Kentucky is about to take on Auburn, and the Tigers have a star that Kentucky will have to watch out for. Mark Pope was asked about Auburn's Keyshawn Hall on Thursday, and his response let us know he was taking it seriously.
"He's versatile and physical. You know, he can mess around behind the three-point line. You have to push up on him, and he's got great... You know, he's not like electrifyingly quick. I kind of, you know, like there's some Paul Pierce juice in him where he goes at his own pace, but when he goes, he really goes. He's a three-level scorer. He's really good at throwing his body into you. He's a good player, and he's a proven scorer. He's, you know, he's even made a big jump this year, his first year at Auburn, but he's an electric scorer, and he's put up numbers against the best defenses in the country.
Hall just scored 29 against Mississippi State in a loss, and is averaging:
- 21.92 points
- 5.83 rebounds
- 2.75 assists
- 1.00 steals
Even though Auburn has lost five in a row, they will be dangerous at home. They have nothing to lose and will be playing for their season. Kentucky has to match that intensity from the jump. The Cats only have to look back to Georgia, which had lost four of five coming in, to see how overlooking them will be a problem.
How to guard Keyshawn Hall
As far as how to guard Hall, the biggest thing is making sure no one else gets off. You are not really going to be able to contain him for the whole game. He can get his, but you can't have Hall get 30 and Tahaad Pettiford get 20. Mississippi State did, and it took 46 from Josh Hubbard to get over it.
Kentucky doesn't have a Josh Hubbard.
The Cats will need to be physical and locked in from the opening tip, and that is something the players have struggled with all season long. Will they get it right this time?