Kentucky has gone from being ranked No. 4 in the preseason to being on the bubble in mid-January 😰 CBB_Central examines five things contributing to its struggles
’s home loss to South Carolina this week was one of the most shocking results of the season. For context: The Wildcats were favored by more against the Gamecocks than they were against Saint Peter’s in last year’s NCAA tournament. The loss only further increased the tension in Lexington, where John Calipari’s program. With defending National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe back, no one saw the Wildcats’ struggles coming.After starting the season at No.
from Field of 68 analyst Terrence Oglesby does a great job of capturing some of Kentucky’s flaws offensively. In short, several of the staple actions in Kentucky’s offense that have been modernized in recent years to increase spacing by other programs haven’t been tweaked by the Wildcats, and there’s a lack of purpose to the team’s off-ball cutting and player movement that hurts its ability to get easy shots.
Alabama had tons of success attacking Tshiebwe in pick-and-roll situations, even playing him off the floor at times. Tshiebwe’s the defending National Player of the Year and a necessity for this team on the glass, so it’s not like sitting him is a real option. But his vulnerability in dealing with rollers in drop coverage has opened things up for opposing offenses, and poor rotations and communication haven’t helped.
Again, had Sharpe played this year in Lexington, the talent disparity wouldn’t be as noticeable. It also wouldn’t shine through as much if Toppin had made the leap at power forward many expected in the preseason.Perhaps the loss to South Carolina is enough to spark something in this Kentucky team, but the Wildcats’ response to a disappointing start hasn’t been the inspired one you’d expect from a team that has several players in their final year of college basketball.
In some ways, Saturday’s showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville could be the best thing for Kentucky right now. It’s a low-expectation game the Wildcats are expected to lose on paper, against a team fully capable of bullying Kentucky physically if it doesn’t bring the fight. If there’s a time a fractured group could come together again, it would be for a game like this.
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