A spot in Monday’s final game is at stake when the SEC does battle with the Big East.
Kentucky is in its 108th season of basketball. The Wildcats are the all-time NCAA leader in wins with 2,052. UK is making its 14th appearance in the Final Four, fourth most in NCAA history. The Wildcats are 105-45 (.700) in the NCAA Tournament. John Calipari is one of only two coaches (Rick Pitino) to lead three different schools to a Final Four. Kentucky owns a 7-2 record in national semifinal games.
UConn has a record of 48-27 in 30 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Huskies have won two NCAA National Championships, in 2004 and 1999, and the Huskies have advanced to the Final Four in 2011and 2009. UConn has reached the NCAA Elite Eight ten times and the Sweet Sixteen 16 times in school history. UConn is 44-
13 in the NCAA Tournament in 17 appearances under Jim Calhoun and were 4-14 in 13 appearances in the tourney prior to Calhoun’s arrival in Storrs.
Projected starters
Kentucky Wildcats
P # Name Pts. Rebs. Assts
G 1 Darius Miller 11.1 4.6 1.7
• Shooting 44.9 pct. from 3-point range
F 3 Terrence Jones 15.8 8.7 1.9^
• Has SEC best 12 double-doubles
G 12 Brandon Knight 17.3 3.9 4.2
• East Region Most Outstanding Player
G 34 DeAndre Liggins 8.8 4.1 2.5
• Shooting 45.5 pct. from 3-point range in NCAA Tour.
F 55 Josh Harrellson 7.6 8.8 1.5^
• Avg. 14.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg in NCAA Tournament
Connecticut Huskies
P # Name Pts. Rebs. Assts
G 3 Jeremy Lamb 11.1 4.3 1.5
• Shooting 48.3 pct. from the field
F 10 Tyler Olander 1.5 1.8 0.4
• Avg. 9.8 minutes per game
G 15 Kemba Walker 23.9 5.3 4.5
• Player of the Year finalist
F 22 Roscoe Smith 6.5 5.2 1.2
• Second on team with 76 offensive rebounds
F 34 Alex Oriakhi 9.6 8.6 1.6^
• Team leader in blocks and offensive rebounding
Notes courtesy of ukathletics.com and uconnhuskies.com.
TEAM STATISTICS……………………………. UK…………… OPP
SCORING ……………………………………………..2790…………. 2356
Points per game …………………………………….75.4………….. 63.7
Scoring margin …………………………………….+11.7 –
FIELD GOALS-ATT …………………………….981-2121……. 840-2139
Field goal pct…………………………………….. . 4 6 3………… . 3 9 3
3 POINT FG-ATT ………………………………..272-680……… 209-637
3-point FG pct …………………………………….. 4 0 0…………. . 3 2 8
3-pt FG made per game …………………………..7.4……………… 5.6
FREE THROWS-ATT ……………………………556-777………. 467-647
Free throw pct ……………………………………. 7 1 6…………… . 7 2 2
F-Throws made per game ……………………….15.0…………….. 12.6
REBOUNDS …………………………………………..1383……………. 1247
Rebounds per game ……………………………….37.4…………….. 33.7
Rebounding margin ………………………………+3.7 –
ASSISTS ……………………………………………….470……………… 403
Assists per game ……………………………………12.7…………….. 10.9
TURNOVERS …………………………………………396………………. 443
Turnovers per game ………………………………10.7……………… 12.0
Turnover margin ………………………………….+1.3 –
Assist/turnover ratio…………………………….. 1.2………………… 0.9
STEALS ……………………………………………….200……………….. 196
Steals per game ……………………………………..5.4………………… 5.3
BLOCKS ……………………………………………….236……………….. 129
Blocks per game …………………………………….6.4………………… 3.5
ATTENDANCE ……………………………………354046………….. 326281
Home games-Avg/Game …………………….15-23603……….. 11-15222
Neutral site-Avg/Game – 11-14440
Score by Periods …………………1st…….. 2nd…. OT………….. Totals
Kentucky …………………………1375….. 1409….. 6…………… 2790
Opponents………………………. 1154…… 1195….. 7 ……………2356
TEAM STATISTICS……………………….. UCONN…………….. OPP
SCORING……………………………………………. 2793……………….. 2500
Points per game ……………………………………73.5…………………. 65.8
Scoring margin …………………………………….+7.7 –
FIELD GOALS-ATT …………………………….988-2269…………… 916-2291
Field goal pct…………………………………….. . 4 3 5……………….. . 4 0 0
3 POINT FG-ATT …………………………………227-671…………… 239-717
3-point FG pct …………………………………….. 3 3 8……………….. . 3 3 3
