Up at Kings Island Amusement Park in Mason, Ohio, they are the proud owners of “The Beast,” proclaimed to be the world’s longest wooden roller-coaster ride. Right now, Kentucky basketball is riding a “Beast” of its own. And the Cats are speeding downhill.
A week ago, Mark Pope’s shorthanded Wildcats were riding high after knocking off No. 6 Tennessee 78-73 deep in the heart of Big Orange Country at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Eight days later, the Cats compounded an emotional 89-79 loss to John Calipari and Arkansas at Rupp Arena with a stinker of a performance in a 98-84 loss to Ole Miss at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford.
“We’re going through a tough stretch right now,” Pope said after his team had suffered its fourth loss in five games to drop to 15-7 overall and 4-5 in the ridiculously competitive SEC. And if the Cats aren’t careful, the inability to stop this downhill momentum will wreck what was once thought to be almost a fairy tale of a first season for Kentucky’s head coach.
Yes, the Cats undoubtedly miss Lamont Butler, the veteran point guard and top-notch defender who has sat out the last three games — including the win at Tennessee — with a shoulder injury. Yes, the Cats miss Butler’s backup, Kerr Kriisa, who hasn’t played since Dec. 7 thanks to foot surgery.
Tuesday’s poor performance went beyond Butler’s absence, however. After the loss to Arkansas, the Cats hit Oxford flatter than a pancake and were outscored 54-31 in the first half, the program’s largest deficit since Feb. 16, 2013, when Calipari’s club trailed 50-26 at Tennessee. That team ended up losing 88-58 in its first game after Nerlens Noel tore his ACL.
Ole Miss is a good team. Chris Beard is a terrific coach. But the Rebels are not a team that should be outscoring this Kentucky team — even shorthanded — by 23 points over 20 minutes. To its credit, Kentucky did show some signs of life in the second half. The Cats shot 63% from the floor to end up shooting an even 50% for the game. They were 10-for-21 from the 3-point line.
They were credited with 21 assists against eight turnovers. “Those are the numbers we want,” Pope said.
But here’s a number no team wants: Kentucky forced just one Ole Miss turnover. One. This Kentucky team has not been a team that forces a lot of turnovers. Vanderbilt turned it over five times in its win against UK on Jan. 28 in Nashville. Tennessee turned it over five times in its loss last week. But one turnover? That’s almost unheard of.
It also shines a light on the fact that Kentucky’s problems on the defensive end of the court are growing worse, not better. The Cats entered Tuesday 89th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. That was after Arkansas made 13 of 25 attempts from 3 and averaged 1.279 points per possession on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss was 13-for-30 shooting from beyond the arc and averaged 1.362 points per possession. (Not good.)
“We have all the tools and weapons to be a great defensive team,” Oweh said afterward Tuesday.
“We just have to have that urgency. We’re going to figure it out, but we didn’t have it in the first half.” Said Pope, “This is not going to get easier.”
Not when you’re riding “The Beast.” This Saturday’s visitor, South Carolina, is the only team winless in SEC play, but Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks lost to Auburn by three points, Florida by one and Texas A&M by four.
On down the road, Tennessee will come to Rupp seeking revenge on Feb. 11. The Cats must travel to Alabama on Feb. 22. No. 1 Auburn visits Rupp on March 1. And Kentucky finishes the regular season at surprising Missouri on March 8. And those are just games against the current top teams in the league. As for Butler’s possible return, Pope said, “Right now, we have to figure this out with the guys we have. That’s the job.” And figure it out soon. Otherwise, this promising season might go completely off the rails.
