Cats Hope to Bounce Back Against Ohio State
Kentucky’s loss to Utah was disappointing, without question.
Shots didn’t fall, including one 3 that would have sent the game to overtime, and the Wildcats didn’t show the kind of fight for which John Calipari’s teams are so well known, not until after they had fallen behind.
Though the disappointment is real, resoluteness is the primary feeling around this UK team.
“We’ve been in this situation,” Hagans said after the defeat. “It’s time to get back to work. We’ve just got to become a better team.”
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| Kentucky vs. Ohio State | ||
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Wed., Dec. 21 – 5:15 p.m. ET |
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TV: CBS |
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| UK | Stats | OSU |
| 8-2 | Record | 10-1 |
| 0-0 | Conference Record | 1-1 |
| 75.4 | PPG | 79.9 |
| 60.2 | Opp PPG | 56.7 |
| .468 | FG% | .490 |
| .376 | Opp FG% | .346 |
| 38.7 | RPG | 40.7 |
| .275 | 3PT FG% | .416 |
| .305 | Opp 3PT FG% | .292 |
| .795 | FT% | .724 |
| 15.4 | APG | 15.8 |
| 5.3 | SPG | 4.9 |
| 4.4 | BPG | 4.0 |
Indeed, Hagans has been a similar situation before. Exactly a year ago, Hagans was in a timeshare at point guard for a team with an 8-2 record identical to his team’s now. Doubts were swirling in the midst of a couple stinging defeats, intensified by the fact that a couple marquee matchups in the CBS Sports Classic and UK’s biggest annual rivalry game were looming.
In those two games, UK would score huge wins over a top-10 North Carolina team and Louisville and Hagans emerged as the Cats’ primary option at point guard. From there, Kentucky didn’t look back.
Now, a similar stretch and opportunity await Kentucky. That begins Saturday with the CBS Sports Classic again. This time, the Cats will face off against No. 5/4 Ohio State (10-1) at 5:15 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.
“They’re good,” Calipari said. “Listen, they’re one of the best teams in the country. That’s what we’re faced with.”
As their ranking suggests, the Buckeyes have been one of the nation’s best teams early in the 2019-20 season. In fact, they are an upset loss at Minnesota last weekend away from a likely No. 1 spot in both polls and already boast wins over the likes of Cincinnati, Villanova and North Carolina.
Ten players average double-digit minutes for Chris Holtmann’s team and eight score at least 7.5 points per game. Big man Kaleb Wesson (6-foot-9, 270 pounds) leads the way at 14.3 points per game to go with his rebounding average of 9.1.
“Well, they got a lot of guys who can score, but they also are good around the basket which is why they’re as good as they are and rated where they are,” Calipari said. “They play physical, they’re a good defensive team, but you’re right. They have five or six guys that can shoot and what’s happening is they are shooting at a high percentage, so it’s not as though they’re taking 40 3s a game. Just the ones they take, they make.”
Though Wesson is outstanding and Ohio State is shooting 41.6% from 3 on the season, defense is why the Buckeyes are special. Opponents are averaging just 54.7 points per game and 0.83 points per possession and shooting a mere 33.3% from the field. All three statistics place Ohio State’s defense among the 10 best nationally.
The Buckeyes are so good on defense because they play with exactly the kind of fight Calipari is demanding of his own team. That makes this game a major challenge, but perhaps exactly the kind Kentucky needs right now.
“Every game we play, we’re supposed to win and we’re supposed to win by 20,” Calipari said. “Maybe not this one. So now, play. Play loose. Go play. Let’s see who we are right now.”
Kentucky Rallies Late, But Falls to Utah 69-66
LAS VEGAS – Tyrese Maxey scored 18 points and No. 6 Kentucky rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to tie the game late before falling to Utah 69-66 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. It ended the Wildcats’ six-game winning streak.
Ashton Hagans had 16 points and eight assists for the Cats, while EJ Montgomery had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Cats had an advantage on points off turnovers (20-9), points in the paint (34-22) and second-chance points (10-4) but dug themselves too big of a hole to fully climb out of.
“How in the world were we in the game? I have no idea,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “We didn’t fight … but you had Ashton and a couple guys fought. I thought EJ did good. I told him after: If that’s who you are, we’ll be fine. We just need him to do something like that.”
Kentucky (8-2) hit 26 of its 63 shots (41.3%), including just 2 of 17 from behind the arc (11.8%). Utah connected on 23 of its 42 attempts (54.8%), including eight of 15 (53.3%) from long range. It’s the first time this season a Kentucky opponent has shot 50% or better.
“I believe we’ve got good shooters,” Calipari said. “Just maybe timid right now? You’re literally pulling up and it’s not close to the rim; what’sin your mind? We’ve got to fix some of that.”
