Tomorrows game in the bluegrass will be one you dont want to miss if you enjoy watching college basketball. It starts at noon, is in lexington (home for UK), and the line is 2.5 favored the cats. If you didnt already know im from louisville and watch both teams closely - that being said there is alot to consider so lets dive into the details:
Louisville Cardinals:
Coach: Rick Pitino - a hall of fame CBB coach that is known for his tenacious defensive strategies, molding decent players into great ones, and taking three teams to the final four. RP was the head coach at UK before coming to their rival louisville quite a few years back. Fans of the wildcats are not too fond of him, and love to see him lose. Preparation and conditioning are the two keys to success with all of his teams.
The team: "Scandal" told the story in the pre-season and very early for the cards this year, many thought that the program would spiral out of control & rick pitino would leave. It did produce some questions from the fans and distractions for the team, luckily they have been able to put that behind them & just play basketball. None of the current players had any involvement in the situation, which im sure helped them push forward to the point their at currently. So far in 2015 uofl has been impressive and exceeded all expectations, the only loss came at michigan state in a game that they gave away & led for 3/4 of the time. Their victories have been impressive, consistently blowing out opponents by 25 or more. Granted, other than MSU they havent played a quality program like UK thus far, which could play a huge factor tomorrow. There is still something to be said of a team that continuously covers 20 or 30 point spreads every night. One of their strengths are the two transfer guards from drexel and cleveland state: Damion Lee & Trey Lewis. Each of which scored over 15 ppg last season, and have been around the block. They really have been a blessing and have helped avoid a "rebuilding season for rick pitino. Of the two, lee is the most dominant - averaging close to 20 ppg so far, he can beat nearly anyone off the dribble, can knock down three's, plays tough D and shoots 89% FT's. Lewis is lower key but i would trust him with the ball on the last possession as much as any guard in the country. He is very smart with the ball and makes every possession count, his specialty is the mid range jump shot and dishing the ball to the big fellas down low. The combination of lee and lewis is dangerous and should make for a fun game tomorrow. Uofl's bigs on the other hand arent as impressive, and have a long way to go. On top of that Mangok Mathiang is out for 6-8 weeks with a foot injury. That takes some of the depth out of the front court and put more pressure on the best big guy onuaku. The biggest fear for Uofl fans is that he gets in to foul trouble early and some of the less talented and experienced guys will have to fill in and step up. The good news is that UK is also weak in the frontcourt, which ultimately is where the game will be won or lost. The method for RP's big guys this season has been to rotate them and keep them fresh, wear out the other team, and keep them out of foul trouble. Will that happen? Maybe in a perfect world, but tomorrow will be challenging because coach cal is going to attack the paint from the start and make onuaku play conservatively. Uofl has one of, if not the best defense in the country. Putting all bias aside, they are just suffocating, tenacious, and create lots of turnovers. Only teams with solid guards will be able to handle the constant pressure that RP loves to use, so yes you will see lots of full court press tomorrow, maybe not early on, but it wont take long. Another factor that is unusual for UL this year is their length and ability to rebound the basketball. They have the ability to double weaker teams on the board, and create second chance opportunities that add up and frustrate opponents. The depth of the team is solid, and helps the starters stay fresh and playing their best. Uofl is good around the ark, but like most seasons they can get cold (luckily not as often as in the past) and struggle to score. Here's the bottom line: Uofl has one of the best coaches in the country, two really good guards, play great defense, rebound the ball very well, have some work to do down low, and seem to play as a team rather than as individuals.
Kentucky Wildcats:
Coach: John Calipari - the best recruiter in the country hands down, the only other team that comes close to landing such talent is Duke. JC has beaten rick pitino 7 out of 8 times while at UK, and has been able to find a way to win even with less talented teams. IMO calipari is more on the balanced side as far as coaching style goes, and uses all parts of his team to win basketball games. Unlike RP whos trademark is defense. Cal is known for putting together teams that have enormous talent, skill, and ability. His problem has been finding a way to get these young guys to play together completely, additionally the lack of experience is usually a question every year. At the end of the day he is a great coach and an even better recruiter & always has a team that is threat to win the national championship.
