Ugly game but solid win for the Cats. Here are the stats http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=108205&a=1 and eight takeaways from UK's win over Alabama.
1. Poythress: If you're a Kentucky fan it was great to see Poythress back in action tonight. I was told UK may be cautious with him and wait until this weekend but supposedly he was able to do more than expected in practice yesterday and felt almost no pain in shoot around today. I'm told UK wanted to get him back and give him a little game action before traveling to Nashville.
Then he decided to play pretty well. Poythress didn't skip a beat and was back to his physical self. One thing I notice is whenever UK needs a bucket or they want to stop Alabama's momentum, one of their first options is Poythress on the block. He converted plenty of times tonight and will be a huge addition going forward.
2. Ugly: I mentioned it was an ugly game and it was. I said at the half Alabama was lucky to only be down 12, but UK was fortunate to be up 12 as they didn't play too hot either. The Cats opened up things in the second half but Alabama is a solid decent. The Tide had a really nice streak before a head-scratching loss vs. Mississippi State.
Avery Johnson has Alabama playing tough and they're a really disciplined defensively. They obviously only have Obasohan offensively but defensively they're a tough matchup. Impressed with how UK hit the boards after being abused at A&M. It was ugly but the Cats looked comfortable in the ugliness and blew-fout the Tide.. That's significant.
3. Three-point shots: I wish the first game without Willis wasn't Alabama because they're a really good at taking away the long ball. The Cats were able to hit a few, Murray was fouled on one, but I wouldn't panic too much about the lack of treys given the opponent.
But you did see the offensive change without Willis. It's clear what he does for UK. He spreads the floor, opens things up for Murray, Ulis and Briscoe and just makes UK more dangerous offensively.
Without him UK penetrated more (but didn't have kick options) and threw it into the post to Poythress. That's not necessarily a worse offensive, but it's different. Adding all these different wrinkles, and possibly getting Willis back could make Kentucky an incredibly versatile offensive team.
4. Fun: Something I don't get to notice as much from home is how much fun this team has with one another. I arrived at Rupp two hours early and just watched the team the entire time before the game and during the game. They're always talking, smiling, laughing and goofing around. It's the same attitude we saw in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
There's no doubt that teams that are closer to one another play better and have more chemistry on the floor. They communicate on the floor together, too. That won't be an issue with this group. Just an observation I thought I'd share.
5. Ulis: He's the best true point guard I've ever seen at UK. John Wall was more talented and a much better basketball player, but Ulis is a better true point guard. Watching him lead and communicate with his team tonight was impressive. He's always a step ahead of the play and sees things before they happen. Some of his passes tonight were just on a dime and crazy risky.
He was a little off with his shot tonight but nearly all of his looks were solid releases that just didn't happen to fall tonight. If he was playing like this at the beginning of the season I think he'd be the second UK player ever to get a triple-double. The competition may be too stiff for that to happen in the remaining games but who knows.
6. Murray: The birthday boy put on another show. We all know how good Ben Simmons is but is it crazy to think that Tyler Ulis could be SEC Player of the Year (that should happen regardless) and Jamal Murray be Freshman of the Year? The latter doesn't seem as likely, and probably won't happen, but the tear he's been on lately has been very impressive.
He continued to do this tonight but his ability to attack has drastically improved from a month or two ago. That's going to be huge for UK, especially without Willis, because it will open things up and also send him to the line.
7. Humphries and Lee: Very cool moment to see the crowd cheer for Humphries as a starter. He deserved that ovation and played pretty well tonight. He's going to continue to get better and that added depth on the front court will be key for Kentucky in March. Still has a little ways to go but impressive.
Lee played very well tonight. I think it's starting to click for him mentally. He's playing with confidence, he seems to understand (better) when to contest and when to concede. I'm sure Calipari hopes he continues that momentum at Vandy.
8. Moving Forward: The Vandy game is big for Kentucky. It will give the Cats an opportunity to win without Willis, which would be a big confidence boost, and it's obviously important for seeding and the SEC race. Vandy picked up a MAJOR win at Florida tonight so they're playing with confidence and will be looking at the UK game as a chance to punch their tournament ticket.
As always it's going to be a crazy environment, add into consideration Vandy will be playing like a desperate team, it's going to be an incredibly tough game. More on that game later in the week.
