To be clear, I don’t think what’s going on with the Kentucky Wildcats right now has to do with effort. I do think it’s there.
Effort was most certainly there against Louisville, and I do think it was there against Michigan
State. The execution, on the other hand, was certainly not.
Take a look at the sequence below. You can be the judge of Kentucky’s effort. Regardless, it’s embarrassing.
Kentucky is a really good rebounding team. Getting out-rebounded 42-28, regardless of whether it’s against Michigan State or not, is unacceptable. It’s not good enough. The Spartans had 10 offensive rebounds, and they had eight second-chance points. Kentucky only had six offensive rebounds and six second-chance points.
The Spartans were a great rebounding team coming into Tuesday night, but I didn’t think they would completely overwhelm the Wildcats on the glass.
Michigan State completely dismantled Kentucky Tuesday night. This Wildcats’ team has a long way to go. Five games in, and fans are already filled with rage. The perception surrounding Mark Pope has completely turned. We will see if this team has that kind of complete turnaround.
