5 Rushed Reactions: Kentucky basketball at West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 27: Jarred Vanderbilt
MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 27: Jarred Vanderbilt /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
MORGANTOWN, WV – JANUARY 27: PJ Washington
MORGANTOWN, WV – JANUARY 27: PJ Washington /

1. Playing with speed

In the first half especially, UK really looked to attack. Coaches at all levels tell their players to attack pressure or else pressure attacks you. The Kentucky basketball team really looked to attack WVU’s press, but more importantly, UK looked to play with speed after defensive rebounds. Tonight’s game plan was clearly to attack the pressure of West Virginia, especially in transition.

The Cats had a great deal of transition opportunities following defensive rebounds and quick outlet passes up the floor to players like Kevin Knox. Even though this squad has length and athleticism, the Cats have not really played with much speed and tempo this season. While the Wildcats struggled with turnovers early in the game, they really dominated in the second half. When Kentucky is able to play within itself, play comfortably and confidently, they’re one of the 10 best teams in the nation. Tonight was a great illustration of the brand and tempo that this squad needs to play.