Season-Opening Win Brings Return of 40 Minutes of Dread
Forty minutes of dread was back, Matthew Mitchell said.
He wasn’t sure how the high-pressure, trapping style of defense that Kentucky used to ascend the national stage early in Mitchell’s tenure would look early in the season, but the Wildcats were committed to it. Their personnel fit it too well for them not to be.
Consider UK’s season opener a good first step on that front.
“We just have to continue to seek improvement every day that we come in,” Mitchell said. “That is a good step for us just to get out there and let the team know and let each other know that’s how we’re going to play this season.”
UK’s pressure instilled plenty of dread in visiting Alabama State on Wednesday night. The Cats forced a staggering 43 turnovers – a total worthy of the heyday of 40 minutes of dread – en route to an 87-35 victory in Memorial Coliseum.
“I think the press went really well,” Taylor Murray said. “We were very sluggish in the beginning, but overall we picked it up. I think because it’s the first game, but as the game went on we picked up the intensity.”
UK’s early sluggishness led to a one-point deficit late in the first quarter, but the Cats forced 15 second-quarter turnovers and built a commanding 39-22 lead by halftime. In the end, UK tallied 51 points off turnovers and nabbed 23 steals, with Murray grabbing six on her own. Murray also led UK in scoring with 16 points and three Wildcats joined her in scoring double figures.
“We certainly have a long way to go, but the first step is just getting that mentality and understanding that this is our style of play,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t look all that great at times, but we’re making improvements. You know, you can put the film in and you can pick it apart and there’s definitely things we can do better. But, the fact of the matter is that we made some good plays tonight.
Blair Green, making her UK debut, came off the bench to score 13 points in 22 minutes, capably playing the top of the UK press. That created opportunities for the likes of Murray to pounce on long passes. Green was among 11 players to see the floor, nine of whom played at least 16 minutes.
“The fact of the matter is that we made some good plays tonight. We’re getting better, but against a Southeastern Conference, top-of-the-line team, we’ve got a ways to go,” Mitchell said. “We just have to continue to seek improvement every day that we come in. That is a good step for us just to get out there and let the team know and let each other know that’s how we’re going to play this season.”
So, with Wednesday’s win, UK moved to 1-0 on the season and sent a clear signal of intent about how the Cats will play this season. That doesn’t mean things will always go smoothly – especially not early – but it does mean 40 minutes of dread is back and here to stay.
“It got better throughout the game and we just have to stick with it,” Mitchell said. “There might be a night or two here early that it doesn’t look very good, but we have to remain committed and we have the potential to have strong enough character to really be tough and stay in there and do it. You really need both of those things, you need athleticism and you need the will to embrace that style of play and that’s not always the easiest thing to do.”
