Kenny Brooks was frustrated after the 1-point loss to Vanderbilt. The Cats shot 56% from the field, 50% from the 3-point line, won the rebounding battle by 18, and found a way to lose. Those numbers are hard to look at if you are a Cats fan. Imagine what the head coach felt like.
"If you want to win a basketball game, that nature of playing against one of the best teams in the country, you have to minimize your mistakes and, about us, we lost focus (on) several possessions, had careless turnovers, careless miscommunications that could have been rectified if we had just communicated."
Kentucky had 20 turnovers. It missed 5 of 16 free throws. Brooks had seen enough. The Cats headed to Austin, hoping to rectify the situation. All they found was more anguish.
Free throws and turnovers are stunting Kentucky women's basketball
Kentucky found themselves in a 1 point game late in the 4th quarter, and it was again miraculous that it was close. Somehow, the Cats got worse in both free-throw shooting and turnovers. They left Austin with an 11-point loss after missing 8 of 19 free throws and turning the ball over 23 times.
43 combined turnovers and 13 missed free throws against two top 10 opponents. You are not winning when that happens. The fact that it was even a question shows just how talented this team can be. But they simply must get these issues under control.
Possible solutions to Kentucky's turnover issue
If you are a believer, like me, in the fact that fatigue causes turnovers, then this first solution will be something you wholly agree with: play the bench.
Kentucky played a total of 7 players, and one of those got just 4 minutes. 6 players bearing the brunt of Texas' press a few days after handling Vanderbilt's pressure is extremely tiring. To see these ladies stay out on the court, you can see the legs tire as the game goes on.
Now, the bench has to do their part when they do actually get in. But there is proven talent waiting to be played. Josie Gilvin hit 40 percent from deep and scored 13 points last season at WKU. Lexi Blue is a sophomore who was a top 40 player in her class. Kaelyn Carroll is a McDonald's All-American.
They need to see the floor. They don't have to be world beaters, but giving the starters a breather of 2-3 minutes a quarter would do wonders coming down the stretch.
The second solution is a little more complex, but they need to vary their offense. When Teonni Key went down, Kenny Brooks said he just didn't have a lot of offense designed for anyone other than Key and Clara Strack. Vanderbilt's coach, after the victory, had an interesting point. Shea Ralph said that Kentucky really only ran ball screens for Tonie Morgan, and in the second half, they were able to keep her from getting into the paint. That led to a Kentucky offense that made shots when they could get them, but forced way too many turnovers.
It is tough to redraw an entire offense on the fly, but getting some others involved could be a really good thing, especially if other coaches are picking up on it.
If the bench is not used and no new plays are drawn up, then the answer has to come from the 6 players who are getting the minutes. They simply have to tighten it up, stop with the errant passes, and play clean basketball. That is easier said than done.
But if Kentucky can't turn things around, a team worthy of a top 10 ranking and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament will find itself in a tough 1st-round matchup and going home a lot earlier than its talent indicates it should.
Kenny Brooks asks for BBN to "stick with us"
The Cats are back home, and Brooks is asking BBN to stay with the team. After the Texas loss, the coach said, "BBN stick with us, we need you. This atmosphere here, it got loud, and we need the same energy back home."
Texas A&M is in Lexington tomorrow, the Aggies are 9-10 (2-8), but are coming off a huge upset win over then-ranked Alabama. Can the Cats clean it up and get back on track, or will they find themselves with another disappointing loss?
How to watch Kentucky WBB vs. Texas A&M
Date: February 12th
Location: Lexington, KY (Historic Memorial Coliseum)
Channel: SEC Network
Time: 6:30 PM
Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Blue & Orange Plan)