3-pt FG made per game…………………………… 6.0…………………… 6.3
FREE THROWS-ATT ……………………………590-777……………. 429-623
Free throw pct …………………………………….. 7 5 9……………….. . 6 8 9
F-Throws made per game …………………………15.5…………………. 11.3
REBOUNDS ……………………………………………1504………………… 1327
Rebounds per game …………………………………39.6…………………. 34.9
Rebounding margin …………………………………+4.7 –
ASSISTS …………………………………………………502………………….. 470
Assists per game ……………………………………..13.2………………….. 12.4
TURNOVERS ……………………………………………435………………….. 447
Turnovers per game …………………………………11.4………………….. 11.8
Turnover margin …………………………………….+0.3 –
Assist/turnover ratio ………………………………..1.2……………………. 1.1
STEALS …………………………………………………..245…………………… 228
Steals per game …………………………………………6.4……………………. 6.0
BLOCKS ………………………………………………….209 …………………….137
Blocks per game………………………………………. 5.5…………………….. 3.6
ATTENDANCE ………………………………………196671……………… 273188
Home games-Avg/Game …………………..17-11569……………….. 10-13272
Neutral site-Avg/Game – 11-12770
Score by Periods ……………………….1st……….. 2nd…….. OT….. OT2…. Totals
UConn ……………………………………1288……. 1453……… 43…… 9……. 2793
Opponents ………………………………1140…….. 1311…….. 39….. 10……. 2500
Why do I think Brandon Knight averaging 4 boards a game is the coolest stat on here?
Yeah, but can he defend the step-back jumper?
No. But neither can anybody esle this year.
Begs the question – is the move indefensible? Or does the defense need improving?
Take it easy on Knight. There are only so many rebounds to go around when Harrelson and Jones are finished.
I honestly think it is indefensible. After this season, you will see it waaaay more. It’s all HS players talk about now: “My step back is nasty.” Who woulda thunk that? You are basically using the defender’s momentum against him. Hard to stop.
A kid can say his step-back is nasty, but Walker’s is NASTY! He is one ligament injury from being an average player. 🙂
I could watch Oriaki and Harrellson play against each other for days.
I could watch Walker change directions while dribbling for days.
Oriakhi’s block early in the game was outstanding.
A pull up 3 in transition with no one teammates in the lane and less than 5 seconds remaining in the half? Going to the basket and getting contact might have worked better.
Did they say that UConn’s Lamb is shooting 60percent from the field for the tournament?
Kentucky needs to have a bigger presence defensively in the paint. Harrellson going to the bench with 2 fouls really hurt the Wildcats. It seem like the Huskies got every loose ball underneath.
TOC! Great to see you on the Pine brother!
Kentucky looks uncomfortable playing 2-3. UConn easily distorted that zone.
Great to be on the pine!! And Kemba is starting off the ball in the 2nd half. Smart move Jimbo
Kentucky’s offense is all one-on-one. Its so frustrating to watch.
Rey – you were saying about the 3?
Who can smell a UConn run?
That’s what that is? I thought it was the Genny Cream. 🙂
Coach G. needs to talk to both these teams about shot selection
and yes maybe the smell is Genny Cream …haha
That and virtues. There is not a whole lot of patience out there.
Funny how the dribble-drive can get stale late in close games.
I can hear Coach Cal saying it clear as day, “Take your man! Take your man!”
And the player thinking to himself: what if that doesn’t work?
Poor fouls…haven’t seen any in this tournament have we??
That was almost two games in a row with a late foul on a 3-point attempt.
I was just about to criticize Kentucky’s choice to go for the intentional foul AND then deciding to let the play run. Then Napier bailed them out.
Liggins takes the shot?
That should do it…should be an entertaining final
Looking forward to seeing how Butler defends UConn.
