In one of the most-anticipated Kentucky – Louisville games in recent years, the Wildcats came out flat and, despite a valiant effort in the second half, fell to the Cardinals, 96-88.
The Cats struggled mightily on the defensive end and suffered prolonged stretches of being unable to get anything going offensively. Meanwhile, the Cards came out aggressive and confident, and looked like they wanted it more for the majority of this game.
You have to give Kentucky credit for not rolling over when they
fell down by 18 points or when they fell down by 20, but it was disappointing that Kentucky even found itself in such a position to begin with.
Hopefully, the Cats are able to learn a lesson from tonight and move forward. It’s a long season and there is a lot of basketball to be played, but tonight was definitely a disappointment.
Here are a few things to know from tonight’s game.
Kentucky defense faced tough test and failed
The goal in the offseason for Kentucky was to get better defensively, and leading into this game, Kentucky had been pretty solid defensively. Tonight was a good test for this team defensively, but it did not go well for the Wildcats.
Louisville had multiple open looks for three and were able to create mismatches throughout the game that they were able to take advantage of. Mikel Brown Jr. was able to almost score at will, and Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely were regularly open from deep and made the Cats pay.
Kentucky lacked physicality on the defensive glass, allowing Louisville to get some key offensive rebounds throughout the game.
The Cats often looked lost on defense, and it made for an embarrassing showing. Just not a good defensive showing from the Cats tonight.
Concerns about offense are valid
The concerns that have been present in the early part of the season about this team’s offense are completely valid.
This team has a problem of going through extended scoring droughts, and there are questions about who Kentucky’s go-to guy is in those situations. Last year, it was Otega Oweh, but he’s been in a bit of a slump to start the season. Have to think that 10-week layoff into the fall still has him a bit rusty.
Jaland Lowe has the potential to be that guy, but he’s rusty too after missing several weeks recently, and Denzel Aberdeen showed he has the potential to be that guy tonight as well.
The Cats struggled to consistently shoot from deep in this game as well. They had some moments, but overall, they were inconsistent from deep, finishing 12-34 from three.
This team’s prolonged stretches of being unable to put the ball in the basket are problematic.
Cats were careless with the ball
Turnovers were one of the biggest stories of the game. Kentucky was careless with the ball and gave Louisville plenty of opportunities to score in transition. Too often, Kentucky was driving the ball into the paint recklessly, only to see the ball taken away.
Meanwhile, Louisville barely turned the ball over, committing just six in the entire game compared to Kentucky’s 14.
Most of Kentucky’s turnovers were live-ball turnovers, and the Cards continually made Kentucky pay for those mistakes.
Free throws were a problem once again
The percentage wasn’t atrocious, but free throws again were a problem for this Kentucky team.
The Cats missed the front end of a 1-and-1 twice in the last five-and-a-half minutes of this game that proved to be too costly.
As Kentucky was making its comeback attempt, those free-throw misses certainly were detrimental to their momentum.
Mikel Brown Jr. has the makings of a star
If there was any doubt about the talent of Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., I think those questions were answered.
The Cards have a star in the making on their hands. For many years, it was Kentucky who had a freshman who shined in the Kentucky-Louisville game. This year, that distinction belongs to Brown.
Kentucky had no answer for Brown defensively all night. He was able to hit shots from deep and get to the rim and finish with relative ease.
Late in the game, with the Cards struggling, they turned to Brown and he delivered.
He won’t have to wait long to hear his name called in the NBA Draft this summer.
Tonight was a tough loss, but the season is far from over. Time to move on and get ready for the next one.
Now, let’s discuss this one.
