Kentucky Wildcatbasketball Preview – Know Your Enemy: Connecticut Huskies

GAME 38
APRIL 2, 2011 – 8:49PM

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES  (30-9)

NATIONAL SEMIFINAL GAME

RELIANT STADIUM – HOUSTON, TX

TV – CBS

SERIES HISTORY

CONNECTICUT LEADS 2-1

RECENT MEETINGS

11/24/10:  UConn  84  KENTUCKY  67

12/9/2009:  KENTUCKY  64  UConn  61

3/19/2006:  UConn  87  KENTUCKY  83*

*NCAA SECOND ROUND

Here we go again.  For two programs that had not ever met on the court until 2006, this tivalry has gotten pretty testy as this is the third meeting in the last two seasons.    Lest we forget in the fifth game of the season, UConn handed UK the beatdown of the season as they were up 50-29 at the half and rolled to a 17 point win.  Granted it was game five of the season.  Both teams are not the same team obviously and you can argue that both teams are playing even better than that November matchup.

Both teams struggled through the season.  Kentucky’s road woes are well documented.  UConn finished 9-9 in the Big East.  But both won their conference tournaments and are on a roll.  Kentucky has won 10 in a row and 12 of 13.  UConn has won 9 in a row and 10 of 12.  Both teams were discounted as a contender about a month ago, but look who is meeting up in the Final Four.

THE STARTERS

G- KEMBA WALKER- JR- 6’1, 172

 23.9 ppg, 4.5 apg, 5.3 rpg

G/F- JEREMY LAMB– FR- 6’5, 185

 11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg

F- ROSCOE SMITH– FR- 6’8, 205

6.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.5 apg

F- ALEX ORIAKHI– SO- 6’9, 240

 9.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 0.4 apg

F- TYLER OLANDER–  FR  6’9  225

1.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.4 apg

BACKCOURT

Granted, Kemba Walker is going to be the key to this game for UConn.  He torched Kentucky for 29 points in game one, and to be honest has pretty much done the same to everyone he has faced.  He has two thirty point games in the tournament already and Kentucky needs to keep him at least near his average on Saturday.  It’s a tough task as Walker is going to score from anywhere on the court and is probably the best guard UK has faced this season.  He has a triple double this year and is a good rebounder.  He also has a impressive 2.03 A/TO ratio.  He’s also a great defender and it is almost impossible to get him in foul trouble.  Like Erving Walker, he is great at drawing fouls and gets to the line a lot.  His weakest area may be from long range where he is hitting 33.9% but he is known to catch on fire.  Freshman Jeremy Lamb may be the best thing to come from Norcross, Georgia since Jodie Meeks.  Well, I won’t go that far, but the emergence of Lamb the past few weeks is a big reason why the Huskies are in the Final Four.  He hits 37.2% of his three pointers and he has never met a shot attempt he did not like.  He is on a roll, hitting 11-15 treys in the tournament.  He has good size at 6’5 and can play either the two or the three position.  He’s not quite as solid defensively, but he does have good length.  Lamb had just 2 points in the first UK game.  Freshman Shabazz Napier had 12 points in the first game against UK, and he has season averages of  8 points and 2.4 boards.  He averages 34.1% of his treys and has 3.0 assists per game, but has been in an extended slump with just one double digit scoring game in his last six.

FRONTCOURT

Like Lamb, freshman Roscoe Smith has stepped it up and become a vital part of the Huskie starting lineup.  At this point, he is more of a rebounder than a scoring threat, but he has had a few good scoring games this season.  Smith shoots just 38.4% on the season and is prone to take an occasional trey, of which he is hitting 30%.  Smith is averaging a bit over a block a game and only plays around 25 minutes a game.  Alex Oriakhi is a banger on the boards and loves to go after the offensive rebounds.  He is probably the best rebounder for UConn and pulled down 21 boards against Texas earlier this season.  He is capable of putting points on the board, but can disappear offensively.  He did not disappear against UK as he scored 18 points on 7-10 shooting and pulled down 11 boards and swatted three shots.  During the tournament, he has 25 points and 38 boards.  Tyler Olander is a curious part of the starting lineup for the Huskies.  He averages less than 10 minutes a game and is not a great shot at 36.5% on the year.  Not really sure why he is starting but look for an extended cameo at best.  Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has had some big games this season but has not scored in his last two games.  He scored 9 against UK but averages just 5.8 on the season.  Charles Okwandu started the season but has been relegated to the bench and scores just 2.9 points and 1.3 boards despite his 7 foot frame.

TEAM STAT COMPARISON

Points Per Game

KENTUCKY  76.4  UConn  73.4

Rebounds Per Game

UConn  39.6  KENTUCKY  38.1

Assists Per Game

UConn  13.1  KENTUCKY  12.7

FG%

KENTUCKY  46.3%  UConn  43.5

3PT %

KENTUCKY  40%  UConn  33.7

FT%

UConn  76%  KENTUCKY  71.6%

OUTLOOK

Both teams are playing extremely well and that game in Hawaii was a far away memory for both teams.  Kentucky has improved dramatically, but UConn is a different team as well.  The emergence of Lamb gives the Huskies another long range threat and some pundits have expected Kentucky to play a zone on Saturday.  I would look for the same type of defensive effort Kentucky employed versus Ohio State where they will attempt to handle Walker with one man and avoid leaving anyone else open.  This will probably be the main duty of Liggins, but other Cats may get  a turn as well.  UConn has very good size so they will need to make sure that Oriakhi and Napier do not have breakout games.

There has been a lot of hand-wringing due to the fact that UConn handled Kentucky so easily the first time around.  I would not put a lot of stsock into that game as it was Brandon Knight’s fifth game ever and that Liggins and Harrellson are nowhere the players that they are now.  UConn has improved since then, but I would say that Kentucky has grown much more as a team.  This game should be similar to the UNC game in the aspect the Huskies are a very good rebounding team but not a great shooting team.

This will be a tough test, but I would not say that UConn is better than Ohio State or UNC.  Also the front courts of the East Regional teams are better than UConn’s so as long as Josh Harrellson can keep up his level of play, Kentucky should be fine. Also Terrence Jones needs to have a double double and play smart and limit his fouls.

In the end, Kentucky beat two teams in OSU and UNC that are tougher than anyone else remaining in the Final Four.  Both teams are relatively young teams, so you would think that the pre-game jitters would affect both teams evenly, but the one concern I have is about UK being able to shoot in a football stadium.  That concern always comes up in these type of games and after a few minutes, the shooters get their setting.  It will be a close game, but look for a 75-69 UK win.

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