The Kentucky Wildcats opened Wednesday night’s SEC game with a big fat dud against the Missouri Tigers in Columbia as they lost 89-75.
Missouri came out HOT and Kentucky…er…didn’t. The Tigers fired on all guns from the start, using the Cats’ calling card – run and gun – to beat them at their own game. It was over before it even started. Kentucky couldn’t get any shots off and Mizzou couldn’t miss as the home side went into halftime with a 42-30 lead.
Things didn’t get much better after the break. Kentucky remained flat again and Missouri extended their lead to as much as 21 points – Kentucky’s biggest deficit of the season. As the Cats headed to a lineup consisting of Sahvir Wheeler, Cason Wallace, Adou Thiero, Lance Ware and Oscar Tshiebwe, things seemed to turn around as Kentucky cut the lead to just nine.
It didn’t last long, however, and before you could blink, the lead was back up to 17 and Kentucky was finished.
Next, the Cats return to Lexington to face the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
Run, run, run
You’re used to hearing about Kentucky in this section, but that’s not remotely the case in this one. The Tigers did with Kentucky what they normally do with other teams – they ran and scored at will.
The Cats had no answer, unable to effectively pick up the pace, score on the halfcourt, or stop Missouri from doing what they wanted. Kentucky’s half-court offense was once again abysmal. They turned the ball around and couldn’t put down simple, wide-open looks.
These two teams couldn’t be more diametrically opposed on offense, and Kentucky played straight into Missouri’s hands when they were run straight off the field.
On defense, Calipari has continued to field several large lineups, which in and of itself is a bad idea for either side, but especially against a team that loves to run. That didn’t stop the boss from fielding Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin/Lance Ware and Oscar Tshiebwe at the same time.
But I’m not sure if any of the lineups played a role in the end. There wasn’t a fight, especially since Toppin is just plain unplayable at this point. Quite simply, Kentucky struggled from the start and never gained a foothold.
CJ Fredrick injured
Ah, the story of Kentucky basketball in recent seasons cannot be told without hearing about the injuries. And the same can be said for CJ Fredrick’s basketball career, as the kid just can’t stay sane.
Fredrick was considered one of the county’s transfers, coming to Lexington from the Iowa Hawkeyes, but foot and hamstring injuries kept Fredrick out all of last season before he finally made his debut this season. Fredrick was healthy up until this point in the season, but the injury virus eventually hit him when a right hand injury forced him out of the game and he did not return.
That’s something you see everyone hating, but especially Fredrick with the luck he’s had so far. Let’s hope the injury isn’t serious and Fredrick gets back to earth quickly.
Calipari became Billy Gillespie
I never thought I’d see the day when John Calipari would be absolutely loathed throughout bluegrass, but I think we’ve gotten to this point. Calipari followed one of the worst seasons in Kentucky basketball history with one of the worst NCAA tournament losses in Kentucky basketball history and now has this team to his credit.
It’s honestly just unacceptable. I can’t remember the Big Blue Nation being so run down since Billy Gillespie. Calipari was a breath of fresh air, but we all know things haven’t been the same since 2015, and now Kentucky has a shell of its former self. We’re looking at a team that might not even make it to the NCAA tournament.
I’m not saying fire the man and I’m not entirely sure they could, even if they wanted to, but I’m just saying that Tubby Smith got a lot less.
There isn’t much that can be said positively about this game. The Cats should be able to get back on track against the Cardinals on Saturday, but outside of that game I’m not sure another guaranteed win is on the cards. This season is certainly looking bleak at the moment.
Now let’s vent.