Kentucky put together one of it’s best performances of the season in a dismantling of the 13th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s a win the fan base and program sorely needed in what will be the last big game in Rupp this season. Lets dive into what we learned.
Justin Edwards Is Perfect
I’ve written about Justin Edwards before in one of these post-game breakdowns but he deserves another mention. He’s been quietly better on both ends of the floor for about three weeks but yesterday he broke out. 28 points while not missing a shot from the field (he did miss one FT) and also grabbing 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals is what we’ve been waiting for.
It’ll be tempting for some national media to pretend this came from nowhere but for those who have been paying attention it had been coming. He had a mini-breakout against Vandy but his improvement on defense has been noticeable and he finally put it all together for an extended period. It warms the heart to see how happy he was in the post-game and I loved hearing him talk about how much the coaching staff and Reed Sheppard have helped him mentally.
Big Z Arrives…Again
Big Z has had a bit of a roller-coaster season starting with NCAA shenanigans, a heart-warming debut, and then struggles against physical SEC opposition. Yesterday he found his role and he flashed the goods. 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just 20 minutes is elite stuff from the big man and an important weapon for Cal to have in his back pocket.
Big Z’s skillset was a perfect matchup for what Alabama as having a scoring threat at the 5 completely eviscerated the Tide’s feeble attempt at defense. He also did enough defensively in terms of protecting the rim to allow the Cats to bury Alabama.
There will be matchups that Big Z probably can’t play but having that versatility in March can help.
The Defense Was…Good Enough
When you give up 95 points and allow a team to shoot 56% from the floor it’s hard to say you had a good defensive performance but I think we can. Alabama is kind of a one-trick pony and it revolves around them creating and hitting a bunch of threes. They don’t even count on hitting a good percentage of them (though they typically do), they just count on the game coming down to basic math. It’s a horrible way to play competitive sports and incredibly uncreative but often effective.
Kentucky was able to harass Alabama just enough so they were never comfortable. Kentucky forced Alabama into 16 turnovers (their most since a 20 point loss to Tennessee). They also did a fantastic job of defending the three-point line. Alabama only attempted 17 threes yesterday (and hit just 6), their lowest total of the season. Kentucky just never allowed them to bend the math in their favor and Alabama can’t win when they have to play basketball. Kentucky was able to bury the Tide offensively but the defense gave them the platform to do that.
I’ll also add that this should have been a 30/40 point game but Alabama started foul-hunting in garbage time so the score at least appeared respectable (though it’s never respectable when you give up 117 points).
What Does It Mean
After a disappointing let down in Baton Rouge on Wednesday the program needed this. Kentucky basketball has kind of become exhausting because we seem to have two factions of fans who are more interested in being right rather than supporting the team. Hopefully seeing how much this team loves each other in the post-game can get everyone on board for the rest of the season. Then we can have our big picture discussions once we have all the data.
The team also needs to do their part. Just like I wrote last week you can’t strut like a peacock after a win and then promptly lose your next game. If you want to build trust there needs to be something sustained. Kentucky is two brain-farts (literally 10 seconds of competent basketball) and UNCW away from being a 2 seed. Instead, it will be lucky to be a 5 seed. You need to start building some momentum so you can give yourself the best chance for a March run.
For now I’ll enjoy busting one of the more morally questionable programs in the SEC. We’ll get a Mississippi State Part II preview out sometime tomorrow.
Go Cats.