The team: I have watched quite a few UK games this year, and can tell you they have the potential to be really good, not as dominant as the 38-1 team from last year but that will be hard for anyone to top. There is always so much excitement around CBB in lexington, and for the most part when they are playing, the city stops and watches for a few hours. Their fans are diehard and Rupp Arena is one of the toughest places in the country to play, uofl has struggled there recently. Much like UL their strength is their guards, who are top notch and have shown alot of promise so far this season. The main man is Jamal Murray, a freshman who is the complete package, he is special and can take over games if he needs to. He can knock down the three, dish the ball, make the midrange jumper, handle pressure and beat you off the dribble. He is UK's golden ticket to tomorrows victory. The other guards that you will see are tyler ullis and isaiah briscoe, they are both solid and will play a big role against UL. Ullis is the most experienced guy for UK, and has been hurt for a little bit of the season, but im sure it wont be an issue tomorrow. He can knock down the outside shot, drives well, creates opportunities for the bigs and plays smart most of the time. From what ive seen his weakness is completely mental, probably because there is a lot of pressure on him to be a leader, he is vulnerable and may turn the ball over if pressured. Briscoe is a young guy who has stepped up into a "create a spark" type of role, he plays with lots of energy & will get in your face if he needs to. Scrappy is the word i would use the describe him, defensively he is solid, but has some work to do on offense. He can beat you off the dribble, and is great on the break. Overall UK is very deep in the backcourt, and matches up well with Uofl. The bigs have been the issue so far this season, and the fans will tell you that. The word most often used to describe them is "soft". The talent is there and im sure its pretty frustrating to watch them get beat in the post. The two loses that UK has suffered (UCLA, Ohio State) have been because their frontcourt has been dominated and pushed around. Alex Poythress is the most experienced guy you will see out of the big fellas, he can hit the boards, dunk in your face, or step out and the jumpshot - he will be challenge for Uofl because he is very athletic and lengthy. There are are few other young guys that you will see tomorrow, the skill and talent is evident, the question is will they toughen up enough to win? This UK team isnt Cal's best or most talented but they are dangerous because of solid guard play, good defense, controlling the tempo, and the natural athleticism you will see.
The game: Now that we have a little background on both teams, lets talk about the matchup. There will be no lack of motivation for either team, this is a rivalry game and there will be many runs from both sides. UK is coming off of a bad loss against a mediocre OSU team that was able to make the cats flustered for most of the game and hold them. This is not good for Uofl, having a week off to let that loss brew is one of the worst things that could have happened IMO. UK has something to prove tomorrow and want to show the world they are like cats teams of the past. There is alot of pressure on both teams to win, and surprisingly there hasnt been much trash talk, probably because nobody is really sure how it will play out, which is unusual because in recent years there has been a clearly better team. The coaching advantage goes to UK, as stated above cal has dominated RP in the last eight games, and he looks to make it 9. Uofl is overall the more experienced team, especially with lee and lewis, and i believe that is crucial for handling the tough environment that rupp arena presents. Each teams fans will tell you they have the better backcourt, and it really is a toss up depending on the night. UK has young, athletic, and talented guys while UL has mature, experienced, & smart guards that are able to manage the game well. The question in the backcourt is Jamal Murray, will UL be able to contain him & not allow him to control the game? If they can do that, they should be in pretty good shape. Defensively all the guards playing for RP are solid, that is his bread and butter, how will two transfers that havent played in a game of this magnitude hold up? I think they will play even better, and exceed expectations - these are the type of games players live for. The frontcourt on the other hand will come down to one thing: how much onuaku plays. If he is able to stay out of foul trouble (which will be difficult), uofl has the advantage. I would say that UK will attack him on the first possession, and make him play soft & conservative, which is not how he plays at all. He is a tough, physical guy who thrives off of pushing people around in the paint. If uk is successful and he has to sit, uofl might be in trouble, especially with Mangok Mathiang not playing. This means that more finesse bigs will have to come in and replace him, which opens the door for UK to win the inside battle. Another big factor that comes into play is the effectiveness of UL's full court pressure they love to use so much, they will have to make shots first in order to set it up, and if that happens it will eventually wear down UK. Knocking down outside shots is a must for both teams - i will have to say that perimeter defense is a strength of this years team for UL, and i would give the edge to them in that category. So to review the keys to the game:
Louisville:
- Uofl has got to keep onuaku out of foul trouble
- Lee and Lewis need to suffocate murray, get him out his element, and make sure he doesnt take over
- Lee needs to play physical, drive inside, and get to the FT line
- The other bigs for uofl have to crash the board, and create second chance opportunities
- Press, Press, Press, and Press again
- Guard the Perimeter like they have all season
- Stay poised in a tough environment
Kentucky:
- Bigs need to get physical
- Attack Onuaku and make him watch from the bench
- Box out and win the rebound battle
- Ullis needs to step up, knock down three's and create quality shots for his teamates
- The backcourt needs to make sure lee and lewis do not get into the paint
- Murray has to live up to the hype, control the game, and play smart
- Break the press
- Attack the zone in the middle
- Dont let the inexperience show
My Prediction: Playing in rupp is very difficult for any team, its a special place and uofl will have their hands full from start to finish. UK is talented, motivated, and ready to play after a week off, and we cant forget the recent cal/pitino history. That being said rick pitino and uofl are ready for this game, they are playing at an extremely high level, lee and lewis are really impressive and their experience will win them the game. Uofl will find a way to push around the frontcourt of UK and win the rebound battle. Final Score: 74-68.
