Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Notebook: Jan. 2
In something of a scheduling rarity, Kentucky made it to the New Year without having played a true road game.
The first one will come Wednesday night in Baton Rogue, La., as the No. 17 Wildcats take on LSU.
It could be an interesting challenge for Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) which has been starting five freshmen and bringing two sophomores and another freshman off the bench.
"I guess it’s the first game on somebody’s home court, but we’ve been away from home, had to travel, and they’ve performed," UK coach John Calipari said Tuesday. "I’m not so worried about that. I’m worried about if we will talk more on defense, because if we don’t talk more, then we can’t get better and we’re going to be stuck where we are."
"Can we create shots for each other versus can I get my own shot? I’m more concerned about that kind of stuff than playing on the road."
Kentucky's last trip outside the Bluegrass did not go so well. The Cats were sluggish in an 83-75 loss to unranked UCLA in New Orleans just before Christmas.
It will take more cohesion and better communication to come away with a victory against LSU (9-3, 0-0 SEC), Calipari noted.
"The job for each individual player – you have a question: ‘How do I make this game easier for my teammates?’" he said. "And that’s both on offense and defense.
"Defensively, you just talk and let them know where you are and really be the help on the ball. You’re putting great pressure so that their job is easier because you’re pressuring the ball so much they’re not so apt to be beat. Then, on offense, 'How do I make this game easy?' Well, you create good plays and opportunities for other people."
LSU will test the communication issue. The Tigers are averaging 84.7 points per game and shooting an impressive 51.5 percent from the field as a team. They're averaging 8.8 made 3-point shots per game, a perimeter challenge similar to the one the Cats faced against UCLA.
Freshman guard Tremont Waters, a one-time UK recruiting target, is averaging 17.1 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the arc.
"Dangerous if you watch him," Calipari said. "Great with the ball, finds people, has a green light to shoot to the NBA line, so he’ll go back there and shoot NBA 3s. Gets to the rim. When he’s getting to the rim, he’ll find you. He’s tough, he’s good. Good foul shooter. He’s a handful."
He's not the only offensive weapon for LSU. Sophomore guard Skylar Mays is averaging 12.8 points per game and is coming off a performance against Memphis which saw him knock down four 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Duop Reath chips in with 11.9 points per game.
"I imagine LSU fans are gonna be there and it’s gonna be a hostile environment," Calipari said. "It’ll be a great learning experience."
Kentucky is 10-2 against LSU under Calipari. This will be the first matchup against new Tigers coach Will Wade.
NOTES:
* Despite a 29-point win over rival Louisville and a hard-fought win over Georgia last week, UK actually slipped a spot in the AP Top 25 poll this week. The Cats have taken notice, according to Calipari. "My son hit me and said, 'Dad, we dropped in the polls.' I said, 'Use it as fuel, son.' I mean, look, we can say all we want, but if we go to LSU and they bash us, what are you going to say? Basically, you gotta do this on the court." The perceived disrespect may actually work to UK's advantage. Calipari said his young players occasionally require some humble pie. "We just gotta fight harder now. It gives us more motivation," said UK freshman point guard Quade Green.
* Starting lineups are always a favorite topic among UK fans, but those have remained fairly static this season. The lineup of Quade Green, Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox and P.J. Washington has been used in 11 of the 13 games this season. The "finishing lineups" have been more interesting. The players with the most minutes in the last two games have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (66), Diallo (63) and Wenyen Gabriel (57). Two of the three are coming off the bench. Asked Monday night on his weekly radio call-in show if Gilgeous-Alexander had earned a starting spot with his 45 combined points in wins over Louisville and Georgia, Calipari said he likes the rotations the Cats have now and the energy boost when they bring the Canada native into the game for the first time.
* Former UK recruiting target Trae Young has become perhaps the biggest individual story of the college basketball season, averaging 29.6 points and 10.7 assists per game as a freshman at Oklahoma. At one point, it appeared that Young was a lock to be a Kentucky Wildcat, but his recruitment took a turn when he opted to delay his decision. Asked Tuesday about Young's eye-popping performance so far this season, Calipari raved. "I knew how good he was, but I didn’t even realize he was this good. The biggest thing in this, and it’s a great lesson, (OU coach) Lon Kruger, who I have unbelievable respect for, basically said, ‘We’re going to play through you. It’s all going through you. You’re going to shoot when you want.’ And he did not lie." It would not have been the same scenario at UK as part of a top-ranked recruiting class. "I’m happy for Trae. I hope we don’t have to play him, but happy for him. He’s a great kid from a great family."