Kentucky (10-6, 1-3 SEC) is notable for how understated it is in the first half of the regular season. Best Wildcats win? A win in London against Michigan, with the team hovering around .500. I can’t see anything there.
But no more bad games TRUE From a thumping at Gonzaga to a defensive no-show at Missouri, it’s been bad for the Wildcats, starting the SEC play this month into a 26-point streak against a superior team in Alabama.
Nobody thought they were a cohesive team Tuesday, losing 71-68 at home to South Carolina by 43 points.
“You know, this is a long season,” Calipari told reporters afterward. You were short, but it doesn’t matter, you’re still playing to win.”
There seem to be more widespread complaints than ever about Calipari’s Wildcats stewardship. Demand an end to his run in Lexington and Details of ineffective working relationships between him and his athletic director. No one will make everyone happy unless the national title banner is an annual event.
It’s nowhere near as interesting as the confluence of developments that led to this season. Kentucky holds his second-worst record through his 16 games under Calipari, surpassing his 5-11 record during his season of the 2020–21 pandemic. A dud of 9-16 runs with a super-young team under circumstances that aren’t good for everyone is still recent enough to frustrate fans.
But this team is not young.Ranked 109th ken pom dot comThe Division I experience metric is a measure of college season weighted by the number of minutes used. Also, Oscar his Tzibue has won the National Player of the Year again (16.0 points per game, 13.1 rebounds per game, his goal percentage on the field is 58.4). His numbers are down a bit from last year, but he’s got at least 19 points in his four losses to Kentucky. he doesn’t matter. he is far from it.
Timing is also important. Kentucky has not reached the Final Four since his 2015. bounced back in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Last year in St. Peters. Postseason success could eclipse many regular season struggles. This team is not on track to capture that opportunity.
With an unimaginable offense suitable for Calipari’s early career, Kentucky needs a high-end defense. Arguably the most impressive aspect of his run with the Wildcats (besides recruiting) is his ability to force one-off players to focus on defense. But this is arguably the worst defensive team of Kentucky’s tenure.
“We thought we were going to be a defensive team. That’s the basis of what we do, so we need to strengthen that,” Calipari said.
Calipari has never been welcomed in a college-level job (which clearly doesn’t apply to his NBA stint with the New Jersey Nets). He led Massachusetts to the Final Four in his final season there, and had a Final Four and a Suite 16 to round out his time in Memphis.
Perhaps one of the country’s most high-profile problems with the program is the difficulty of creating an escape route. We have the NBA (see Pitino, Rick). And then there’s the strategic scalding into low-ceilinged spots that would happily land Kentucky sitting his coach (Tubby Smith playing to Minnesota).
But that’s a later subplot. Kentucky still has half the season left, starting with a trip to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday. Anxiety could intensify with lopsided losses, a real possibility in Knoxville.
“We have to get better,” Calipari said. “We have to get better than this. And it’s on me. Gotta get better.”
Those who went to bed a little early on the East Coast on Thursday saw Gonzaga’s 75-74 escape at BYU in one of the best games of the New Year so far thanks to a Julian Strother 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining. Missed. It gave bulldog First lead after 11:19 in the second half.
Provo, Utah is a tough place to play with nearly 19,000 fans yelling at visiting teams. BYU’s Looming Transition to the Big 12That wasn’t the Bulldogs’ first close call in the West Coast Conference. Or, for that matter, second.
A week ago, Drew Timme and Co. played from behind for most of San Francisco, trailing by a whopping 12 ahead of Rasir Bolton’s go-ahead layup in the final 10 seconds of a 77-75 win. . And two nights later, Santa Clara took the lead with 90 seconds remaining and Gonzaga pulled off an 81–76 win in the second half.
It’s tempting to suggest that Gonzaga (15-3, 4-0 WCC) will be tested further in March thanks to these matches. It’s a great assumption and could work out that way, but realistically, the meaning of the rally needed in the late game is usually marked as he thinks Few’s team is better than the rest of the league. is not overwhelmingly superior.
And what do you know? fine. As much as the program features Gonzaga’s lack of a national title, it’s one of college basketball’s great 21st-century success stories.Has played in every NCAA tournament since 1999. , have at least 28 wins in each of their last 10 seasons, and have advanced to the second weekend of their last seven NCAA Tournaments.
