Yikes, that wasn't pretty Sunday night, but let's step back and look at the facts. The jerseys may have been the same, but that was about it. Kentucky started five freshmen, all of which will be in the NBA within the next year or two. UK is a completely different team, only Willy Cauley Stein played a major role in this years game.
To put things in a little more perspective, UK's Jarrod Polson played 31 minutes in the NIT. Last night, he didn't get in until the final media time out when the game was all but over.
If the Colonials would have won that game last night, it would have been 10 times more shocking than the NIT win last year, after all, UK was the number one team in the country (though Michigan State will likely pass them today), with the number one player in the country (give me Julius Randle over Parker/Wiggins/Gordon by a hair). So yea, the odds were against the troops last night, but that's not what is so frustrating.
John Calipari tweeted before the game "They execute as well anyone and are going to give us a dogfight, which is what our team needs."
Maybe last years team, but not this group, not yet anyway. Leaders need to emerge, but so does some toughness. The Colonials are working in a new group of players, and lost a lot. It will take time.
Outside of Karvel Anderson, everyone looked shell shocked. Missed layups, airballs, bad execution, missed opportunities (as Chris noted, they blew multiple 2-1 opportunities in the first half). The crazy part is the Colonials D was pretty good, and they rebounded about as well as they could have given the size disparity, and Coach Toole had a good game plan.
First off, what is going on with Ant Myers Pate? I wish I had the answer. He is really struggling with his shot. Ant, you're a heck of a player, stop playing tentative and let it rip. I don't know if it's pressure, nerves, or what, but it's time to pick it up, or David Appolon, a wing, will take the starting PG job (okay, there is no way App becomes the starting PG, but Kavon Stewart is good enough to take that job from Ant if he doesn't pick it up). 1-14 from the field, 0-8 from 3, 4-13 from the free throw line. It's all confidence. Like Chris, I still believe in Ant. Just let it rip #5.
As for the new guys, it would be naive of me to think they would come right in and replace Velton, Russ, Coron, and Lijah. It will take time. Chuck Oliver looked awful last night, and Juanie Newton wasn't any better. Jeremiah Worthem airballed his first shot, but I have to say his D was pretty good. I still love this trio. This whole road trip was a learning opportunity for them and the team. They will get better, and more comfortable with playing on the road. I still think these guys become a force down the road. Keep your head up fellas, and get ready for UT-Arlington.
As for Aaron Tate, he actually played the second best game behind Karvel Anderson. He played decent D, and knocked down a few shots. I would like to see him grasp the offense a bit more, and he's got to finish at the rim. He's a hustle guy, and it's not his job to score the ball, so all things considered, he was alright.
Mike Mcfadden wasn't that great last night, but I don't care. Mike balled his ass off last year in the NIT, and hit the game winning FT's that allowed me to storm a court. He gets a pass from me (but big Mike, cut down on the silly travels 10-15 feet from the basket).
I'm happy Lucky Jones is okay after the hip injury, but stop scaring me like that Luck!! My man Velton Jones tweeted that Luck was good for one of those a game (so true too). What's funny is V was always throwing his body around, and I thought he was out for the season like 327523489753489 times while at RMU, and then he checked back in minutes later. You probably taught him that V!!! :)
One other thing. Awesome support by the bus and the fans who showed up at Latitude 40, but lets translate that over to the Sewall Center. If you didn't get a chance to read Velton Jones' timeline on twitter, do so. He goes on a rant that is 100% accurate. Pack the Chuck and support these guys. Sure it's great to fill latitude 40 for a viewing party, but that support is actually put to use when the Chuck is packed. More on this later.
Again, let's not overreact to one loss against a team that I picked to win the national championship. The upcoming schedule is a lot more crucial to the overall success this season. UT Arlington is next (Thursday, at the Chuck), get that win, and go from there.
In just over a month the Colonials will travel to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. I predicted UK over Ok State in the national title game. They are equally loaded. There are a lot of games in between now and then, so that will be a good measuring stick to see if the team has improved.
--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5
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