* The Cats enter NCAA tournament play with a 26-7 record. The Cats are a top 10 team. And while the Cats dealt with injuries much of the year which likely cost the Cats at least a couple of losses, for a variety of reasons the Cats also don’t appear to be entering NCAA play playing at a peak level … or … is this just who we are,
* So, who is KY at this juncture?
* What can we expect from our players?
We will see what the NCAA draw looks soon, but it’s about as wide open and balanced a tournament as we have had in awhile. The margin is arguably thin across the board. The stars may rise and shine and be the difference makers, but I anticipate that teams that make key winning plays and limit mistakes in late game situations will win and advance.
It’s time to toss it up … who wants It more.
* So, who is KY at this juncture?
Are we the team that looked the best team in the country when they. crushed the Vols at Rupp or the Jayhawks at Kansas, or are we the team that lost to the Vols twice and looked a bit vulnerable in some wins at the end of the season?
I think it is fair to say that we are a team both capable of winning it all or losing in the 2nd round. The Cats can beat anybody in the tournament, but they can probably also be beat by 40 teams in the tournament. There has been a lot of discussion about playing on an uptick at this time of the year ... but that’s not what we have seen at this point. So the answer to the question of who we are is likely just that ... we are who we are, capable of beating anybody, but inconsistent enough to bow out early in the Dance.
* What can we expect from our players?
- At center, Oscar is a star. He is the NPOY. He consistently shows up and produces every game. When the game starts, Oscar gives the Cats a winning advantage. And, Oscar has improved his scoring presence inside as the season has progressed. He has gotten better. Ware is a battler who provides capable backup minutes. We are going to win most games at the center position.
- At the 4-spot, Brooks and Toppin provide capable minutes, and at times, despite the criticism, provide winning minutes as a combo at their position. That said, we don’t necessarily have to have winning minutes to get to the F4 from the 4-spot, we just can’t have losing minutes where we commit careless turnovers, commit bad fouls, or don’t compete for rebounds.
- At the 3 guard positions, I think this will determine if the the Cats are a title contender or the Cats bow out early. The NCAA tournament often becomes a competition among guard play. Wheeler, Grady, TyTy, and Mintz aren’t going to overwhelm with athleticism, but they have to make shots and produce points, play solid defense, and not turn the ball over.
+ We have to consistently make 3’s to open up the inside, on the season we are getting about 6 made 3pt shots each game and 43 ppg from the guard position … when we struggle, it’s usually because our guard play isn’t what it has to be
+ We can’t make careless turnovers or make bad decisions that we have seen at times, particularly from Wheeler and TyTy who are committing about 5 TO’s per game, Oscar and Brooks with another 3+ TO’s per game
+ We have to minimize the other team‘s guards from scoring over us in the paint, we have watched other teams begin to attack the Cats guards here late in the season
+ Wheeler can’t be a shooting liability allowing the other team’s defense to pack the paint, we have watched teams back off of Wheeler … we have to make them pay for doing that
- From the bench, we likely aren’t going to be asking for a lot in the Dance, but when called upon Hopkins and Collins have to compete and hold their own ... no turnovers, make the easy play within their current skill set.
* In summary, it would be a welcome sight to see the KY that played Kansas … but we haven‘t shown consistency in that regard, so that’s not likely what we are going to see. If that’s the case, then that means we are going to have to win some tight games, some ugly games, and that means our guard play will need to be the difference, we may be able to afford one of our guards to be substandard in a game, but at least 2 or 3 have to play at a high level both in terms of point production and decision-making if we want to compete for a F4.We will see what the NCAA draw looks soon, but it’s about as wide open and balanced a tournament as we have had in awhile. The margin is arguably thin across the board. The stars may rise and shine and be the difference makers, but I anticipate that teams that make key winning plays and limit mistakes in late game situations will win and advance.
It’s time to toss it up … who wants It more.
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