This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Turning the Page

Admittedly, we did not expect the Kentucky Basketball team to lose on Saturday at Notre Dame. The offense went stagnant down the stretch and there were too many defensive miscues to get the job done. After the loss, the Big Blue Nation fanbase is frustrated and raising some valid concerns about this season’s team once again. While talk shows and websites like ours will continue to talk about the game for days to come, the actual basketball team must turn the page. They have a week full of practice, and final exams, while preparing for a trip to Las Vegas to take on a Top 25 team in the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The days of seven straight tuneup games are over. Every night the Wildcats take the floor from here on out will be a battle (save for Tubby Smith’s High Point team most likely). Learning and getting better on the fly is a necessity at this point. Kentucky, as the old saying goes, cannot let Notre Dame beat them twice. The loss was a bad one, but the team has to move on and get ready for the Buckeyes.

As we do each Monday, we will touch on this week in Kentucky Basketball with the top storyline and an early look at Ohio State. Then, we will get an update on everything around the Southeastern Conference and cover the top games to watch nationally. Let’s dive on in to this week in Kentucky Basketball.

Top Kentucky Basketball Storyline: Finding Offense Outside of Oscar Tshiebwe

When the Wildcats took Oscar Tshiebwe nobody, probably even including Coach Calipari and the staff, imagined him being a guy that would score 20+ points in three straight games and average a team-high 16.3 points per game. However, that is where things stand nine games into the season. Tshiebwe was incredible on Saturday evening scoring a season-best 25 points on 11/14 shooting. He cannot do it alone though. Kentucky must get more out of other guys for this team to truly be a Top 25 group. Some of those issues are structural offensively of things that need to be changed. However, it is also up to guys like TyTy Washington and Kellan Grady to step up and be playmakers when the opportunity arises.

In the first 10 minutes of Saturday’s game, both Washington and Grady made plays off of the dribble to score. There was an early handoff action on the wing that Grady turned the corner and finished a floater. Then, Washington hit three early jump shots but didn’t score after the 10 minute mark in the first half. These are two of the best scorers on the team and Kentucky can’t afford for them to go quiet for such extended periods of time. Overall, you can’t complain with what TyTy Washington has brought to the table this season. However, we need to see it against the best teams still. Grady has been excellent as a shooter, but has yet to bring a whole lot else to the table. This is where steps forward can be made and take some pressure off of Oscar Tshiebwe.

This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Ohio State Buckeyes

Kentucky Basketball will get back in action this Saturday with a trip to Las Vegas to take part in the CBS Sports Classic. The Wildcats play the Ohio State Buckeyes at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time at T-Mobile Arena. We will have much more later this week breaking down the Buckeyes, including the typical scouting report, but today we will take a first look at Chris Holtmann’s team.

The first thing to know about Ohio State is that they feature potential National Player of the Year candidate E.J. Liddell. A 6’7″ junior forward, Liddell is averaging 20.6 points and 7.2 rebounds along with 3 blocks per game. Outside of Paolo Banchero, Liddell may be the best player that Kentucky faces all season long.

When looking at the numbers, the Buckeyes matchup very well nationally. They are seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom with excellent percentages across the board. Ohio State shoots 38.6% from beyond the arc which is 26th nationally and 56.3% from two-point range which is 23rd nationally. This is an excellent offensive team that we will breakdown on film as the week goes on.

After struggling in their season-opener against Akron, Ohio State has won four straight games including a win over then #1 Duke and a pair of Big 10 victories. The Buckeyes two losses came on the road at Xavier and Florida. This will a very tough test for the Wildcats on Saturday in a game that could make up for the Notre Dame loss if Kentucky comes out on top.

