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The Good
* The Exorcism. So today we wake up with a smile on our faces, our memories of the relentless beatdown we suffered at the hands of Duke last year thankfully erased. Yes, we're rough around the edges. Yes, we have kids who don't know what they're doing. Yes, Michigan St. looked drunk some of the time in that game. But the Cats pulled out a W that will resonate all the way to March. It feels good, friends.
* Tyrese the Creator. Tyrese Maxey. Wow. Not only one of the best debut games I've seen a Kentucky player have, but one of the best big-stage games I've seen any freshman have during the Cal era. I love how Maxey plays the game downhill; he ain't got time for stutter steps and jabs and step-backs. He rushes the ball at the goal and if you're in his way, God help you. And then if you give him some berth he'll just dagger your eyeball from 26 feet. And he does it all with an electric, MKG-style smile on his face. Maxey put everybody on notice last night and I can't wait to see what's next.
* D-Fense. Kentucky's defense jumped out early in that game, and I think a case can be made that it might have been one of the best opening night defensive performances of the Cal era minus 2015. This team has the potential to be a scary good defensive team. Even guys like Kahlil Whitney, who didn't factor into the box score that much, look terrifying on defense. I think that will be what we hang our hats on--and with our frontcourt it may have to be.
* Boardmen of the World. After one repugnant game and one so-so game on the glass in the exhibitions, Kentucky, er, rebounded last night and tied Michigan St. on the board at 30 rebounds apiece. That was big, and I thought the work of Nate Sestina and (especially) Maxey at the end of the game were huge. Maxey had about four brutal rebounds that were huge in us winning that game.
* A Sestina is a Poem. I liked the way Nate Sestina played. He isn't afraid to play physically, he'll get in there and mix it up, and he plays the game in a very cool, in-control way. The only thing about him is that I worry he may be too controlled at times; for a long stretch in that game he wasn't registering at all in the box score. With our lack of frontcourt options there may be times when he needs to press it a little.
The Bad
* Frontcourt Woes. Wildcatnation, let's be honest with ourselves: we answered no questions about our frontcourt last night. In fact you could make a case that we have more questions now than we did at this time yesterday. Yes, E.J. Montgomery got hurt early in that game, so I'll give him a pass. Nick Richards was clearly not 100%. But even with that there were times when the frontcourt players were a step behind, robotically trailing plays that they should make, or just not involved in the game at all. It was at times hard to watch and thankfully Sestina was willing to get in there and at least put up some resistance.
* Shot Nervous. Ashton Hagans did that thing in the second half last night where he couldn't make lay-ups. It's maddening and I don't know what to attribute it to, but it was the same phenomenon that reared its head so many times last year. He has to get better at putting that ball in when he gets down there. Love his D but he may be the poorest lay-up maker Cal's had at the point this side of Ryan Harrow.
* Out of Options. You worry about Kentucky's options offensively, what with Kahlil Whitney looking nervous, Immanuel Quickley looking easy to guard at times, and Ashton Hagans unable to stick in a two-footer. What's going to happen when Tyrese Maxey can't put on the cape? This team needs more punch on the offensive end, and you would hope that as things go forward Cal can find that guy (or two) who can put the ball in the basket. If not, we're going to have to win games in dogfights down in the 60s. Big margin for error playing that way.
The Ugly
* Hide Your Eyes. That wasn't a good night at the Garden if you're a basketball purist. That's four teams with a lot of questions, a lot of youth, and a lot of parts the coaches are trying to put into place. The Duke/Kansas game was the equivalent of a horror movie for most of the night, and while our game was a notch better, it wasn't what you would call a masterpiece. A lot of room for growth for all those teams.
* Oh What Might Have Been. I'm sure I'm not alone, but every time the James Wiseman and Kerry Blackshear Jr. highlights came up last night I winced. How good would this team be with either of those guys? But whining about that is like whining about the weather or the cowlick in your hair that just won't stay down no matter what: it's useless. We are what we are, and it'll be up to Cal to figure out how to get these big players to play high-level basketball. There is definitely a lot of time left in the season to get them there.
