Kentucky Basketball: Three keys vs. the Buffalo Bulls
Kentucky takes on Buffalo for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Here are the keys to a win.
The Kentucky Wildcats pulled off a remarkable feat in their win over Davidson. The Wildcats won despite not hitting a single 3-pointer. The Wildcats were 0-6 from the 3-point line, but dominated Davidson physically. Kentucky attempted 32 free throws in the game, and were led by NBA prospects Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who combined for 44 points. Here are the keys to John Calipari and co. keeping their momentum going against an upstart Buffalo squad.
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)/ Rely on your NBA prospects
Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the main reason Kentucky was able to handle Davidson so easily. This Kentucky team prides themselves on defense. But to close out games they look to do-it-all guard Gilgeous-Alexander to rebound and push the ball up the floor. This helps the offense generate easy baskets, something that is absolutely necessary for this shooting challenged team. Knox does not struggle to shoot at all however. He isn’t exactly a knockdown shooter, but at 34.8 percent from 3-point range, and 77.2 percent from the free throw line, he is one of Kentucky’s better all-around shooters. Gilgeous-Alexander and Knox combined for 29 shot attempts in their win in the first round. Feeding them field goal attempts early and often will make Kentucky’s job a lot easier.
Lockdown Buffalo’s perimeter offense
Buffalo beat an Arizona Wildcats team that did not play well at all. But Buffalo has four players who average 15-plus points per game. Wes Clark was the main culprit against ‘Zona, as he went for 25 points in the victory. Kentucky held Davidson scorer Peyton Aldridge to12 points, nine points less than his average. The Wildcats of Kentucky will need to continue to focus in on their defensive assignments to knock off this feisty Buffalo team. Kentucky held Davidson to under 40 percent from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander’s length is a nightmare for opposing guards, and I expect to see a lot of him on Clark.
Don’t settle on offense
Kentucky did not have a problem with this in the first game, but they need to continue it. They only attempted six 3-pointers during the game, missing all six. The 32 free throws were due to Kentucky continuing to push the pace and force the ball down the middle of the floor. Kentucky is a team that needs to use it’s speed and athleticism in the open floor.
Next: Impact of UMBC's historic win
If Kentucky isn’t getting to the basket, they simply don’t have enough floor-spacing to hang with a team that has as many 3-point shooters as the Buffalo Bulls. And this problem will become more magnified as they move on to face tougher and tougher opponents.