Take a look at the two teams playing in the championship game tonight.
Heck, take a look at the Final Four teams.
What do they have in common?
None of this five out, 35 threes per contest crap. Yes, they give you matchup problems. Yes, they have bigs who can stretch defenses.
But what each of them has is a squad with players who play fundamental basketball, play excellent defense, have decent rim protection, and have multiple players who can put the ball on the floor and beat you off the dribble.
Everybody in our fanbase is looking for some magical formula in terms of the right combination of young stars, transfers, and three- or four-year recruits.
But look at the Kentucky teams under Calipari who were really good. What did they have?
(1) Rim protectors who are not the only big on the floor. Not all Calipari teams with rim protectors went to the Final Four. But no Calipari teams that were great did not have at least some players who could rotate over on defense and punish teams who beat us backdoor. Everybody thinks this year's team needed more scoring. False. We were one of America's best scoring teams all year. We needed more defense, especially around the rim. This team lacked a Cousins, Towns, Cauley-Stein type player. We lost to St. Peter's because we could not stop them in the paint.
If Kentucky wants to be elite again, they need to be elite around the rim. This does not mean clogging the paint. It means being fluid enough in the front court to be able to punish teams who cheat with backdoor looks or pulling bigs away from the paint. If Kentucky is going to play better 3-point FG defense, the backdoor is going to be available for opponents to exploit. It is therefore crucial to have bigs with lateral quickness who punish that.
(2) Beating teams off the dribble. The last three UK teams have had exactly two players who were consistently capable of beating their man off the dribble and being able to score: Maxey and TyTy--and TyTy was injured down the stretch. That's not nearly enough. Calipari's entire offensive philosophy is predicated on playing downhill in a half-court offense. Sure, UK can put up points in open play, but what we are talking about is putting up points when the game gets tight. You need people who can break down a defense.
If Kentucky wants to be elite again, they need explosive players who can put the ball on the floor, get in the paint, and get buckets or at least get to the line.
Heck, take a look at the Final Four teams.
What do they have in common?
None of this five out, 35 threes per contest crap. Yes, they give you matchup problems. Yes, they have bigs who can stretch defenses.
But what each of them has is a squad with players who play fundamental basketball, play excellent defense, have decent rim protection, and have multiple players who can put the ball on the floor and beat you off the dribble.
Everybody in our fanbase is looking for some magical formula in terms of the right combination of young stars, transfers, and three- or four-year recruits.
But look at the Kentucky teams under Calipari who were really good. What did they have?
(1) Rim protectors who are not the only big on the floor. Not all Calipari teams with rim protectors went to the Final Four. But no Calipari teams that were great did not have at least some players who could rotate over on defense and punish teams who beat us backdoor. Everybody thinks this year's team needed more scoring. False. We were one of America's best scoring teams all year. We needed more defense, especially around the rim. This team lacked a Cousins, Towns, Cauley-Stein type player. We lost to St. Peter's because we could not stop them in the paint.
If Kentucky wants to be elite again, they need to be elite around the rim. This does not mean clogging the paint. It means being fluid enough in the front court to be able to punish teams who cheat with backdoor looks or pulling bigs away from the paint. If Kentucky is going to play better 3-point FG defense, the backdoor is going to be available for opponents to exploit. It is therefore crucial to have bigs with lateral quickness who punish that.
(2) Beating teams off the dribble. The last three UK teams have had exactly two players who were consistently capable of beating their man off the dribble and being able to score: Maxey and TyTy--and TyTy was injured down the stretch. That's not nearly enough. Calipari's entire offensive philosophy is predicated on playing downhill in a half-court offense. Sure, UK can put up points in open play, but what we are talking about is putting up points when the game gets tight. You need people who can break down a defense.
If Kentucky wants to be elite again, they need explosive players who can put the ball on the floor, get in the paint, and get buckets or at least get to the line.
