The 6th seeded Kentucky Wildcats basketball team faces a significant challenge in their upcoming NCAA tournament game against 11th seeded Providence. With five losses in their last six postseason games, the Wildcats are under immense pressure to come out on top. Even more, they are matched up against former teammate Bryce Hopkins, adding to the intensity of the game.
Head coach John Calipari seems to sense his team’s mental fragility and is doing everything he can to provide positive affirmation to the players. Calipari met with the team on Saturday to get them in the right frame of mind and sent a text message to them stating that they are capable of winning. During his weekly radio show, he emphasized the importance of mindset, using the word ten times in an hour. He stressed the need for resilience and a belief in one another to keep negative thoughts at bay.
To prepare for the physical game against Providence, Calipari had his team scrimmage for almost two hours, something they had not done due to various injuries. He wants to ensure his team is in the right mindset before the game.
Kentucky has faced numerous challenges this season, from being a preseason top-five team to upset losses to injuries. However, they have responded well to adversity, winning games when everyone had written them off. Calipari hopes that his team can use their experience with the good and bad moments to fuel them in the NCAA Tournament.
Calipari outlined several factors that can determine a team’s success in the NCAA Tournament, including free throw shooting, defense, and making perimeter shots. Kentucky has struggled with all three of these factors this season, and Calipari stressed the need for his players to step up and help the team separate from their opponents.
In the end, the Wildcats need to believe in themselves, be resilient, and maintain a positive mindset to have a chance to win. Let’s hope our Wildcats can come together at the end of the season and make a run.
Some Stats On The Year
As of their last game, the Wildcats have scored a total of 2402 points, averaging 75.1 points per game, while holding their opponents to only 2177 points and 68.0 points per game. This gives the Wildcats an impressive scoring margin of 7.0, which highlights their dominant offensive play.
In terms of shooting, the Wildcats have made 880 of 1919 field goal attempts, giving them a shooting percentage of nearly 46%. They have also made 204 of 577 three-point attempts, for a 35.4%. While their opponents have made 780 of 1817 field goal attempts, with a shooting 43%, and 212 of 640 three-point attempts, for 33%. Despite having a slightly lower three-point percentage than their opponents, the Wildcats have made more three-pointers per game, averaging 6.4 to their opponents’ 6.6.
Kentucky has also been successful at the free-throw line, making 438 of 623 attempts, 70.3%. Meanwhile, their opponents have made 405 of 544 attempts, for 74.4%. However, the Wildcats have attempted more free throws per game, averaging 13.7 to their opponents’ 12.7.
When it comes to rebounding, the Wildcats have dominated, pulling down a total of 1247 rebounds and averaging 39.0 per game. In contrast, their opponents have only totaled 966 rebounds and average 30.2 per game. This gives the Wildcats an impressive rebounding margin of 8.8, which has helped them to control the pace of play and maintain their offensive momentum.
The Wildcats have also excelled in assists, with a total of 490 assists and an average of 15.3 per game. This compares to their opponents, who have a total of 374 assists and average 11.7 per game. Additionally, the Wildcats have a slightly better assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.3, compared to their opponents’ ratio of 1.0.
Finally, the Wildcats have been successful in steals and blocks, with 207 steals and 120 blocks, averaging 6.5 and 3.8 per game, respectively. Meanwhile, their opponents have only managed to secure 189 steals and 70 blocks, averaging 5.9 and 2.2 per game, respectively.
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