Kentucky MBB must continue having fun to keep momentum rolling

For the first time since the Big Blue Bahamas Tour, Kentucky men’s basketball is having fun.

The Wildcats came into the 2022-23 season ranked No. 4 in the country with the reigning national player of the year coming back for another season. Kentucky looked like world-beaters against the inferior competition during that four-game stretch in the Bahamas over the summer, but the success had yet to translate once the regular season began in early November. UK came into Saturday’s matchup against in-state rival Louisville sitting on an 8-4 record with no statement wins on its resume and a handful of blowout losses to quality opponents.

Up until the Cardinals visited Rupp Arena on New Year’s Eve, Kentucky wasn’t having the same kind of fun it had in the Bahamas — the average fan could see it just by watching the games on TV. Players were straight-faced on the bench and played with little energy when on the floor.

Every passing loss compounded complaints from the Big Blue Nation. Losing to Missouri by 14 on the road in the SEC opener last week was the tipping point. This was clearly not the same Kentucky program that self-labeled itself as the “gold standard”.

But something changed against Louisville. Kentucky smacked the Cardinals in the mouth from the opening tip, crafting a 16-4 lead in the opening five minutes that effectively ended the game. Suddenly, the mood shifted entirely from the loss to Missouri. Kentucky players on the bench were celebrating every made basket, those on the court showed plenty of fight, and the rowdy crowd made it easy for them all to stay engaged.

Kentucky won running away, 86-63.

“In the Bahamas, we would just go out there and play, have fun, play hard. I think now we’re just playing and not really having any fun, like it’s not fun losing,” Freshman guard Adou Thiero said during a pre-LSU press conference on Monday. “Against Louisville we had a lot of fun in that game. The bench was into it, everyone on the court was into it after a big play, we’re all getting hyped. All the fans were into it and I think that’s what we’re missing — the having fun part.”

This change in mood wasn’t by chance though. Sure, beating the program’s most-hated rival by 23 points is going to bring some positive energy, but showing more signs of enjoyment throughout the game was a purposeful tactic from the Wildcats. Basketball should be about having fun, and that’s how Kentucky played Louisville. It was a stark contrast to the loss against Mizzou, which caught Jacob Toppin on the TV broadcast giving head coach John Calipari a mean side-eye from the bench.

“I think we had great energy throughout the whole game and I think it even started with our bench,” UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler said on Monday. “That’s something that we’ve been emphasizing, just watching some other teams and how they’ve had energy with their bench and I think our bench did a great job.

“I think it was maybe the second possession, third possession into the game (against Louisville) where there was a double-team in the corner and the big guy had got stuck, and we would deny and deny, and see the bench standing up clapping, showing energy, ended up forcing a turnover and that set the mood, set the tone for the rest of the game. So our bench energy was amazing. The crowd was there. It was packed, super-packed. It was top three for me since I’ve been here.”

Below is the play Wheeler was referring to. Louisville’s possession came immediately after Cason Wallace drilled Kentucky’s second three-pointer of the opening 75 seconds to give the ‘Cats a 6-2 lead. Watch the bench reaction to UK’s defense and assistant coach Chin Coleman pumping up the bench after UL turns it over.

Wheeler wasn’t exaggerating, either — the atmosphere at Rupp Arena was the best it had been all season. Fans feed off their player’s energy, and vice versa.

“I think the energy that we had on the bench, on the court, everybody was very energetic and you could see that we were trying to make a statement,” Thiero added.

That effort from Kentucky continued throughout the majority of the game. Louisville is statistically the worst Power 5 team the ‘Cats will face all season (and possibly the worst team on the entire schedule), but that’s not the point. Kentucky had to play with more fire and needed to bring it as soon as possible with SEC play pounding down the door.

“Coaches were a little disappointed in the bench during the Missouri game,” Thiero said. “We weren’t really getting into the game, we were just clapping and not really hyping the team up while Missouri had a sold-out gym and their bench was standing the whole game so we realized we got to change that and come with energy.”

The next step is trickier, though. Kentucky has to bring that same level of energy and fight and enthusiasm to every single game — not just ones against a bad rival in front of 20,000 members of the BBN. Tuesday’s game against the 12-1 LSU Tigers, although still at home, will be an excellent test to see if Kentucky can keep the fun times rolling.