Hope this helps out fellas, please comment and let me know your thoughts! Thanks
-ville
Louisville Cardinals:
Coach: Rick Pitino - a hall of fame CBB coach that is known for his tenacious defensive strategies, molding decent players into great ones, and taking three teams to the final four. RP was the head coach at UK before coming to their rival louisville quite a few years back. Fans of the wildcats are not too fond of him, and love to see him lose. Preparation and conditioning are the two keys to success with all of his teams.
The team: "Scandal" told the story in the pre-season and very early for the cards this year, many thought that the program would spiral out of control & rick pitino would leave. It did produce some questions from the fans and distractions for the team, luckily they have been able to put that behind them & just play basketball. None of the current players had any involvement in the situation, which im sure helped them push forward to the point their at currently. So far in 2015 uofl has been impressive and exceeded all expectations, the only loss came at michigan state in a game that they gave away & led for 3/4 of the time. Their victories have been impressive, consistently blowing out opponents by 25 or more. Granted, other than MSU they havent played a quality program like UK thus far, which could play a huge factor tomorrow. There is still something to be said of a team that continuously covers 20 or 30 point spreads every night. One of their strengths are the two transfer guards from drexel and cleveland state: Damion Lee & Trey Lewis. Each of which scored over 15 ppg last season, and have been around the block. They really have been a blessing and have helped avoid a "rebuilding season for rick pitino. Of the two, lee is the most dominant - averaging close to 20 ppg so far, he can beat nearly anyone off the dribble, can knock down three's, plays tough D and shoots 89% FT's. Lewis is lower key but i would trust him with the ball on the last possession as much as any guard in the country. He is very smart with the ball and makes every possession count, his specialty is the mid range jump shot and dishing the ball to the big fellas down low. The combination of lee and lewis is dangerous and should make for a fun game tomorrow. Uofl's bigs on the other hand arent as impressive, and have a long way to go. On top of that Mangok Mathiang is out for 6-8 weeks with a foot injury. That takes some of the depth out of the front court and put more pressure on the best big guy onuaku. The biggest fear for Uofl fans is that he gets in to foul trouble early and some of the less talented and experienced guys will have to fill in and step up. The good news is that UK is also weak in the frontcourt, which ultimately is where the game will be won or lost. The method for RP's big guys this season has been to rotate them and keep them fresh, wear out the other team, and keep them out of foul trouble. Will that happen? Maybe in a perfect world, but tomorrow will be challenging because coach cal is going to attack the paint from the start and make onuaku play conservatively. Uofl has one of, if not the best defense in the country. Putting all bias aside, they are just suffocating, tenacious, and create lots of turnovers. Only teams with solid guards will be able to handle the constant pressure that RP loves to use, so yes you will see lots of full court press tomorrow, maybe not early on, but it wont take long. Another factor that is unusual for UL this year is their length and ability to rebound the basketball. They have the ability to double weaker teams on the board, and create second chance opportunities that add up and frustrate opponents. The depth of the team is solid, and helps the starters stay fresh and playing their best. Uofl is good around the ark, but like most seasons they can get cold (luckily not as often as in the past) and struggle to score. Here's the bottom line: Uofl has one of the best coaches in the country, two really good guards, play great defense, rebound the ball very well, have some work to do down low, and seem to play as a team rather than as individuals.
Kentucky Wildcats:
Coach: John Calipari - the best recruiter in the country hands down, the only other team that comes close to landing such talent is Duke. JC has beaten rick pitino 7 out of 8 times while at UK, and has been able to find a way to win even with less talented teams. IMO calipari is more on the balanced side as far as coaching style goes, and uses all parts of his team to win basketball games. Unlike RP whos trademark is defense. Cal is known for putting together teams that have enormous talent, skill, and ability. His problem has been finding a way to get these young guys to play together completely, additionally the lack of experience is usually a question every year. At the end of the day he is a great coach and an even better recruiter & always has a team that is threat to win the national championship.