Playing closer than usual, but still on top of the WCC with 25+ wins and NCAA Tournament progress on track constitutes a poor year in Spokane, WA. If so, there are many programs you’ll be happy to switch to. where the bulldog is.
Gonzaga has problems, especially a very weak defense by that standard. But it’s going to be a headache for someone in the postseason.
Mid-Major Spotlight: Florida Atlantic
In some ways, the Owls are perhaps as traditional as a team in the 1st Tender League. They have systematically recruited, developed and retained talent under the guidance of 5th year coach Dusty Mae.
Along the way, Florida Atlantic has been sprinkled with big-ticket transfers every year, including Minnesota’s Brian Greenlee in 2020-21, Texas Tech’s Vladislav Goldin last season, and Connecticut’s Jaren Gaffney this year.
But there is something clearly unconventional about owls. Their top three scorers all come off the bench.
Sophomore Alija Martin (13.1 points average) has started five games and hasn’t played in a game since November. Sophomore Jonel Davis (11.8 ppg) started his first four games, missed two, and has been on the bench ever since. Michael Forrest (10.7 points average) is a heavyweight in his fifth season and hasn’t started all season.
With a deep team of nine players averaging between 16.1 and 26.1 minutes, it didn’t matter. (Goldin, the fourth scorer he’s a 7-foot-1 center, has scored his 10.3 points in 19.8 minutes).
The net effect is Florida Atlantic (15-1, 5-0) on a 14-game winning streak to take them into Saturday’s matchup with North Texas (14-3, 5-1). Both teams are at least two games away from the rest of Conference USA, and Mean Green’s only league loss was against the Owls on December 29.
The FAU leads the nation in bench scoring with 37.4 points per game (Milwaukee, Wisconsin is second with 36.2 points) and wisely relies heavily on three-point shooting (37.8% of outside jobs are domestic). ranked 38th). It’s a good mix and is in position to run the Owls in its first NCAA berth since 2002.
No. 19 Providence at Clayton (Saturday 2pm, Fox Sports 1): teeth brothers Has Jared Bynum recovered from an abdominal injury for this trip? This will certainly help as Providence (14-3, 6-0 Big East) are looking to extend their winning streak to 10. , and high-end victories can be used to revive the season.
No. 11 Kansas State at No. 17 TCU (Saturday at 2pm ESPN2): The Wildcats (15-1, Big 12 4-0) gave Fort Worth a nine-game winning streak, horned frog (13-3, 2-2), absorbing three straight losses would put them three games away from the conference lead. TCU’s four league games are 13 points behind in total.
No. 14 Iowa No. 2 Kansas (4 p.m. Saturday): The winner will retain at least a share of the Big 12 lead. Kansas (15-1, 4-0) is on his sixth straight win in the series, and the Cyclones (13-2, 4-0) are balanced by St. His Bonaventure’s Jaren Holmes (13.1 points). leading the attack. Iowa State beat Texas Tech 84-50, the most uneven win since 2013.
No. 24 Duke at Clemson (Saturday at 5pm, ACC Network): No. 1 Clemson (14-3) is 6-0 in the ACC for the first time after Hunter Tyson had 28 points and 11 rebounds against Louisville. Fresh out of late-season rallies against Boston College and Pittsburgh, a vulnerable Duke and his team are coming to Death Valley. the loss is blue devils (13-4, 4-2) Three games from the conference lead.
No. 25 Marquette at No. 12 Xavier (Noon, Sunday, Fox): Xavier (14-3, 6-0 Big East) is on a ten-game winning streak. Marquette (14-4, 6-1) is on his five-game streak, and the Tyler Kolek-helmed offense ranks second in the nation for efficiency. ken pom dot com, and keep the Golden Eagles in every game. Given the entertainment value, it will be difficult to come out on top this weekend.
No. 3 Purdue, Michigan (Monday at 2:30 PM, Fox): Since it’s a holiday weekend, the game will technically be played on Monday. This is the first of his two matchups between the Big Ten and his Titans against Purdue (a 15-1, 4-1 Big Ten going into Friday’s game against Nebraska). Spartans It’s a group that has quietly managed a seven-game winning streak. The Spartans (12-4, 4-1 going into Friday’s trip to Illinois) have lost five of their last six games in the series.
