Kenny Payne on the 'machine' that is Kentucky: "They keep coming at you"

Kentucky has essentially six players scoring in double figures for a combined 90.6 points per contest as a team, good for third in college basketball. And it’s a nine-man rotation — all with specific niches on either end of the floor.

They’re deep, talented and versatile. That’s tough to cover for any team in the nation, so imagine Kenny Payne’s gameplanning attempt going into Thursday’s rivalry battle between the Cats and Cards. He felt Louisville had a “fighting chance” to pull off the upset — what else was he supposed to say? — but knew the challenge would be significant.

“They’re very, very good basketball players. They’re complete,” Payne said ahead of the matchup. “We have to get back in transition, have to play very good one-on-one defense and help each other. And we have to rebound the basketball. They’re good. There is a reason they are top-10 in the country.”

And that’s exactly how things unfolded. Louisville got back in transition, defended and rebounded OK early — it was neck-and-neck midway through the first half. Then the top-10 talent looked like top-10 talent, Kentucky pulling off the 95-76 victory in a sea of blue inside the Yum! Center.

What was Payne’s take on the Cats after the fact? Well, they are who he thought they were, if not better.

“We played a team they’ve got ranked nine, but they’re a lot better than nine. The reason they’re a lot better than nine is they share the ball, they defend, they have players that can really shoot the ball and pass the ball. They’re probably the best passing team that we’ve played.

“They’re a machine. They keep coming at you and at you and at you.”

He knew Kentucky was excellent in transition and had to “sprint back and match up at all times.” Thing is, that’s easier said than done.

“That’s hard because it’s not just one guy or two guys,” Payne said. “It’s five guys that all have the ability to drive it, pass it and shoot it.”

And there is no rest, no time to catch your breath. Right when you think a break is coming, the team’s depth comes in prepared to throw yet another knockout punch.

“If you look at their team, how many guys play 12 minutes or more? So they’ve got a bunch of guys, right?” he said. “When you play this game and you play a top-five team with a bunch of players, our guys are going to get tired.”

The Louisville program’s got its own problems (plenty of them, actually). Job security is a serious question mark for Payne moving forward — UL AD Josh Heird confirmed he’d remain as head coach through the holidays, but wouldn’t commit long-term — as the team has won just nine games in 44 tries during his year-plus with the Cardinals.

When asked about using this matchup as a measuring stick for his team’s growth and how close they are to breaking through — John Calipari said Payne will “have this program within a year where everybody wants it” — the Louisville head coach kept it simple.

“Kentucky as a measuring stick? Did you see all of those All-Americans out there?”

Not sure if that says more about the Cats or the Cards. Either way, it’s pretty clear this Kentucky team is different.