* The Exorcism. So today we wake up with a smile on our faces, our memories of the relentless beatdown we suffered at the hands of Duke last year thankfully erased. Yes, we're rough around the edges. Yes, we have kids who don't know what they're doing. Yes, Michigan St. looked drunk some of the time in that game. But the Cats pulled out a W that will resonate all the way to March. It feels good, friends.
* Tyrese the Creator. Tyrese Maxey. Wow. Not only one of the best debut games I've seen a Kentucky player have, but one of the best big-stage games I've seen any freshman have during the Cal era. I love how Maxey plays the game downhill; he ain't got time for stutter steps and jabs and step-backs. He rushes the ball at the goal and if you're in his way, God help you. And then if you give him some berth he'll just dagger your eyeball from 26 feet. And he does it all with an electric, MKG-style smile on his face. Maxey put everybody on notice last night and I can't wait to see what's next.
* D-Fense. Kentucky's defense jumped out early in that game, and I think a case can be made that it might have been one of the best opening night defensive performances of the Cal era minus 2015. This team has the potential to be a scary good defensive team. Even guys like Kahlil Whitney, who didn't factor into the box score that much, look terrifying on defense. I think that will be what we hang our hats on--and with our frontcourt it may have to be.
* Boardmen of the World. After one repugnant game and one so-so game on the glass in the exhibitions, Kentucky, er, rebounded last night and tied Michigan St. on the board at 30 rebounds apiece. That was big, and I thought the work of Nate Sestina and (especially) Maxey at the end of the game were huge. Maxey had about four brutal rebounds that were huge in us winning that game.
* A Sestina is a Poem. I liked the way Nate Sestina played. He isn't afraid to play physically, he'll get in there and mix it up, and he plays the game in a very cool, in-control way. The only thing about him is that I worry he may be too controlled at times; for a long stretch in that game he wasn't registering at all in the box score. With our lack of frontcourt options there may be times when he needs to press it a little.
The Bad
* Frontcourt Woes. Wildcatnation, let's be honest with ourselves: we answered no questions about our frontcourt last night. In fact you could make a case that we have more questions now than we did at this time yesterday. Yes, E.J. Montgomery got hurt early in that game, so I'll give him a pass. Nick Richards was clearly not 100%. But even with that there were times when the frontcourt players were a step behind, robotically trailing plays that they should make, or just not involved in the game at all. It was at times hard to watch and thankfully Sestina was willing to get in there and at least put up some resistance.
* Shot Nervous. Ashton Hagans did that thing in the second half last night where he couldn't make lay-ups. It's maddening and I don't know what to attribute it to, but it was the same phenomenon that reared its head so many times last year. He has to get better at putting that ball in when he gets down there. Love his D but he may be the poorest lay-up maker Cal's had at the point this side of Ryan Harrow.
* Out of Options. You worry about Kentucky's options offensively, what with Kahlil Whitney looking nervous, Immanuel Quickley looking easy to guard at times, and Ashton Hagans unable to stick in a two-footer. What's going to happen when Tyrese Maxey can't put on the cape? This team needs more punch on the offensive end, and you would hope that as things go forward Cal can find that guy (or two) who can put the ball in the basket. If not, we're going to have to win games in dogfights down in the 60s. Big margin for error playing that way.
The Ugly
* Hide Your Eyes. That wasn't a good night at the Garden if you're a basketball purist. That's four teams with a lot of questions, a lot of youth, and a lot of parts the coaches are trying to put into place. The Duke/Kansas game was the equivalent of a horror movie for most of the night, and while our game was a notch better, it wasn't what you would call a masterpiece. A lot of room for growth for all those teams.
* Oh What Might Have Been. I'm sure I'm not alone, but every time the James Wiseman and Kerry Blackshear Jr. highlights came up last night I winced. How good would this team be with either of those guys? But whining about that is like whining about the weather or the cowlick in your hair that just won't stay down no matter what: it's useless. We are what we are, and it'll be up to Cal to figure out how to get these big players to play high-level basketball. There is definitely a lot of time left in the season to get them there.
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