Around the Southeastern Conference

After Arkansas’ 22-point defeat against Oklahoma on Saturday, the SEC is down to just one undefeated team. That would be the LSU Tigers. Will Wade’s group has admittedly played an easier schedule than some of their conference counterparts, but 9-0 is impressive nonetheless. Tari Eason has been excellent for the Tigers averaging 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Alabama had the win of the week on Saturday night in controversial fashion. The Crimson Tide escaped with an 83-82 victory over Houston as Kelvin Sampson chased the officials off the floor asking for a goaltending call at the buzzer. Nate Oats and company travel to Memphis on Tuesday to take on the reeling Tigers.

Don’t sleep on the Auburn Tigers. Despite missing head Coach Bruce Pearl who served the first of his two game suspension on Saturday, Auburn derailed Nebraska 99-68. They are playing at a very high level right now and appear to once again be one of the best offensive teams in college basketball.

Further down the league standings, it appears that the early success Mike White and the Florida Gators experienced may have been fool’s gold. His team lost to previously winless Texas Southern on Monday by 15 points before losing again Sunday against Maryland. The Gators are now 7-3 after losing three of their last four games.

Outside of the Alabama at Memphis game Tuesday night, it is a fairly quiet week in the Southeastern Conference as a lot of schools take their first semester final exams. On Saturday we have a full slate though with Tennessee taking their turn at Memphis on ESPN2 for another high-profile Penny Hardaway game. Kentucky plays Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic and we get Auburn traveling to play a good St. Louis team on the road.

Games to Watch Nationally

Tuesday, December 14th

South Carolina Upstate @ #18 Tennessee (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN+)

Northwestern State @ #19 LSU (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time SEC Network)

South Carolina State @ #2 Duke (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time ACC Network)

Louisiana @ #14 Houston (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN+)

Arkansas State @ #25 Texas Tech (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN+)

#6 Alabama @ Memphis (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN)

North Alabama @ #13 Auburn (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time SEC Network)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ #17 Texas (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPNU)

Wednesday, December 15th

Morehead State @ #22 Xavier (8:30 p.m. Eastern Time FS1)

Northern Colorado @ #8 Arizona (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Pac 12 Network)

UC Irvine @ #10 USC (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Alabama State @ #4 UCLA (11:00 p.m. Eastern Time Pac 12 Network)

Thursday, December 16th

Appalachian State @ #2 Duke (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN)

Friday, December 17th

#9 Villanova @ Creighton (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time FS1)

Saturday, December 18th

Butler vs. #3 Purdue (Noon Eastern Time FOX) @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse

#18 Tennessee vs. Memphis (Noon Eastern Time ESPN2) @ Bridgestone Arena

#5 Gonzaga vs. #25 Texas Tech (1:00 p.m. Eastern Time CBS) @ Footprint Center

#4 UCLA vs. North Carolina (3:00 p.m. Eastern Time CBS) @ T-Mobile Arena

Iona vs. #16 Seton Hall (3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) @ Madison Square Garden

Cleveland State @ #2 Duke (4:00 p.m. Eastern Time ACC Network)

#10 USC vs. Georgia Tech (4:00 p.m. Eastern Time Pac 12 Network)

Marquette @ #22 Xavier (4:00 p.m. Eastern Time FS1)

#23 Colorado State vs. Tulsa (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN+) @ Dickies Arena

Providence @ #20 UConn (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time FOX)

#15 Ohio State vs. #21 Kentucky (5:15 p.m. Eastern Time CBS) @ T-Mobile Arena

California Baptist @ #8 Arizona (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time Pac 12 Network)

Oklahoma State vs. #14 Houston (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPNU) @ Dickies Arena

#19 LSU vs. Louisiana Tech (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time) @ Brookshire Grocery Arena

Stephen F. Austin @ #7 Kansas (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Hofstra vs. #24 Arkansas (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time) @ Simmons Bank Arena

Jacksonville State @ #6 Alabama (8:30 p.m. Eastern Time SEC Network)

#13 Auburn @ Saint Louis (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

#1 Baylor @ Oregon (10:00 p.m. Eastern Time ESPN2)