Portland at Kentucky: Win 87-63
Leading scorer: Terrence Jones and Darius Miller- 19
Leading rebounder: Anthony Davis- 12
Assist leader: Marquis Teague- 8
Another big win for the Cats but it was sloppy early in the game. The Cats were up early but the Pilots made a few runs to keep it close early but the Cats pulled away. Marquis Teague made a splash and had his best game of the season with eight assists and 14 points along with zero turnovers. It gave the fans some hope after a lot of early struggles. Plus, this happened:
It would have been the dunk of the year, but another one was better. We will see that in a bit. The troubling aspect of this game was the fact that the Cats did not guard the three very well. Portland went 11-23 from the three and Nemanja Nitrovic personally went 6-12.
Overall Grade: A
St. John’s at Kentucky: Win 81-59
Leading scorer: Terrence Jones- 26
Leading rebounder: Anthony Davis- 15
Assist leader: Darius Miller- 6
This was supposed to be a “trap” game to where Kentucky was going to look past a young St. John’s team toward North Carolina in the next two days. That didn’t happen as the Cats completely ripped the Johnnies. They looked dominant from start to finish in an absolute bashing. Darius Miller also checked in with the dunk of the year so far.
Grade: A+
North Carolina at Kentucky: Win 73-72
Leading scorer: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- 17
Leading rebounder: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- 11
Assist leader: Marquis Teague- 4
Yes, Kentucky beat the North Carolina team that was supposed to be more experienced and just as talented as the Cats. It was a hard fought battle for the entire game and both teams played at an elite level, giving everything they had. Kentucky again let a team shoot well from the three point line. Other than Anthony Davis’ game winning block, the thing that stood out to me the most was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s guts and determination. He stepped up as the go-to guy that would not be denied. He would do the same thing in the next game but with a different result.
Grade: A+
Kentucky at Indiana: Loss 73-72
Leading scorer: Doron Lamb- 19
Leading rebounder: Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- 9
Assist leader: Marquis Teague- 5
We have talked and talked about this game. We all know that Terrence Jones played bad and that the Cats played their worst game of the season and lost by a last second three pointer. Kidd-Gilchrist again looked like the best player on the floor in a giant of a game. Doron Lamb blitzed the basket with threes, lay ups and jump shots. Marquis Teague played like a man possessed, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half. It was a loss but it was a learning game. Kentucky played bad and still looked as if they were going to win at the end.
Grade: C+
Chattanooga at Kentucky: Win 87-62
Leading scorer: Doron Lamb- 24 points
Leading rebounder: Anthony Davis- 18 rebounds
Assist leader: Marquis Teague- 8 assists
The Cats zipped out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back, although they looked a little sluggish at some points during the game. Terrence Jones dislocated his pinky finger on his shooting hand and was limited in his playing time. Kentucky did what they were supposed to do against a vastly inferior team and the score would have been worse if the bench warmers had not let the Mocs go on a 12-0 run to end the game. It seems as if this team is still a work in progress at this point in the season.
Grade: A-
Predicted record: 5-0
Actual record: 4-1
Overall grade: A-
Synopsis: The monster that kept rearing it’s ugly head for Kentucky was opposition three point shooting. Portland got off on the three, North Carolina did in the first half and Indiana did it in the second half. The Cats need a come to Jesus meeting on defending the three and they need to do it quick. Right now, the recipe for beating Kentucky is hit threes, get Anthony Davis in foul trouble and hope that one other player is totally off of his game.
I can’t say enough great things about how MKG plays. He is a freshman that plays like a four year senior. He has come up the biggest in the three toughest games of Kentucky’s young season: Kansas, UNC and Indiana.
The Cats started this five game stretch with a bang and ended on a low note with the loss at IU, the Terrence Jones injury and the lackadasical performance against Chattanooga. There are a few more cream puffs before the Big Daddy against undefeated Louisville. By that time, all things should be right in the Wildcat Universe.
Next Five Games: Samford, Loyola, Lamar, #4 Louisville, Arkansas State