Watch the Tape: Arkansas Razorbacks

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watch-the-tape-arkansas-razorbacks-4 — Photo by UK Athletics | @KentuckyMBB

You wouldn’t have to follow college basketball very closely this season to know that parity has been one of the primary storylines. Losses that once were considered upsets are now simply commonplace. If the eye test hasn’t proven that point, then maybe the numbers will do so. Through Saturday’s games, Top 10 teams are just 21-28 when playing unranked opponents on the road. You cannot take winning on the road for granted.

One of those Top 10 at unranked opponent matchups on Saturday featured the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats and the Arkansas Razorbacks. It was far from pretty, but the Wildcats ultimately escaped Fayetteville with a 63-57 victory. It was a much-needed win after losing by 17 points at South Carolina on Wednesday.

Many fans expected Kentucky’s struggles offensively on Wednesday to be an anomaly. However, they crept into Saturday’s game as the ‘Cats couldn’t seem to score at Bud Walton Arena. The Wildcats shot 29% from the field in the first half and scored 24 points. The silver lining was that the defense stepped up and held the Razorbacks to just 26 points. It certainly was a good time to get their best defensive effort of the season. In the second half, Kentucky shot 7-11 from three-point range to come away with the victory, but still really struggled to finish inside. Arkansas’ athleticism and rim protection gave the ‘Cats some issues. At the end of the day though the objective was accomplished. The road win moved Kentucky to 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

As always, we’ve been hard at work inside of the KSR Film Room breaking down Kentucky’s latest contest. We will take a closer look at some of the early struggles offensive and why the ‘Cats couldn’t seem to finish. Also, we will highlight the improvements defensively that helped to cover up the lackluster offensive performance. Finally, we will showcase the halftime adjustments that were made to allow the offense to put up 39 points in the second half. Let’s dive on in and watch the tape of Kentucky’s 63-57 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

What Caused the Early Offensive Struggles?

Kentucky came out of the gate getting to some pretty good spots, but they couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket. What caused the poor shooting around the basket in the first half? Was it the Arkansas Razorbacks’ athleticism and ability to protect the rim? Or, was it as simple as just missing some good shots that would go in later in the game? As usual, the answer is a little bit of both. However, there are some points on film to take away from the early struggles. The Wildcats needed to be more willing to drive and kick early in the game. Too often they were looking to score off of the first drive. Also, the ‘Cats need to play through the chest of the defender around the basket as opposed to floating away from the rim.

When DJ Wagner was struggling to finish at the rim early in the season it was due to taking shots like this. It looks like a pretty good look, and he can certainly finish it, but ultimately it is a non-paint two-point shot. He needs to get his shoulder past the defender in order to get a better angle at the rim. This is where he probably should have thrown the drift pass to Antonio Reeves or jump-stopped and kicked it out to Tre Mitchell.

It was Adou Thiero’s first game back in the lineup so he certainly gets some extra rope. He did some really good things defensively as well to impact the game. However, with his athleticism and physicality, he has to finish shots like this. Going 0-5 from two-point range on layups is not good. With a much smaller defender on him, Thiero needs to use his size to his advantage. Instead of finishing while fading away from the rim he needed to put his left shoulder into the chest of #3 Ellis and finish this at the backboard. Finish “in” instead of “out” at the rim when you are 6’8″, strong, and athletic.

Those first two clips offered the ability to nitpick a bit and hopefully will be teaching points to improve finishing going forward. However, this clip and the next one are just Reed Sheppard missing really good looks that he usually makes. Sometimes that happens when you are playing on the road. This is a good, clean look at the rim and Sheppard has proven that he makes this floater at a high percentage. It is frustrating at the moment, but sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in the basket.

Reed Sheppard made this exact layup in the second half as Kentucky scored 39 points to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks. When they don’t go in, that is how you get held to 24 points in a half. This is a great move, a great look, it just doesn’t go in the basket. Not much to really critique here. Sheppard stayed aggressive in the second half and was a big reason the ‘Cats won the game.

Highlighting the Defensive Improvements

It is easy to say that the Arkansas Razorbacks are not good offensively and that is why Kentucky’s defense looked better. Obviously, that played a part in the success. However, there were definitely steps taken in the right direction defensively on Saturday night. The ‘Cats were much more disciplined. They didn’t run at the ball for no reason, gave up strong hand, straight-line drives, and didn’t lose shooters on the perimeter. The Wildcats have faced several other subpar offensive teams, but this was the first time they enforced their will on the opponent. Holding a team to 57 points on their home floor doesn’t happen by accident.