As am I. It was a good night of games. Now we wait for Monday!
One thought.. This is the second game in a row that UConn has been bailed out by a last second bad last shot. I thought it looked forced and it really appeared that like Arizona – Kentucky settled for 3 when they only needed 2.
Oh yeah… Newsflash – A John Calipari team can’t hit free throws and it cost them.
Same here, Casey. One thing is for sure: Butler will make Napier and Lamb pay if they carelessly dribble penetrate into the lane like they did against Kentucky.
And the 3-ball – goodness gracious. Down 2 in the national semifinal and you have the last possession and LIGGINS takes a long, fading 3! I really do hate that line.
Funny thing is that last play happened after 11, and I was fading. So as UK inbounds the ball, and I’m watching the play unfold I’m thinking – oh right they need a 3. Then I look at the bottom of the screen and see it’s 2-point game. What? What are they doing? Harrelson was about 25 feet from the basket!
Interesting to see if Butler can defend the step-back.
NOBODY can defend the step-back! How dare you even suggest it.
Well … I told y’all I was squeamish about picking Kentucky if had to rely on Calipari drawing up THE play in a real tight game at the end. That was a disappointing result. A pretty well-guarded trey by someone you really wouldn’t pick to shoot it (Liggins). They were down by only two, so they coulda done a bunch of stuff. And they had some time left to make at least one more pass, maybe two.
Yes … FREE THROWS!!! How hard is that??? Evidently for Calipari’s teams, it like climbing Mt Everest. Sheeeeesh. But not only FTs … the whole first half featured KY missing every type of shot … treys, FTs, open 12 footers, and little bankers. Hence down 10 at half with only 21 points. Shot about 28% for the half. That’s usually lethal in a game of this magnitude.
Rey – hahaha.
When you commit to the “dribble-drive” as an offense, that is what you are going to get. Maybe I am not paying close enough attention, but Rey do you see Kentucky ever setting any screens off the ball? If a team doesn’t run plays for the whole year, you can’t just draw that up in the huddle end expect it to work. The “dribble-drive” is nothing more than penetrate and pitch which should be a quick-hitter or a late-in-the-shot-clock option within the structure of an offense.
UConn’s Jeremy Lamb was a real difference maker yesterday … just like he has been for the last coupla weeks. 12 pts and 9 boards.
I thought on that last play they shoulda gone into the post with Harrellson and then back out for a more open jumper. Now that I mentioned Harrellson, he was not nearly the factor in the game that he had been leading up to this. I just don’t think they tried to involve him for the “inside and back out thing” and then he got into foul trouble.
Credit to UConn though … they REALLY owned the paint on both ends!
Running an inside-out play is a lot easier said than done. Especially if you are Kentucky which rarely, if ever, does such a thing. YOu can’t just draw that up and expect it to work.
Casey you are right. Calipari runs a very pro style offensive which gives the players the liberty to create the offense on their own. Problem is – when it comes down to the end of a game, can you get the players to actually something within a the confines of a offense that requires a set play? Obviously not for Kentucky last night and the shot at the end was a pretty poor result.
I thought they did a nice job of penetrating and kicking out earlier in the half, which is why they eliminated the 10 point deficit pretty quickly.
From what I saw of UK, their offense looks very easy (at least what they tend to run the most), which I suppose is the basis of dribble-drive. But anyway, it seems to have a little wrinkle of motion in it this year which might be attributed to Harrellson’s presence.
Knight brings the ball up and Harrellson will be HP, other 3 are spread on the perimeter. Once KNight makes an entry, he’ll use Harrellson at the top of the key to cut through an open lane, which they rarely hit. Kight would sit on the low block and get a pin-down screen or sometimes he would actually be the screener for the perimeter man opposite the ball to baseline cut towards the ball. Either way, Knights pops back out either side, but no matter what, Harrellson would get a touch and then execute a hand-off with Knight. Harrellson rolls to the post, Knight penetrates, and hello dribble-drive.
I’m going to say something positive about Roy Williams: I heard him say once that every single thing they do offensively has a counter built in. They can call those counters as other teams start to take away what they’re doing, but a lot of them are naturally read by the players anyway. I’m going to say there aren’t too many built in counters in the Kentucky dribble-drive.