Report Card
After every Kentucky basketball or football game Cats Illustrated hands out report card grades to each player as well as the coaches.
Here are game grades following UK's 66-59 loss to Auburn.
Davion Mintz
Kentucky was -14 with Mintz on the court which is a little curious because he led Kentucky in scoring (only 11 points) on 5/12 shooting. He had three rebounds and two steals but three turnovers and struggled a bit on defense at times.
Grade: C
Devin Askew
Askew did not put up big numbers (5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) but there was a sequence at the end of the game where his effort almost gave Kentucky a chance to surge back into the lead. His effort is one of the best things going for the team. Askew plays like every possession counts. There are still some court awareness issues, like not seeing good shots that are available or not keeping his dribble all the way through a set.
Grade: C
B.J. Boston
It was another brutal game for Boston, whose bad tendencies and forcing of the issue is not being reeled in by Calipari. He was 2/9 FG for five points and turned it over five times, more than any other Wildcat. He did have five rebounds and three steals, but he's out of sorts and out of sync with whatever Kentucky is trying to do.
Grade: D-
Dontaie Allen
Kentucky was +11 in Allen's 23 minutes. Compare that to their 7-point loss overall and you have to wonder what kind of impact Allen's presence alone is having on the game. He scored eight points (3/7 FG, 2-6 3-pt) and had two rebounds.
Grade: B
Jacob Toppin
Toppin's potential is on full display. His athleticism is always apparent but he's showing more offensive promise. He scored 10 points (3/4 FG, 4/4 FT) and had six rebounds. He was definitely one of Kentucky's best players on Saturday.
Grade: A-
Keion Brooks
Brooks has played three games now and Saturday split the difference between his first game against Florida (very good) and his second game against Alabama (very poor). He was solid, with eight points (4/7 FG), six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Brooks did foul out.
Grade: B
Isaiah Jackson
Consistency is what Jackson is lacking. He was Kentucky's best player against Alabama but did very little against Auburn: 2 points (0/3 FG), one rebound, two blocks, and only 11 minutes played even though he was a starter. He wasn't bad so much as he didn't make much of an impact.
Grade: C
Lance Ware
After not playing at all against Alabama, Ware saw 21 minutes of court time against the Tigers. Kentucky was +5 with Ware in the game, and that was second-best on the team behind only Dontaie Allen's number. He's obviously more physically and athletically limited than Olivier Sarr and Isaiah Jackson, in some respects, but he battles and you know what you're getting with him. He had four points (1/4 FG) and four rebounds.
Grade: B-
Olivier Sarr
If Ware, Toppin, Askew, and Allen give Kentucky consistency, Sarr is part of a group that is not consistent at all. He had six points (3/5) and five rebounds but Kentucky was -15 with him on the court. That was the worst mark on the team.
Grade: C-
Coaching
More curious decisions from Calipari. There are certain players who seem to demonstrably make Kentucky better, whether they are putting up big numbers or not. There are others, like Boston, who are struggling mightily. But the substitution patterns, playing time, and allowances do not neatly match up as you would expect. Auburn is a better team with Sharife Cooper, but they did not play so well that Kentucky should have lost. A solid performance would have gotten Kentucky to 4-1 in the SEC. Some of Cal's postgame comments were head scratchers.
Grade: D