This Kentucky basketball team might not be ready for prime time. Up next is No. 1 Kansas.
Maybe the Wildcats are saving their best for Tuesday night?
They’re going to need it.
Kentucky played fast again Friday, an 81-61 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce, another game that often highlighted the potential of these young Cats but just as often showed why they might not be ready for prime-time college basketball.
Ready or not, that’s where they’re headed Tuesday, a matchup with No. 1-ranked Kansas in Chicago, the Champions Classic headliner on ESPN.
Four days before meeting the top-ranked Jayhawks, the flaws of this UK team where there for everyone to see, laid bare by Texas A&M-Commerce, the No. 303-ranked team in the country, according to the KenPom ratings at opening tipoff.
It didn’t take long for the Lions to pounce.
They opened up an 8-0 lead right off the bat. They led by 13 points on two separate occasions. They hit just about everything early — 7 of 10 from the field, 5 of 8 on 3-pointers — while the Wildcats missed just as much on the other end, failing to connect on eight of their first 11 shots.
The Cats roared back, of course. But it took a while. UK’s first lead on the Rupp Arena court against a team rated in the 300s came on D.J. Wagner’s layup with 7:41 left in the first half.
Kentucky mostly controlled things from there. The Cats led by eight at halftime and by double digits for the final 16 minutes of the game.
In the process, there were plenty of positives. Antonio Reeves draining 3s. He hit five of those. Justin Edwards running the floor and showcasing his explosive ability. Tre Mitchell was steady, again. Reed Sheppard made some big defensive plays, again. Rob Dillingham was fast and fun, again. The Cats committed just three turnovers on the night, another example of a team filled with guys who can pass, dribble and shoot — as Calipari has said all year — all while making pretty good decisions with the ball.
The potential is evident. The time it’s going to take to all come together is, too.
Kentucky has plenty of that, with the NCAA Tournament still four months away. But for those expecting immediate results, the sight of No. 1 Kansas next up on the schedule should be a scary one.
The Cats’ concerns at this point? Where to start?
How about on the boards, where Kentucky outrebounded Texas A&M-Commerce, but just barely. UK grabbed 36 boards to 33 for the Lions, who had been outrebounded by 22 in a loss to Texas A&M on Monday night and by 17 in a loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday.
Is rebounding a concern heading into Tuesday night?
“Yeah, we got a lot of concerns coming up Tuesday night,” Calipari said. “Not just that.”
Sophomore Adou Thiero — an athletic, 6-foot-8 guard expected to be a physical presence for the Cats this season — was out Friday after being put in concussion protocol following Monday’s opener. It sounds like he could be back for the Kansas game, but the three 7-footers on UK’s roster — Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso — probably won’t play.
On the other side, Kansas has 7-2 center Hunter Dickinson, a preseason All-American, plus lots of other veteran players with plenty of length and experience.
“I can only talk so much, and then if you’re not coming up with balls, you’re not getting in there — then you can’t be in the game,” Calipari said of his team’s rebounding.
For some stretches of Friday’s game, rebounding wasn’t the issue, because there was nothing to rebound. Texas A&M-Commerce players were simply blowing by UK defenders on the perimeter and getting easy looks at the rim.
“You gotta be able to guard,” Calipari said. “If you guard, you play. If you can’t guard and you’re giving up too many baskets — it’s hard here.”
The Jayhawks’ veteran bunch will surely make UK pay if the same thing happens again Tuesday.
Calipari said Kansas — or anyone else who sees tape of Kentucky — will do the same thing for the time being.
“They’re gonna watch and say, ‘Let’s spread the court and beat them on the bounce.’ If you’re trying to run your offense, we’re all right. But when the ball moved and it was just, ‘Beat somebody on the dribble,’ we weren’t so good,” Calipari said.
“Again, it’s stuff you can work on. It’s stuff you can try to fix. But at the end of the day, his will to drive and your will to stay in front of him is what it comes down to. He’s trying to get by you and you’re not gonna let him.”
The Cats can work on it, no doubt. But perimeter defense — something that was expected to be an issue coming into the season — won’t be fixed in four days. Rebounding — another point of concern in the preseason — won’t either. Both areas will see improvement over the course of a long season with such a young, talented team, but both will be liabilities Tuesday night. And if the Cats start things off then the same way they started things off Friday, they’ll probably be toast.
Calipari said he doesn’t know much about the Jayhawks.
“I have not watched any Kansas tape,” he said. “You guys know I don’t do that until we get ready for the game.”
Some UK staffers have been studying up on the No. 1 team in the country, obviously. And Calipari knows enough.
“They’re good,” he said, facetiously adding: “Are they still number one in the country?”
They are. And will be Tuesday night. As Calipari was talking, the Jayhawks were wrapping up a 99-61 victory over Manhattan. They led by 25 at halftime and scored 55 in the second half.
Kansas defeated North Carolina Central 99-56 in the opener Monday night.
“Then we’re playing the number one team in the country,” Calipari said. “We could be shorthanded. Should we play the game anyway? Yeah, let’s play it. I mean, if you’re shorthanded, you’re shorthanded. Like, do you think anybody’s feeling sorry for us? Oh, no. They’re happy. They hope two more guys get hurt.”
Kentucky’s season won’t be defined by whatever happens Tuesday night in Chicago but by how much these Cats can grow between then and March. Calipari knows that better than anyone. He’s been through it before, and his message with another team filled with wildly talented but woefully inexperienced freshmen will be the same as it was in those earlier seasons.
Look for the good and build on it. Figure out the bad and make it better.
“But there was good today,” he said.
Five UK players scored in double figures. Sheppard wasn’t one of them, but Calipari praised his ability to make a difference, pointing out his plus-23 that ranked second on the team. The leader in that category was Edwards, a possible No. 1 NBA draft pick hustling up and down the floor. The Cats played fast again but not at all loose. Three turnovers in 40 minutes is astounding. Jordan Burks — the seventh man in a seven-man rotation — was singled out for his toughness.
These are all things to build on. It could turn into something special. But Tuesday night will be tough.
“We’ll see how good they are and where we are with a bunch of young guys at this point,” Calipari said. “... We’ll see.”
Next game
No. 16 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Kansas
What: Champions Classic
When: About 9:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday
Where: United Center in Chicago
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 2-0, Kansas 2-0
Series: Kentucky leads 24-11
Last meeting: Kansas defeated Kentucky 77-68 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28, 2023, in Lexington
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Reed Sheppard has his Kentucky teammates buzzing. Why? ‘It might be surprising to y’all.’
