The entire identity of a Bruce Pearl-led squad is forcing turnovers and making 3-point shots. It has always been that way and always will be.
Kentucky turned the ball over just 12 times Tuesday night.
The Vols made just seven of 26 shots from behind the arc.
With all of that considered, the team was actually lucky to lose by only six points at Rupp Arena.
I'll admit it. Kentucky has been a bad team this season; however, they are still a talented enough team to win games at home.
Patrick Patterson filled up the stat sheet against the Vols with 20 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
In my opinion, by the end of the season he will be the best player in the Southeastern Conference if he already hasn't laid claim to the title.
Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper are also skilled players.
All played a key role in UK's win, and they will all be keys for a Wildcats' team that will be dangerous once the SEC tournament rolls around.
On the Vols' side of things, the second half brought forth a few problems worth discussing.
Chris Lofton played his best half of the season in the opening 20 minutes as he finished with 14 points including three 3-pointers.
In the second half, he took just five shots.
Four of those came in the final 1:37 of the game.
Lofton needed to be more aggressive during the second half, or other players should have taken advantage of an increased focus on Lofton.
Either way the team should not have found as much difficulty scoring in the final 20 minutes as it did.
The game was still within reach, though, until an ill-advised 3-point attempt by Tyler Smith with the team trailing by two late in the game.
The missed shot was rebounded by the Bradley, who was fouled and made both free throws to extend the lead to four points.
The game was never again in doubt.
Smith's shot marked the second time in as many games for the sophomore to make a poor decision in crunch time.
He got away with it Saturday against Ohio State, as assistant sports editor Clay Culp noted.
Smith and the rest of the team was not as lucky Tuesday night.
The loss may not be the worst thing, though.
The Vols entered the game ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, and potentially the team could be that good.
They're just not there yet.
And if they need a reminder of that, Coach Pearl can simply turn on film of the loss in Lexington.
Comments
Stephen commented, on January 23, 2008 at 11:39 a.m.:
I agree with almost everything you said, minus the "mistake" by Tyler Smith. The shot clock was starting to wind down a bit, and he had a wide open look. Granted, he's not one that should be shooting from beyond the arc, but I'd rather see him than Chism and Childress doing it. The key to this loss was the lack of rebounding. UK out rebounded the Vols by ten. That is just unacceptable. That shows a lack of heart and effort by the players. The free-throw shooting was better, but still not what it could/should be. If the Vols want a chance to do something that no other UT team has done, they have got to learn to play physically and go after the boards.
FtWorthCat commented, on January 24, 2008 at 9:15 a.m.:
Good article, and I also agree with Stephen's comment as well. Rebounding and toughness were the keys to that game. UK definitely needed it more, and seemed to want it more as well. You guys are going to be just fine. I really appreciate all of the respectful comments Coach Pearl has made about our program. I look forward to many battles between Pearl and Gillispie over the coming years.
Tar Heel Blue commented, on January 24, 2008 at 2:49 p.m.:
Tennessee will be brutally exposed when they play teams with more than one big man...Kentucky really stepped it up with Patterson and Stevenson cleaning up the glass. Williams is a big post player for the Vols but he's SLOW. This years team reminds me of Duke teams of the past 4 or 5 years with much better talent. They rely on pressure D and the 3 ball as mentioned in the story above. Without the post presence I really don't see them moving past the Sweet 16 again unless they get a very favorable draw/opponent.