Trailing 56-39 in the second half, Kentucky made a furious comeback. UK got within two on a pair of Nick Richards’ free throws with 4:07 to play. After Utah got a free throw from Both Gach and a 3 from Riley Battin to take a 66-60 lead with 2:28 to go, Kentucky scored six straight points, all in the span of 37 seconds, to tie the game at 66 apiece. It was the first tie since the game was knotted at 2-2.
The tie lasted just 22 seconds, as Timmy Allen hit a tough jumper to give the Utes a 68-66 lead with 1:21 to go. After Hagans missed from inside on Kentucky’s ensuing possession, Utah had the ball with under a minute to go. But the Cats locked down on defense and forced a shot clock violation with 32.5 seconds to play.
On Kentucky’s next possession, Maxey drove the lane and was apparently fouled with 22.7 seconds remaining. However, the referees went to the monitor and reversed the call, charging Tyrese Maxey with an offensive foul and giving the ball back to the Utes.
Utah was able to break the UK press and get the ball into the front court, where Kahlil Whitney fouled Utah’s Rylan Jones, a 92% shooter at the line. Jones missed the first before making the second to give Utah a 69-66 lead with 15 seconds to play.
Kentucky had a possession to tie, but Maxey’s long 3 missed badly and a scramble ensued for the loose ball. Montgomery went to the floor and came up with the ball and quickly called a timeout with 3.2 seconds left. After the timeout, the Cats were able to get the ball to Immanuel Quickley for an open 3 from the left corner, but the shot rimmed off and the Utes held on for the win.
“My team, more than any that I’ve coached the last five to seven years, that team needs each other,” Calipari said. “If they go out and try to do it themselves … we’re in trouble.”
Of note …
• Hagans scored in double figures for a team-leading eighth time this season. He also had a game-high eight assists and a season-high foursteals
• Maxey broke a recent cold spell with his first double-figure scoring game since Nov. 24. He was 7 of 13 from the floor after going 1 of 17 in his previous two games
• Nate Sestina returned to the lineup and played nine minutes after a three-game absence. He fracture his left wrist on Nov. 26
• UK suffered its first all-time loss in Las Vegas. The Wildcat are now 4-1 in the City of Lights
• The Wildcats recorded seven steals and have posted six or more steals in three straight games and four of the last five
• UK continued to shoot it well from the free-throw line, making 12 of 16 shots. The Wildcats have shot 75% or better in eight of 10 games
Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic
In an event that features four of college basketball’s top programs, Kentucky and Ohio State will meet for the second time in the event’s sixyear history.
UK and North Carolina are tied for the best record in the event at 3-2 after the Wildcats defeated the Tar Heels last season in Chicago. Ohio State and UCLA are both 2-3.
OSU defeated Kentucky 74-67 in the previous CBS Sports Classic matchup between the two teams in Brooklyn in December 2015. Jamal Murray, now with the Denver Nuggets, scored 33 points for the Wildcats.
UK leads the all-time series vs. Ohio State 11-9, including the memorable 62-60 over the Buckeyes, the top overall seed, in the 2011 Sweet 16.
The event returns to Las Vegas this year, home of the memorable 2016 game between Kentucky and North Carolina. For more on that …
More History in Store at T-Mobile Arena?
Kentucky fell to 4-1 in games in Las Vegas and 1-1 in T-Mobile Arena with Wednesday’s loss to Utah. As forgettable as the Wildcats would like to make Wednesday’s game, the 2016 visit to T-Mobile Arena was unforgettable.
Malik Monk put on an historic performance in that CBS Sports Classic game vs. North Carolina. Monk scored a Kentucky freshman record 47 points and hit a game-winning 3-pointer to lead UK to a thrilling 103-100 victory over the Tar Heels.
“If you watched that game, if you never liked basketball, you’re going to start liking basketball,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said at the time. “Like, wow.”
Wow indeed. Monk hit 18 of 28 shots, including 8 of 12 3-point attempts. Only Duke’s Dick Groat (48 points) in 1952 has scored more against the Tar Heels.
Of course, Monk has since gone on to the NBA after helping lead the Wildcats to the Elite Eight that season. No Wildcats on the current roster were a part of that first game in T-Mobile Arena.
Bounce Back
Kentucky doesn’t lose very often during the John Calipari era, but when the Wildcats do, they almost always bounce back. UK is 51-12 under Calipari following a loss (record does not count end-of-season losses).
The Wildcats have only lost back-to-back games 12 times during the Calipari era with three of those losses having come during a four-game losing streak from Feb. 3-14, 2018. That was the first four-game losing streak under Calipari.
Previously, the last time UK lost four games in a row was in February 2009, when the Wildcats dropped four straight games to end the regular season. It was the first time Calipari had lost four straight since the end of the 2004-05 season at Memphis.
UK has never lost back-to-back home games under Calipari.