The bar for improvement defensively is admittedly pretty low for Kentucky. That is why there is reason for optimism that they will get better over the next couple of months. Against the Arkansas Razorbacks, the objective was to stay between them and the basket and contest every shot. We also talked recently about being on the same page in ballscreen coverage. The ‘Cats accomplished those goals on this possession. This was an outstanding closeout by Tre Mitchell and then he moved his feet to stay with the drive. Off of the ball, the defenders were staying home and not too obsessed with the ball. Ultimately, the Razorbacks get a forced, contested three-point shot as the clock expired. Great execution for a full 30 seconds.

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Ugonna Onyenso possesses some defensive instincts that you cannot teach. To begin the possession you get a well-executed “weak” ballscreen with Reed Sheppard and Onyenso. Again, simply being on the same page with the plan is an improvement we are looking for at this point in this season. Saturday night was the best it has been all season. Then, you get Onyenso sliding over to block the baseline drive. Finally, Onyenso records a second blocked shot coming from the opposite lane line to swat the attempt away. That was a big-time defensive play. Turning shot blocking into rim protection was another one of our goals outlined earlier in the week.

Adou Thiero struggled on the offensive end of the floor in his return against the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, he immediately made a difference with his strength and athleticism on the defensive end. Kentucky was able to switch this backscreen because Thiero is able to guard in the post without creating a mismatch. Then, he shows some impressive verticality getting up to block the hook shot. Taking the bump inside and still being able to elevate like this is pretty special.

One of the goals we outlined earlier in the week for defensive improvement was turning shot blocking into true rim protection. Kentucky did that on Saturday night against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Yes, the ‘Cats still blocked six shots, but they also held the Razorbacks to 39% shooting from two-point range. That is a major improvement. It is possessions like you see in the clip above that highlight the shift from simply blocking shots to actually protecting the rim. Ugonna Onyenso still comes out further than he would really need to, but notice how he essentially stays locked at the front of the rim this entire possession. Then, on the drive, his mere presence forces a travel. Keeping him at the rim can be a difference-maker.

Halftime Adjustments Reinvigorated the Offense

Something had to change after the Arkansas Razorbacks held Kentucky to shooting 29% in the first half. The Wildcats were having issues with their athleticism around the basket and couldn’t even get the few clean looks they got to fall. However, Coach Calipari and company made some excellent halftime adjustments that helped jump-start the offense. Instead of looking to score off of the first drive, the ‘Cats were much more willing to drive and kick in the second half. That led to seven made three-point shots, but also some open looks on a second or third drive to the basket. There were some well-executed half-court set plays as well. It still wasn’t perfect, but scoring 39 points in the second half looked a lot more like what we are accustomed to seeing from the Kentucky offense.

The simple shift to scoring off of a second or third drive as opposed to the first drive made a big difference offensively in the second half. Adou Thiero started the possession with an aggressive drive to the block. He did a good job of playing off of two feet and pivoting to kick the ball back out to Tre Mitchell. Then, Mitchell got into a good ballscreen action with Antonio Reeves who finished an And-1. In the first half there simply weren’t many times where Kentucky drove it a second time.

Early in the first half, DJ Wagner would have taken this shot attempt and probably missed it. However, in the second half, he adjusted and turned down the contested shot for an assisted three-point shot from Reed Sheppard. This is a really, really good pass and a great shot from the highest percentage three-point shooter in the country. Unselfish play makes this Kentucky offense nearly unstoppable.

The sign of a great play is having the ability to score multiple different ways off of the same set within a game. In the first half, Antonio Reeves knocked in a three off of this action when his man went up through the Tre Mitchell downscreen. This time, Reed Sheppard was able to get downhill off of the ballscreen and nobody ever stopped the ball because they were worried about sticking with Mitchell on the perimeter. That is the value he brings even when he isn’t shooting it. The ‘Cats put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses.

Multiple passes, changing sides of the floor, and constant movement from both the ball and the players got Kentucky’s offense firing in the second half. The Arkansas Razorbacks didn’t have an answer for this level of execution. Having multiple players who can create help off of the dribble and multiple shooters that you can’t help off of puts opposing defenses in a very precarious situation. They have to make tough decisions on the fly and it often leads to scoring opportunities like you see here. This is great ball movement between DJ Wagner, Reed Sheppard, and Tre Mitchell ultimately culminating in the Sheppard dagger three.