Kentucky Basketball: Takeaways from heartbreaking loss to Louisville

Scoring in transition

Kentucky ranks 188th, according to Ken Pomeroy, in Adjusted Tempo in the country. A lot of Kentucky’s success offensively in this game, and on the season, has come in transition. Perhaps it is time that Coach Calipari emphasizes getting the ball up the court.

To do so and make the tempo game work, you need to get stops and force turnovers, neither of which has been a big problem for Kentucky. Against the Cardinals, Kentucky forced 13 turnovers and Louisville only shot 42 percent from the floor.

The most confident Kentucky looked was just after the break. Isaiah Jackson started the second half with two blocks, a dunk, a steal, and an assist in the first minute and a half. The first three baskets of the second period for the Wildcats came in transition (two off turnovers, one off a missed shot). When they got the ball up the court with prowess, they seemed to see better results on offense.

Currently, it seems Kentucky is far more comfortable settling into their offensive flow rather than trying to push transition looks. But, Kentucky has to look at what their team is this year and adapt accordingly. They are a very athletic team with a lot of strength. The isolation offense hasn’t produced a lot of results, and they need to find a new way to score points.

Especially against teams that are very disjointed when pressured to play an up-tempo style, like Louisville. The Cardinals are one of the slowest teams in all of college hoops, and Kentucky simply didn’t try to push that issue a whole lot. When they did, they had success.

A way to do that is to get out and run. Not only can quick transition and outlet passes lead to a lot of quality looks, but it also can put pressure on the defense. It can limit how likely their big men are to fight for offensive rebounds after giving up multiple buckets in transition. Limiting the second-chance points is just one of a whole lot of benefits that could come from pushing the pace.