The University of Kentucky had the rare opportunity to achieve two victories in one day and, contradicting everything that history tells us, the football team was the easy bet. Despite being defeated by most of the regulations for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the basketball team Kentucky Wildcats fought for two extra times to start 1-0 in the SEC game and bring the Big Blue Nation their second win of the day.
The final score was 78-73 in favor of the Wildcats. Freshman winger Terrence Clarke was out of the game due to an ankle injury he suffered last week. John Calipari was sent off after receiving two technical fouls.
But the big story of the game is that the Cats were led by Dontaie Allen (!) When it exploded to 23 points, 20 of which occurred in the second half and in extra time. Kentucky certainly didn’t look like a candidate for the Final Four on Saturday, but a win is a win and this team desperately needed one. Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.
DONTAIE ALLEN
After weeks of begging, Kentucky fans finally got a good dose of Dontaie Allen. Allen played 33 minutes during the game, hitting seven of 11 three points to go to his 23 points and go with five rebounds, a block and no turns.
Allen did everything that Kentucky fans expected to see. His shot was pure and his effort was obvious. He looked like the best offensive player on the Kentucky team by a large margin during the game. He certainly won more minutes advancing, and he certainly won the hearts of fans across the community.
Calipari Tossed
As he usually does when a team is fighting on the road, John Calipari was sent off around 10 minutes into the second half. It seemed intentional, as he continued to argue for a shipment against the State of Mississippi, which was never called and then calmly left the court.
I’ve never been a fan of this tactic, but we’ve seen it work before and it seemed to work on Saturday. Kentucky went on a 10-0 run to take the lead in the second half and eventually struggled in overtime to win the game. Does Cal get credit for being kicked out or does Bruiser Flint get credit for training the guys while Cal was away? We go with both.
Boston continues to fight
BJ Boston was Kentucky’s best ranked recruit entering the season and remains Kentucky’s top scorer of the year. However, he doesn’t look at all comfortable in attack. He often forces cars into traffic or shoots (and usually misses) long two-point jumpers. He shot only 30.7% of his 13 strokes on Saturday.
It became apparent in the second half that Boston was unsuccessful on Saturday, ending with a -7 in +/- for the game. He did not play in either overtime and played in moderation in the second half. The formation that the Cats followed at the right time was Olivier Sarr, Devin Askew, Davion Mintz, Dontaie Allen and Lance Ware.
It turns out that Boston’s playing time was limited after Calipari got in the shower. Coincidence? We may never know.
Terrence Clarke injured
A week after Clarke threw off his boot and wore his uniform against Louisville, he was not available at the Kentucky opening at the SEC. Obviously, the ankle injury is a little more serious than before. That, or he hurt her again in the last few days, when he allegedly played in the secret fight against Transylvania.
Although it did not translate into victory, the attack looked much better since Clarke took on some responsibilities as a point guard. If it remains unavailable, the rotation will continue to flow, as Calipari has not yet found a lineup that produces offensive constantly. But if Saturday’s victory tells us anything, it is that perhaps BJ Boston’s role will be reduced and Dontaie Allen will get more time on the ground.
Turnovers
Kentucky had eight twists in the first half and 18 in the game. This happened with only 17 assists. This has been a constant theme for the season, and seeing little or no improvement is very frustrating.
On the other hand, Kentucky also forced 16 B turnovers. The defense led to the attack at various points in the game where buckets were difficult to find. Although the Cats played a good amount of zone in the first half, the defensive intensity did increase over the course of the game.
Turnovers at both ends will determine Kentucky’s fate in the future. But will they be able to find the right formula for managing turnover? Time will tell.