Thoughts on UK's win?
1. Poythress: If you're a Kentucky fan it was great to see Poythress back in action tonight. I was told UK may be cautious with him and wait until this weekend but supposedly he was able to do more than expected in practice yesterday and felt almost no pain in shoot around today. I'm told UK wanted to get him back and give him a little game action before traveling to Nashville.
Then he decided to play pretty well. Poythress didn't skip a beat and was back to his physical self. One thing I notice is whenever UK needs a bucket or they want to stop Alabama's momentum, one of their first options is Poythress on the block. He converted plenty of times tonight and will be a huge addition going forward.
2. Ugly: I mentioned it was an ugly game and it was. I said at the half Alabama was lucky to only be down 12, but UK was fortunate to be up 12 as they didn't play too hot either. The Cats opened up things in the second half but Alabama is a solid decent. The Tide had a really nice streak before a head-scratching loss vs. Mississippi State.
Avery Johnson has Alabama playing tough and they're a really disciplined defensively. They obviously only have Obasohan offensively but defensively they're a tough matchup. Impressed with how UK hit the boards after being abused at A&M. It was ugly but the Cats looked comfortable in the ugliness and blew-fout the Tide.. That's significant.
3. Three-point shots: I wish the first game without Willis wasn't Alabama because they're a really good at taking away the long ball. The Cats were able to hit a few, Murray was fouled on one, but I wouldn't panic too much about the lack of treys given the opponent.
But you did see the offensive change without Willis. It's clear what he does for UK. He spreads the floor, opens things up for Murray, Ulis and Briscoe and just makes UK more dangerous offensively.
Without him UK penetrated more (but didn't have kick options) and threw it into the post to Poythress. That's not necessarily a worse offensive, but it's different. Adding all these different wrinkles, and possibly getting Willis back could make Kentucky an incredibly versatile offensive team.
4. Fun: Something I don't get to notice as much from home is how much fun this team has with one another. I arrived at Rupp two hours early and just watched the team the entire time before the game and during the game. They're always talking, smiling, laughing and goofing around. It's the same attitude we saw in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
There's no doubt that teams that are closer to one another play better and have more chemistry on the floor. They communicate on the floor together, too. That won't be an issue with this group. Just an observation I thought I'd share.
5. Ulis: He's the best true point guard I've ever seen at UK. John Wall was more talented and a much better basketball player, but Ulis is a better true point guard. Watching him lead and communicate with his team tonight was impressive. He's always a step ahead of the play and sees things before they happen. Some of his passes tonight were just on a dime and crazy risky.
He was a little off with his shot tonight but nearly all of his looks were solid releases that just didn't happen to fall tonight. If he was playing like this at the beginning of the season I think he'd be the second UK player ever to get a triple-double. The competition may be too stiff for that to happen in the remaining games but who knows.
6. Murray: The birthday boy put on another show. We all know how good Ben Simmons is but is it crazy to think that Tyler Ulis could be SEC Player of the Year (that should happen regardless) and Jamal Murray be Freshman of the Year? The latter doesn't seem as likely, and probably won't happen, but the tear he's been on lately has been very impressive.
He continued to do this tonight but his ability to attack has drastically improved from a month or two ago. That's going to be huge for UK, especially without Willis, because it will open things up and also send him to the line.
7. Humphries and Lee: Very cool moment to see the crowd cheer for Humphries as a starter. He deserved that ovation and played pretty well tonight. He's going to continue to get better and that added depth on the front court will be key for Kentucky in March. Still has a little ways to go but impressive.
Lee played very well tonight. I think it's starting to click for him mentally. He's playing with confidence, he seems to understand (better) when to contest and when to concede. I'm sure Calipari hopes he continues that momentum at Vandy.
8. Moving Forward: The Vandy game is big for Kentucky. It will give the Cats an opportunity to win without Willis, which would be a big confidence boost, and it's obviously important for seeding and the SEC race. Vandy picked up a MAJOR win at Florida tonight so they're playing with confidence and will be looking at the UK game as a chance to punch their tournament ticket.
As always it's going to be a crazy environment, add into consideration Vandy will be playing like a desperate team, it's going to be an incredibly tough game. More on that game later in the week.
Thoughts on UK's win?
