutes of the game was excellent. No one from Ole Miss got to the rim even though they spread the floor to take advantage as had been happening throughout the game. UK picked up the intensity and shut them down. It shows that if they played with that focus and intensity they can get it done. The reason UK consistently lets teams back in games is because of losing focus on both ends of the floor. They get lazy on defense and allow easy baskets. They get cute on offense trying to put on a show and start turning it over and having lost possessions. The next time UK starts to let a team back into a game, if I were Cal I would empty my bench and put my 5 best defensive players from the bench on the floor. Crank up the defensive intensity and make that other team work for every basket. Get patient and work for the good shots on offense. I would go with Liggins, Harris, Orton, Stephenson and then maybe Wall or Beldsoe to keep a PG leader on the floor. Tell them to get after on D and let's see what happens.

This is not a knock on Ole Miss in any way, but as I was watching the game I couldn't help but think of the '96 Team. This was the type of game where after that 15-0 run in the 1st half they would have went on to win by 30 IMO. If this version could find half of that type of defensive intensity, they could be special.

 

Maybe Coach Cal should bust out some old game tape from these teams to help express his point. I'm sure these guys would like to be remembered as the best team to ever wear the White & Blue, but they have these guys to top.

 

Think that would give them any type of motivation?

I agree with most of the above posts on defense and lack of fundamentals. IMO Coach Cal needs to crank it up even more on raising the intensity level and he has enough firepower on the bench to do it. He has started doing this some, especially when he sees lackluster effort on the defensive end. He needs to do it even more. The message is play with intensity or come sit and watch someone else get it done. Poster child for this message is Liggins. He is bringing it every night and he is getting the playing time as a reward.

 

The defense the last 5 minutes of the game was excellent. No one from Ole Miss got to the rim even though they spread the floor to take advantage as had been happening throughout the game. UK picked up the intensity and shut them down. It shows that if they played with that focus and intensity they can get it done. The reason UK consistently lets teams back in games is because of losing focus on both ends of the floor. They get lazy on defense and allow easy baskets. They get cute on offense trying to put on a show and start turning it over and having lost possessions. The next time UK starts to let a team back into a game, if I were Cal I would empty my bench and put my 5 best defensive players from the bench on the floor. Crank up the defensive intensity and make that other team work for every basket. Get patient and work for the good shots on offense. I would go with Liggins, Harris, Orton, Stephenson and then maybe Wall or Beldsoe to keep a PG leader on the floor. Tell them to get after on D and let's see what happens.

:thumb: I like it!

I agree with most of the above posts on defense and lack of fundamentals. IMO Coach Cal needs to crank it up even more on raising the intensity level and he has enough firepower on the bench to do it. He has started doing this some, especially when he sees lackluster effort on the defensive end. He needs to do it even more. The message is play with intensity or come sit and watch someone else get it done. Poster child for this message is Liggins. He is bringing it every night and he is getting the playing time as a reward.

 

The defense the last 5 minutes of the game was excellent. No one from Ole Miss got to the rim even though they spread the floor to take advantage as had been happening throughout the game. UK picked up the intensity and shut them down. It shows that if they played with that focus and intensity they can get it done. The reason UK consistently lets teams back in games is because of losing focus on both ends of the floor. They get lazy on defense and allow easy baskets. They get cute on offense trying to put on a show and start turning it over and having lost possessions. The next time UK starts to let a team back into a game, if I were Cal I would empty my bench and put my 5 best defensive players from the bench on the floor. Crank up the defensive intensity and make that other team work for every basket. Get patient and work for the good shots on offense. I would go with Liggins, Harris, Orton, Stephenson and then maybe Wall or Beldsoe to keep a PG leader on the floor. Tell them to get after on D and let's see what happens.

 

 

 

Stevenson?

Stevenson?

 

Yeah seriously, I may would go with him for 5 minutes a game.

The further into the season we get it seems Miller's role will continue to diminish, and rightfully so. He doesn't bring near the offensive firepower of Dodson or the defensive intensity of Liggins.

 

Speaking of Liggins, what a turnaround from a year ago, eh? Last year he was a shoot-first, all about me out of control PG, and this year he's the most selfless player on the team, making all the hustle plays, and seeming to like playing defense more than offense.