Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Grading the first five non-conference games
I previewed the non-conference schedule at the beginning of the season. I will grade the performance of the team in each game in three, five game increments and give the stretch an overall average grade.
It gives me great pleasure to cover the first five of these fifteen games, as UK rolled through most of the early schedule.
Marist at Kentucky: Win-108-58
Leading scorer: Anthony Davis- 23
Leading rebounder: Anthony Davis- 10
Assist leader: Doron Lamb- 8
Game Grade: A+
The home debut of this year’s Cats introduced the world to the freak athlete that is Anthony Davis. The first double-double of his career was highlighted by the freakish athletic ability that he possesses and he was the talk of the NCAA after his break out game. Marist was no match for his or the rest of the team’s athleticism.
Kentucky vs. Kansas (in Madison Square Garden): Win- 75-65
Leading scorer: Doron Lamb-17
Leading rebounder: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-9
Assist leader: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Darius Miller: 4 each
Game Grade: A
This game was the marquee showdown of this portion of the schedule. Not many people knew what to expect as these young Kentucky players took the floor against a talented but depleted Kansas team. What we got was an uneven first half that saw the team, especially Marquis Teague, struggle on offense. The team settled down in the second half and the Cats ran away with the game, leading by 17 at one point, but let the Jayhawks find their way back into the game. The late charge wasn’t enough as Kentucky’s lead was too much, and they won comfortably by 10. The rest of the college basketball was on notice and Kansas coach Bill Self could not stop talking about how great Kentucky is.
Kentucky vs. Penn State (Mohegan Sun Center): Win- 85-47
Leading scorer: Doron Lamb- 26
Leading rebounder: Terrence Jones- 9
Assist Leader: Terrence Jones- 5
Game Grade: A+
Some thought that Penn State’s slow style of play might give the Cats some trouble; boy, were they wrong. Kentucky went into the half leading the Nittany Lions 47-15. Doron Lamb seemingly could not miss from the field and Kentucky did whatever they wanted to for the entire game. It was a great performance against a team that had seemingly been on the way up the last couple of years. Terrence Jones was one rebound away from a double-double as he led the team in rebounding, assists, and was third in scoring.
Kentucky vs. Old Dominion (Mohegan Sun Center): Win-62-52
Leading scorer: Darius Miller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- 13 each
Leading rebounder: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis- 9 each
Assist leader: Darius Miller- 5
Game Grade: C+
Old Dominion did to the Cats what we thought Penn State would. They slowed down the tempo of the game and threw a 3-2 zone at Kentucky, something they had not seen as a team yet. It took the senior leadership of Darius Miller to bring a victory to the team. Marquis Teague had another difficult game as he faced a veteran, well coached and well-disciplined team. The Monarchs won 27 games last season and made a tournament appearance. It was the toughest game of the early season thus far and John Calipari took the blame for the uneven performance, citing the lack of preparation of the zone as his fault. Next time the Cats will be ready.
Radford at Kentucky: Win- 88-40
Leading scorer: Terrence Jones- 17
Leading rebounder: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- 9
Assist leader: Marquis Teague- 5
Game Grade: A+
Another huge win for the Cats against another over-matched opponent. The halftime lead was 45-14 as the Cats once again did what they wanted. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continued to show how invaluable he is to this team and Darius Miller was named a starter after he wonderful performance in the previous game. Marquis Teague also had his most complete game of the year with 13 points, 5 assists and only one turnover.
Record Prediction: 5-0
Actual Record: 5-0
Overall Grade: A
Synopsis: I thought it was clear while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was not the leading scorer, he was the most valuable player in these five games. His name was near the top or at the top of every major category in every game. I am also impressed with the diversity of this team. Any player can be the leading scorer on any given night, making it almost impossible to prepare for them. Marquis Teague struggled in some games but that was expected. He is the most important player on offense and plays the most difficult position. Teague will be fine as the games go into December and the Cats play in their toughest stretch to date.
Next Five Games: Portland, St. John’s, #1 North Carolina, Indiana, Chattanooga