Kentucky basketball: 5 rushed reactions vs Mizzou

4. Very Good Learning Experience

This game, even in a loss, is a great learning experience for these young Cats. It is clear to the average college basketball fan that these Wildcats do NOT have high basketball IQ’s. As frustrated as BBN might be right now, it’s important to understand that Kentucky raised its basketball IQ today.

There were several late game situations that the Kentucky basketball team will learn from. These freshmen didn’t seem to understand when to foul and whom to foul. They didn’t grasp the concept of NOT fouling during trapping situations and NOT fouling before Mizzou even got the ball across half-court. That’s the negative about scheduling “cupcakes” early in the season; the team doesn’t learn much about late game situations.

It will be interesting to see if Calipari makes any changes in the upcoming games after this loss. It’s painful to watch Hamidou Diallo try to make decisions on the floor, with or without the ball. Equally as painful is watching Nick Richards continue to miss dunks and disappear for long stretches of games.

It’s also difficult to watch Kentucky play lethargically for 32 minutes then attempt to turn it around in the last 8 minutes. I can guarantee that when it comes to film time, these young Cats are going to learn several valuable lessons. In addition, I can guarantee that Calipari is going to take away some valuable lessons as well.