This season of Kentucky basketball has been one giant seesaw. As soon as the team looks like they are playing truly high level ball the wheels fall off. After a 5-4 start to the season that included a 35 point loss- the largest in the Mark Pope era- Kentucky fans began to question everything. Was seeing the tourney in March a possibility? Can Oweh lead a quality team as the number one option? Was the 22 million dollars worth of NIL money spent on this subpar team worth it? It felt exhausting to take in content regarding the team. Players seemed overly okay with the losing, lacking the hunger to be better. Mark Pope seemed sad, sure, but never truly angry or annoyed with his team’s disappointing season. Media outlets clowned Kentucky, doubting whether the players or coaches were up to par with the Big Blue standard. I can tell you one thing. They’re not.
In no world is this Kentucky team competitive in a way the program is used to. When you put this team next to the squad with Monk and Fox or the teams with the Harrison twins and Willy Cauley Stine, they simply don’t match up on a talent level. However, this doesn’t mean Kentucky fans should abandon ship. Kentucky is not playing great basketball right now. It by no means is the pretty offense we’re used to from Mark Pope and company. Yet somehow, they’re finding a way to win games. They’ve knocked off 5 teams in a row. They are winning through sheer grit and determination, down 3 starters for what will likely be the rest of the season. We’re seeing what happens when guys buy into the name on the front of the jersey and not the back.
When I learned Lowe was out for the season, I fully believed this Kentucky team would be dysfunctional. As great as Quantaince is, Lowe was the most important piece, in my eyes, to help Kentucky reach their ceiling. Lowe has shown the flashes of being the type of scorer that could go get 30 on a random night in conference play. He reminds me of Houston guard Milos Uzan, another talented lefty, as both guards constantly look to get to their left hand, high arching, bank layup. Lowe has had shooting woes in the past yet I truly buy into him being at the very least an average shooter. He struggles at times being the aggressor on offense, yet when he does he opens the floor up for everyone else. Every great team needs a reliable point guard, and Lowe should’ve been Kentucky’s. Unfortunately, Lowe won’t get the opportunity to show his elite guard skills any more this year. In his absence, Kentucky has had to relearn its identity. The SEC is a gauntlet, and for Kentucky to compete, they had to figure out the way they will pull out games. With 5 wins a row, they are slowly putting it together.
Rather than wilting without Lowe, Kentucky has found alternative options for shot creation. As untimely as this team’s injuries have been, there is a newfound energy in the Wildcat’s locker room, in their practices, and in games, because of them. This is it. This is the team you have to work with if you’re Mark Pope. These are your teammates if you’re a Wildcat. There’s no time for waiting to get healthy, and throwing away games in the process. This is the team that represents the state of Kentucky, and it is time to make us proud. Guys like Jasper Johnson, Collin Chandler, and Denzel Aberdeen know what type of player they have to be on a night to night basis. With injured players coming in and out of UK’s rotation, that sense of assuredness just wasn’t there. Guys did know if they were going to get 15 or 30 minutes a game. The phrase “identity crisis” has been used many times to identify the problem with this Kentucky roster, yet when your role fluctuates so often, it is hard to truly find your niche on the court. Great teams like Michigan know who they are and have guys who know their strengths and weaknesses. Kentucky players must understand this if they want to continue winning with a difficult schedule ahead.
In order to continue winning a number of things must happen. The first and most important is the necessity of Kentucky maintaining their intensity. Teams like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Vanderbilt all have more talent than Kentucky on paper. Kentucky has to stay disciplined, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Muck up passing lanes, blow up screens, and staying low are all important. Secondly, Kentucky has to find a way to get their offense going at the start of games so they don’t have to dig themselves out of a huge hole. I like when Kentucky keeps things simple, not constantly reverting to the elaborate NBA level schemes that Mark Pope loves to draw up. Give Oweh a ballscreen and clear space. Have Garrison set ghost screens to try to get Chandler 3’s. Keep the ball hopping until a shot is found. I love what I’ve been seeing from Jasper Johnson as a mid post operator and decision maker. We need more of that and less Andrej Jelavic jumpers. Third, UK’s players must play to their ceilings. Oweh has been a bull in conference play, getting downhill with ease and providing a stabilizing force on the defensive end. Dioubate needs to get into the low, low post, and continue grabbing offensive rebounds. Lastly, guys like Noah and Chandler have to be 40%+ 3 point shooters. This is a lot to ask, yet it is justifiable considering they are defensive liabilities when their shots aren’t falling.
Kentucky’s next game is at Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Vanderbilt is a great example of the type of teams the new NIL era creates. They paid for immense talent that has done its part so far. Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner form one of the best backcourts in the country. In order for Kentucky to win, they can’t get pressed by these two’s elite perimeter defense. Diaubate and Moreno need to use their physicality in the post. I look forward to seeing the two teams face off Memorial Coliseum. Go Cats!