The team: I have watched quite a few UK games this year, and can tell you they have the potential to be really good, not as dominant as the 38-1 team from last year but that will be hard for anyone to top. There is always so much excitement around CBB in lexington, and for the most part when they are playing, the city stops and watches for a few hours. Their fans are diehard and Rupp Arena is one of the toughest places in the country to play, uofl has struggled there recently. Much like UL their strength is their guards, who are top notch and have shown alot of promise so far this season. The main man is Jamal Murray, a freshman who is the complete package, he is special and can take over games if he needs to. He can knock down the three, dish the ball, make the midrange jumper, handle pressure and beat you off the dribble. He is UK's golden ticket to tomorrows victory. The other guards that you will see are tyler ullis and isaiah briscoe, they are both solid and will play a big role against UL. Ullis is the most experienced guy for UK, and has been hurt for a little bit of the season, but im sure it wont be an issue tomorrow. He can knock down the outside shot, drives well, creates opportunities for the bigs and plays smart most of the time. From what ive seen his weakness is completely mental, probably because there is a lot of pressure on him to be a leader, he is vulnerable and may turn the ball over if pressured. Briscoe is a young guy who has stepped up into a "create a spark" type of role, he plays with lots of energy & will get in your face if he needs to. Scrappy is the word i would use the describe him, defensively he is solid, but has some work to do on offense. He can beat you off the dribble, and is great on the break. Overall UK is very deep in the backcourt, and matches up well with Uofl. The bigs have been the issue so far this season, and the fans will tell you that. The word most often used to describe them is "soft". The talent is there and im sure its pretty frustrating to watch them get beat in the post. The two loses that UK has suffered (UCLA, Ohio State) have been because their frontcourt has been dominated and pushed around. Alex Poythress is the most experienced guy you will see out of the big fellas, he can hit the boards, dunk in your face, or step out and the jumpshot - he will be challenge for Uofl because he is very athletic and lengthy. There are are few other young guys that you will see tomorrow, the skill and talent is evident, the question is will they toughen up enough to win? This UK team isnt Cal's best or most talented but they are dangerous because of solid guard play, good defense, controlling the tempo, and the natural athleticism you will see.
The game: Now that we have a little background on both teams, lets talk about the matchup. There will be no lack of motivation for either team, this is a rivalry game and there will be many runs from both sides. UK is coming off of a bad loss against a mediocre OSU team that was able to make the cats flustered for most of the game and hold them. This is not good for Uofl, having a week off to let that loss brew is one of the worst things that could have happened IMO. UK has something to prove tomorrow and want to show the world they are like cats teams of the past. There is alot of pressure on both teams to win, and surprisingly there hasnt been much trash talk, probably because nobody is really sure how it will play out, which is unusual because in recent years there has been a clearly better team. The coaching advantage goes to UK, as stated above cal has dominated RP in the last eight games, and he looks to make it 9. Uofl is overall the more experienced team, especially with lee and lewis, and i believe that is crucial for handling the tough environment that rupp arena presents. Each teams fans will tell you they have the better backcourt, and it really is a toss up depending on the night. UK has young, athletic, and talented guys while UL has mature, experienced, & smart guards that are able to manage the game well. The question in the backcourt is Jamal Murray, will UL be able to contain him & not allow him to control the game? If they can do that, they should be in pretty good shape. Defensively all the guards playing for RP are solid, that is his bread and butter, how will two transfers that havent played in a game of this magnitude hold up? I think they will play even better, and exceed expectations - these are the type of games players live for. The frontcourt on the other hand will come down to one thing: how much onuaku plays. If he is able to stay out of foul trouble (which will be difficult), uofl has the advantage. I would say that UK will attack him on the first possession, and make him play soft & conservative, which is not how he plays at all. He is a tough, physical guy who thrives off of pushing people around in the paint. If uk is successful and he has to sit, uofl might be in trouble, especially with Mangok Mathiang not playing. This means that more finesse bigs will have to come in and replace him, which opens the door for UK to win the inside battle. Another big factor that comes into play is the effectiveness of UL's full court pressure they love to use so much, they will have to make shots first in order to set it up, and if that happens it will eventually wear down UK. Knocking down outside shots is a must for both teams - i will have to say that perimeter defense is a strength of this years team for UL, and i would give the edge to them in that category. So to review the keys to the game:
Louisville:
- Uofl has got to keep onuaku out of foul trouble
- Lee and Lewis need to suffocate murray, get him out his element, and make sure he doesnt take over
- Lee needs to play physical, drive inside, and get to the FT line
- The other bigs for uofl have to crash the board, and create second chance opportunities
- Press, Press, Press, and Press again
- Guard the Perimeter like they have all season
- Stay poised in a tough environment
Kentucky:
- Bigs need to get physical
- Attack Onuaku and make him watch from the bench
- Box out and win the rebound battle
- Ullis needs to step up, knock down three's and create quality shots for his teamates
- The backcourt needs to make sure lee and lewis do not get into the paint
- Murray has to live up to the hype, control the game, and play smart
- Break the press
- Attack the zone in the middle
- Dont let the inexperience show
My Prediction: Playing in rupp is very difficult for any team, its a special place and uofl will have their hands full from start to finish. UK is talented, motivated, and ready to play after a week off, and we cant forget the recent cal/pitino history. That being said rick pitino and uofl are ready for this game, they are playing at an extremely high level, lee and lewis are really impressive and their experience will win them the game. Uofl will find a way to push around the frontcourt of UK and win the rebound battle. Final Score: 74-68.
Hope this helps out fellas, please comment and let me know your thoughts! Thanks
-ville
