Kentucky Basketball: Defense leads Wildcats to another Sweet 16

Kentucky Basketball makes it to another Sweet 16 after beating Wofford in a tight one. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Wildcats thus far.

After a 24-hour Buddhist-style meditation to release the pent-up angst from the Wildcats’ win over Wofford, I’m ready to fully digest the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and move on. My University of Kentucky Wildcats blitzed woefully out-manned Abilene Christian in the opening round before sending the scrappy Wofford Terriers out with a whimper, not a bark. For another work week, Kentucky Basketball’s season continues, thank God.

Here are a few scribbles from Kentucky’s stint in Jacksonville:

Abilene Christian

Sometimes, 15- and 16-seeds put up a fight, give the blue blood powers a dash of worry, and every so often, they even win. Kentucky’s round-of-64 bout with the 27th-largest-city-in-Texas’ local religious academy gave off a different vibe: laughter. As soon as the ball was tipped, the talent gap between the two Wildcats was comical. Tyler Herro has more athleticism in a single follicle of hair than Christian’s entire starting lineup. I’ll make this recap swift: Kentucky was half-engaged and still gave Abilene Christian the Fat Ass treatment from Shawshank Redemption.

Wofford

I can’t fully encapsulate this game to a loyal Kentucky fan in one swift, continuous paragraph. I have to break this sucker up. Kind of like The Godfather, but 5% as entertaining. Know what? I’m just gonna sprint through takeaways as they float in and out of my brain.

Jemarl Baker Jr.

To quote twitter, “THIS. IS. MARLCH.”

Baker’s injury-maligned and inconsistent Kentucky career has undergone complete revitalization this past weekend. Jemarlch Baker is a different man. He shoots 40% from three and is the most fundamentally sound defensive player on the roster. Saturday, he was tremendous on both ends of the floor. Unlike most of the young cats, Baker is decisive on offense. He’s surprisingly smooth off the bounce and doesn’t hesitate to sling the rock cross-court to circulate the offense.

This weekend, he was a joy to watch (and coach, apparently), and provided the spark off the pine that 5-stars E.J. Montgomery, Nick Richards, and Immanuel Quickly could not. We’re talking about a guy who didn’t play a single minute in last week’s conference tourney loss to Tennessee swinging a second-round NCAA Tournament game. Unreal. College basketball really is where the unexpected becomes habit.

I’m all in on Jemarl. And he’ll be in Lexington for a while, fingers crossed.

Tyler Herro

Was absolutely brilliant Saturday afternoon on a certain side of the ball. (Hint: he was 2/11 from the field).

Have you heard of Fletcher Magee? I’m not sure CBS mentioned his name at all during the broadcast, so let me provide a brief intro: HE IS GREATEST THREE-POINT SHOOTER IN NCAA HISTORY. On Saturday, Magee shot twelve threes. He made 0. The Tyler Herro effect. Tyler chased the sharpshooter all over the court for 40 minutes and practically swallowed Magee’s breath he was so up in his grill.

The 0-12 was scoffed upon by college basketball fans and chalked up to “luck.” Yes, it is rare for a three-point shooter to go that cold from deep. But, my friends, I assure you, this was no fluke. Magee was hounded by Herro all afternoon and needed an un-called double dribble to even get on the board in the first half. Tyler Herro earned an A+ on defense–for effort and performance.

Offensively, Herro was off. His regular step-back jumpers and baby-hook floaters were amiss. No worries. He still zigged and zagged across the court, flying around screens and making sharp cuts; all which tired out the struggling Magee I’m sure. Despite the rough day of shooting for Tyler, he, unlike Magee, rattled home a huge three late in the game. Good job by you, Tyler.

Defense

I just discussed at length Tyler’s presence on that end of the court. But he wasn’t alone. Aside from Keldon Johnson (who was constantly lost), the Wildcats’ defense was outstanding. Wofford’s horrifying backcourt of Fletcher Magee and Storm Murphy was hushed, and Magee’s wired jaw-line showed a frown, not a smile. This group of 19-year-old knuckleheads and Reid Travis held the nation’s 17th highest-scoring offense to just 56 points, and without P.J. Washington! This team’s transformation into an elite defensive team is some of Calipari’s most impressive work, especially considering the season-opener vs. Duke.

Offense

While the defense was superb, the offense was a dumpster fire. In the first half, Kentucky’s end of the court was a barren wasteland. The buckets that were scored seemed almost accidental, and Johnson and Herro failed to find their groove. I know P.J. was out, and he’s the clear-cut leader and go-to scorer, but c’mon guys. There were four McDonald’s All-Americans on the court minimum at all times. There is no excuse for having Hagans stand dribbling at the top of the key while Herro zips from sideline to sideline and everyone else sits stiff. The second half was better, but sheesh, Houston will race past the Cats if the effort on offense doesn’t improve.

A Salute to Wofford

Indifference is the common practice when an off-the-radar mid-major spends time in the AP Poll. Let’s be honest with ourselves, nobody takes the Southern Conference seriously, especially in the Big Dance. Fans of Power Five teams file away the Buffalo’s and Wofford’s of the world as overrated and only ranked because of their weak schedule. I’m here to inform those merely infatuated with blue blood’s that the Terriers were legit this year. Coach Mike Young is shrewd and had a terrific defensive gameplan against the Cats, and it worked! If not for the maligned shooting from Magee, Wofford could very well be on the bus and headed to Kansas City this weekend (because, you know, Wofford can’t afford a plane. Sorry, had to throw one dig in there). Congrats, Wofford, on your best season in school history. I’m sure, there will be plenty more to come.

Next. Top takeaways from Round of 32 games. dark

On to the Sweet Sixteen

Kentucky plays Houston Friday night at 10 PM. I’ll have a preview for that game out sometime later in the week. For now, though, we rest. The BBN can take its collective gasp of relief (that Wofford game requires more than a sigh) and cross our fingers that P.J. sheds the cast and is ready to go in Kansas City, Missouri. Whew. Another year, another second-weekend tournament appearance. That’s Kentucky basketball.

Be sure to leave comments down below or hit me up on twitter @Weber2MG. I’ll do my best to respond to any and all comments/questions regarding Kentucky, College Basketball, or the Shawshank Redemption. Whatever you’re curious about, leave it down below. Thanks for reading!

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Kentucky Basketball: Defense leads Wildcats to another Sweet 16 appearance

By Alex Weber | Mar 25, 2019