Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: Game Thread

[justford]

Good performance in a place that has been a hall of horrors for us over the years.

Now on to the biggie. Beat Kansas and we’ve got something brewing.

Believe we will need more than 69 points to win.

[Lighthouse]

I don't think this is entirely fair.

The assistants might have more input, but John Calipari has forgotten more about the game of basketball than most of us will ever know.

Fair or not, John Calipari is the most stubborn, mish-mash talking Coach in the history of Kentucky Basketball. Some may give Cal credit for the turn-a-round with our team, and he did make the decision, but I give his assistants the credit for the dramatic change. Bruiser has been doing the majority of the pre game press conferences. He may win some fans back, but not this one.

[Lighthouse]

I agree. That play coming out of a timeout at the end of the first half had me fist pumping. We need more plays like that.

That was beautiful, but I thought Wheeler was going to dribble until halftime. We need more like it for sure, and this team is running more plays than ever before. How many believe that after all these years, Cal diagramed it?

[KentuckyWild2020]

I don't know if Cal took to the street and started listening but from the PG to the starting 5 to the offense, things look much different than not so long ago, team is playing hard for one another and actually playing as a team, love it win or lose...

[Will Lavender]

That was beautiful, but I thought Wheeler was going to dribble until halftime. We need more like it for sure, and this team is running more plays than ever before. How many believe that after all these years, Cal diagramed it?

I actually think he did diagram it. I watched his reaction going into half and it made me think he put it together. He definitely called a timeout just beforehand so I think it was a set.

I mean it's not like Calipari has never called up a play. He can do it. I think what Cal struggles with more than that is rotations. I've also thought he has a habit of letting people from outside influence him, and this is intensified because NBA contracts on the line. He doesn't seem to catch on fast to which players should be in, what positions or roles they should be playing, how much time they should get...and games sometimes get away from him. Particularly if our talent level is not elite.

But as for plays, he can draw them up. He actually should do it more, especially at the ends of games where he's loathe to call timeouts.

[justford]

Probably just a coincidence but we started playing better when Ulis came on board.

[KCKUKFan]

I've watched Cal teams run good stuff since the mid 90s.

To act like he doesn't know how to diagram offense, or forgot, is dumb, frankly.

My guess is that the Party Poets diagnosis is much closer to the truth.

[Will Lavender]

And that isn't to squash what Lighthouse is saying. He could be right.

I absolutely did notice K.T. Turner for instance standing up and coaching a lot last night.

It could be that the staff had a meeting and got into some things that needed to change after South Carolina, one of which being more input from the assistants or whatever.

This turnaround is kind of an "a lot of things happening at once" deal and not just one tweak that's made us a better team.

That said, the lineup thing is massive and is absolutely the number one thing.

[lilproUK98]

Wheeler had the highest positive +/- on the team tonight, and that's a result of him playing with our best offensive options.

Cal will have to play Wheeler, but he has to put him in a position to succeed since he's not an offensive threat, and having him share the floor with guys like Livingston and Ware isn't a recipe for success.

Wheeler makes mistakes, but his biggest enemy this year has been Calipari's rotations.

Oscar and Toppin were +18
CJ was +15
Wheeler and Reeves were +11

And I mostly agree. But as Will has pointed out several times, his defense has been atrocious along wil still making head scratching decisions and driving into trouble often. He's a good backup pg, that's it.

[Will Lavender]

He's too risky on defense for a team like this.

Wheeler would be good with Anthony Davis down there. Swipe at the ball, get behind, run behind and try to back-tap...and then when the guy got in the lane it wouldn't be a big deal because Davis would clean it up.

This team has no rim-protectors so the way Wheeler plays defensively really hurts you.

[KCKUKFan]

We had no rim protectors last year and he was better defensively than this year.

[40bill]

The trouble with “forgetting more basketball” is that once you forget something it’s usually lost.
I’ve long had issues with John Caliparis style.
I’m old school enough that the player more than team statements are anathema to my enjoyment of the game, and old school enough that a coach doesn’t point out player failings in front of media.

I am tickled these kids and coaches are finding ways to win, but I will shed -0- tears the day John Calipari decides to move on elsewhere.

[Will Lavender]

We had no rim protectors last year and he was better defensively than this year.

Oscar wasn't as hapless at guarding the pick and roll, so he wasn't as out of position as he has been this season.

He's getting better but until the last four games he was rough.

Going back to last year: the defensive issues we saw in our losses this year really started last season. We went on a full-on defensive collapse in the last three weeks of last season and it bled over.

Wheeler wasn't the only reason for that and Oscar wasn't either, but both those guys on the court together at the same time has absolutely been an issue.

[Pobilly]

I have stopped wearing any UK stuff on game days. Working like a charm

We two have as much to do with this streak as the players and coaches. At least that is what i tell myself. lol

[Catsrock]

The team has given me a gift I didn’t really expect. I watch through thick and thin but I am now excited for our next game. That’s the way UK basketball should be.