The last two games - a loss to unranked UCF and a ref bailout at home against TCU -- the Lawrence Facility for Women Abusers has had 18 Turnovers in each.
To put that in context, Kentucky had 8 against Florida, and are averaging 9.6 for the season.
Before last night's game Kansas ranked 219 among D-1 programs in turnovers. Kentucky was tied for 15.
The worst team in the country for turnovers - Stephen F Austin - averages 17.9, so 18 in back-to-back games is not good. Even in that November UK-KU game -- a first big game for Kentucky's three freshman guards and playing without an inside presence -- the Cats had 8 TOs to 15 for Kansas. That's fairly close to each teams' average at the halfway point of the regular season, which suggests teams don't change that much.
Yes, it is just one stat, and there are lots of ways to put it in context. But it is the kind of thing you look back on when a team flops in March and you are trying to figure out why. [For one example, TOs and steals were the two stats that #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson dominated in beating #1 seed Purdue in the 2023 tournament. It wasn't 3-point shooting or even overall offensive efficiency. It was turnovers and steals.]
To put that in context, Kentucky had 8 against Florida, and are averaging 9.6 for the season.
Before last night's game Kansas ranked 219 among D-1 programs in turnovers. Kentucky was tied for 15.
The worst team in the country for turnovers - Stephen F Austin - averages 17.9, so 18 in back-to-back games is not good. Even in that November UK-KU game -- a first big game for Kentucky's three freshman guards and playing without an inside presence -- the Cats had 8 TOs to 15 for Kansas. That's fairly close to each teams' average at the halfway point of the regular season, which suggests teams don't change that much.
Yes, it is just one stat, and there are lots of ways to put it in context. But it is the kind of thing you look back on when a team flops in March and you are trying to figure out why. [For one example, TOs and steals were the two stats that #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson dominated in beating #1 seed Purdue in the 2023 tournament. It wasn't 3-point shooting or even overall offensive efficiency. It was turnovers and steals.]