11/08/07: OUCH!!!

Well, the University of Kentucky men's basketball team started out slow again last night. This time, however, they were unable to recover.

Gardner-Webb went into Rupp Arena last night and beat Kentucky 84-68 in Billy Gillespie's second game as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky didn't look too good, but you have to give Gardner-Webb some credit. The Bulldogs came into Rupp and played a heck of a game.

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Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

1) This is the second game in a row now that I thought Kentucky's offense looked broken. The Wildcats pass and move without the ball OK, but nobody seems to want to try and attack the opposing defense with dribbling penetration. The ball just moves around the perimeter until somebody throws a bad pass or settles for a jumpshot.

2) Kentucky needs to work on making sure somebody gets back on defense after they take a long shot on offense. There were several times last night that Gardner Webb beat Kentucky back down the floor for an easy bucket.

3) I was super impressed with Alex Legion again. Alex went 3-4 from behind the arc and scored a total of 13 pounts in 17 minutes of play. Alex also had 3 steals in the game. More than that though, I thought the Wildcats looked better with Alex on the floor. I think Billy may have to find a way to get this kid some more PT.

4) Joe Crawford had an off night. Joe only shot 2-10 from the field and had only 4 points in the game. One of my buddies says that Joe will be the key to the Wildcats success this year. He always says, "As Joe goes, so go the Wildcats." I haven't seen anything yet to convince me that my buddy is wrong about that.

5) I think Kentucky needs to give Patterson more opportunities with the ball. Patrick looked pretty good in the low post last night (12 points, 12 rebounds), they just didn't get him the ball enough.

6) Jodie Meeks had another off night too. Jodie ended up with 9 points, but he only shot 4-15 from the field. It doesn't look like Kentucky can afford to have Crawford and Meeks both have bad nights in the same game.

7) I thought Ramel Bradley played pretty well. He finished with 24 points on 4-11 shooting from the field. But, Ramel went 14-14 from the free throw line. He seems to be the only Wildcat that is getting fouled.

8) Kentucky only had 3 players get to the free throw line last night. Bradley went 14-14 from the line, Patterson went 2-2, and Legion went 2-4. I think that statistic tells you something about how the Wildcat offense is performing. They are not attacking the opposing defense.

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Kentucky fans need to relax and not freak out too much over this loss. Gardner-Webb is a tough opponent for a young team trying to learn a new system to have to play this early in the year. The Wildcats will get better as the players start feeling more comfortable in Gillespie's system. I think you will also see a drastic improvement on offense once Gillespie gets a better handle on his player rotations. And don't forget, Harris and Jasper will make a difference when they come back from their injuries.

I'm not saying Kentucky is going to be a great team this year. I'm just saying that we should be patient and give the team some time to gel. I think we all know the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them if they want to make the NCAA tournament this year. I mean lets face it, Tubby didn't exactly leave the cupboards fully stocked.