Kentucky gets dominated again.
The Kentucky Wildcats were completely outclassed by the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday night in Nashville as they fell 80-55.
This game was ugly from the start. Kentucky missed its first seven field goals and first two free throws in what proved to be the theme of the night. The Cats couldn’t score. They couldn’t defend. They looked absolutely lost, and this game was over before it even started. Vanderbilt led 43-23 at halftime.
After the break, it just got worse. The comeback was not in the cards this time around. Billy G vibes were at an all-time high yet again, but more on that below. Do not let the win streak fool you. It was a fluke. The Cats are now 2-6 vs ranked opponents this season, and one of the two “ranked” opponents they defeated isn’t even ranked anymore. They’ve been embarrassed in FOUR games already this season.
Kentucky has played eight games on the road or on neutral sites this year. They have been down double digits in all of them, and they have been down 17 in seven of the eight. Kentucky is becoming Indiana right before our eyes. It’s sad to watch, and this weekend will only make it worse.
Next up, the Cats will travel to Fayetteville to take on John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night at 6:30 P.M.
That’s it. Just one. Denzel Aberdeen at least made the trip to Nashville. Everyone else left the juice in Lexington.
Otega Oweh was bad. Malachi Moreno was bullied. Andrija Jelavic looked lost. Jasper Johnson resembled a middle schooler. And this level of basketball just is not it for Trent Noah (or Mark Pope for that matter).
It was ugly from start to finish, and Aberdeen was the only one who came to play. He’s played very well over the last few games, scoring at least 16 points in four of the last five. DA has been pretty steady since Jaland Lowe went down.
Aberdeen has made a living playing with pace in the paint. He’s deadly in the pick-and-roll, and he’s started knocking down some shots from deep as well. Vandy finally got the scouting report on Aberdeen in the second half, but I won’t take that away from what he’s provided for the Cats.
Unfortunately, DA is not the best, or even second best, player on a good team. He’s been that for UK, and that explains a lot. I appreciate his contributions, however, because he’s the one guy you can not only count on almost every night, but he plays his heart out every time he’s on the court.
The difference between him and Oweh is the body language when the team isn’t playing well. Aberdeen doesn’t pout. He doesn’t argue with the referees. He just plays hard.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Cats got off to another slow start in this one. It’s just become the norm. The comebacks at LSU and Tennessee were fun, but the red flags couldn’t have been clearer. They’ve been playing with fire, and they got burned in this game.
Mark Pope’s squad didn’t score its first basket until close to four minutes into the game. They were down 11, then 17, and before you knew it, it was 41-19. The Dores led 43-23 at halftime, which was their largest halftime lead over Kentucky since 2008. The final tally was the biggest win for Vandy over UK since 2008 as well.
Yeah, that was Billy G. There have been far too many firsts or “this hasn’t happened since…” this season for Pope.
Kentucky has now trailed by at least 17 points in three of its last five games. They have led at halftime in just two of 14 games against high-major teams this season. In Pope’s tenure, UK has trailed by at least 15 points at halftime in 22.5% of their games against Power 4 teams and Gonzaga (9 of 40).
Should I continue?
Even when you win those games, it’s still unacceptable. Oh, and this time, they didn’t come back. They were completely dominated on both ends of the court all game long. Pope has stated multiple times that he understands the assignment, but he clearly got the wrong memo.
Now, come vent with us.
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It’s that bad.
Another worrisome stat on Mark Pope’s resume.
Not exactly the kind of company you want to be in, but that’s where Mark Pope has Kentucky Basketball headed.
That was embarrassing.
The Wildcats and the Commodores square off in a Music City showdown.
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