Kentucky Basketball dropped the ball on the road tonight in a 96-85 loss at Texas A&M. The loss is the 11th of a season that has been a struggle for the Wildcats to find any sort of consistency.
Despite the unfortunate injuries this team has had to battle through, the lack of grit and the inability to make adjustments have been staggering. Kentucky actually led by 12 early before allowing the Aggies to go on a big run to end the first half. That’s what effectively won the game, though the Aggies continue
to dominate throughout the second half until a late rally made the final score look much closer than the actual game was.
Here are four things to know following a tough loss to start the month of March.
Cats Lose Momentum
Kentucky’s entire season has been full of ups and downs. Mark Pope’s team has had incredible highs and then lows that included a three-game losing streak in Southeastern Conference play.
Up until tonight’s game, Kentucky had won consecutive games to climb back into the race for a better seed in the upcoming SEC tournament. However, after tonight’s blunder, that momentum has now been dissolved.
Do these Wildcats have what it takes to turn that around vs. a juggernaut Florida team Saturday? If not, then the Cats will enter the postseason having lost five of six games.
Oof.
Hot Start Turns Cold
Kentucky couldn’t have had a better offensive start to tonight’s game, shooting 60 percent from the field over the first 12 minutes of action. They had balanced scoring from the entire team and were clicking on all cylinders, including at the defensive end.
However, at the end of the first half, Kentucky gave up a 14-1 run that wound up creating a 45-33 deficit going into the break. It was a collapse at both ends of the court, lowering their shooting percentage to 44 percent over the first 20 minutes.
Urgency Dissappears
If Kentucky’s woes down the stretch of the first half weren’t ugly enough, the second half started even worse. The Aggies jumped out quickly with a 9-3 run in less than two minutes to take a commanding 18-point lead.
Their seven first-half turnovers were pretty bad and, unfortunately, that trend continued into the second half to feed the fire that was the Aggies offense.
There was little sense of urgency, and it was as if Texas A&M could smell blood. It was like Kentucky was fine with getting blown out and showed little urgency and fight until it was far too late.
Time to Re-Group
Kentucky’s regular season concludes this Saturday with a home matchup against the Florida Gators. It will be one of the final chances for Kentucky to really improve its NCAA Tournament resume.
It’s unlikely that this UK team makes a deep run in the SEC tournament, but if they hope to build any momentum before heading to Nashville, now is the time. It will be an emotional day for several players who suit up for their final game at Rupp Arena on Saturday. Cats fans can only hope that they go out with a win.
Now, let’s discuss.
