KSR Today: Another Kentucky Basketball Let Down

“I just have a feeling. This is when they’ll turn the corner.” That thought has crossed the minds of many Kentucky basketball fans over the last three years, only to be let down by another disappointing performance. The latest uninspiring loss, a 63-53 CBS Sports Classic blunder against UCLA, has brought upon a familiar feeling. The BBN has become Charlie Brown and Lucy just keeps pulling the ball away at the last minute.

You’ve seen the stat by now. It’s unavoidable. They even put it on the ESPN ticker. Kentucky is 4-13 against AP Top 25 teams over the last three seasons. This isn’t just a feeling you have as a scorn Kentucky basketball fan. The Wildcats have not performed well against good teams, time and time again. The numbers don’t get much better if you go back one more season.

John Calipari remains optimistic this team can turn it around. After all, this is not the first time one of his teams have struggled before Christmas.

“We missed so many open shots, it becomes demoralizing. The crazy thing is, we still could have won the game…,” Calipari said after the game. “I thought we were gonna win the game. ‘We were in good shape, let’s just keep going.’ We make a couple errors, then we took a couple bad shots down the stretch when it was a two-bucket game.”

Something is missing from this team. It has many specific problems, which we’ll get to, but there’s a certain intangible that just isn’t there. It’s difficult to describe that dog mentality, but its absence is abundantly clear. This team that wears Kentucky basketball uniforms is not the team everyone hated because they came to your town and beat your team.

An Abysmal Final Stretch

Despite an 8-point halftime deficit, Kentucky clawed back into the game in the second half, thanks in large part to heroics by Chris Livingston. Kentucky tied the game with 14:26 on the clock and stayed within reach until Sahvir Wheeler made it a 2-point game. Over the final 4:31 the Wildcats were 0-11 from the field. Complemented by a 5-of-13 performance from the free throw line, Kentucky did not play winning basketball against UCLA.

Kentucky Guards Can’t Catch a Cold

It’s hard to win when your shooting guards aren’t making shots. Entering this game John Calipari’s solution was “be ready to shoot” and “shoot it more.” CJ Fredrick did neither, going 0-0 in six minutes, his second consecutive scoreless game. Antonio Reeves shot plenty, but the frequent floaters never felt in rhythm. Cason Wallace hit his first three, then went ice, ice cold. The three wings combined to score 13 points on 4-of-26 shots (15.3%). Even with a defending National Player of the Year in the paint, you can’t win basketball games if your wings can’t hit shots.

Historically Bad Kentucky Offense

All of it added up to a 53-point performance that single-handedly dropped the Cats nine spots in the KenPom rankings overnight. It was the Wildcats’ worst offensive performance since the 2011 Final Four loss to UConn. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander painted a clear picture of where Kentucky fans stand with Coach Cal and his offense after another big whiff on a big stage.

There’s a stagnancy. There’s a predictable halt of motion late in games. It seems like good teams are able to figure Kentucky out, and without a dynamic alpha scorer on the roster, it puts a ceiling on Kentucky’s creativity. I didn’t expect this; in early November, I picked the Wildcats to win the national title. There’s little to suggest that’s possible with this team.

CBS Sports

John Calipari, Players Speak

You can see all of the Wildcats’ postgame comments here. Instead of embedding those, I’ll share Drew Franklin and Steven Peake’s thoughts from Madison Square Garden.

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Chris Livingston Breakthrough Performance

Production from the four-position has been far from consistent. The season-long stats for Jacob Toppin aren’t bad, but he hasn’t been there when Kentucky needs him in big moments. It took 10 shot attempts for him to score five points on Saturday. He also had three turnovers in 24 minutes.

While waiting for a breakthrough from Toppin, we saw one from Chris Livingston. He knocked down his first five shots. Two of them were three-pointers and his three straight jumpers tied the game early in the second half. He finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Even though Calipari still played him primarily at the 3-spot, maybe he can be the answer Kentucky is looking for at the four.

Blue Got In to MSG

The Kentucky basketball team did not struggle because of a lack of enthusiasm from its fans. The BBN painted the Big Apple Blue. See some of the fanfare from New York City through the lens of Dr. Michael Huang.

Roster Building Season for Kentucky Football

The Wildcats got on a roll late in the week by picking up a couple of commitments from the transfer portal. Things have gone quiet as transfer portal players and high school prospects finish their final visits. Today is the last day they can visit with coaches in-person. Graham Mertz was on UK’s campus while Devin Leary checked out Auburn. Now it’s time to let the cake bake. The waiting game is not fun, but patience could pay off as decisions begin to roll in before the Early Signing Period begins Wednesday.

Kentucky Women’s Basketball in Action

Friday night Kyra Elzy’s Cats laid in egg, scoring only 44 points in a loss to Murray State. Fortunately, they do not have to wait long to bounce back. This afternoon at 1 pm EST they return to Memorial Coliseum to host Florida Gulf Coast on Ugly Sweater Day. Wear your ugly Christmas sweater to watch the Cats or stream the action from home on SECN+.