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Coming off of a lackluster performance against Mississippi State, the Cats are back in action against the lowly Auburn Tigers tomorrow night. This will be the final road game of a stretch that has seen UK play 4 out of 5 games on the road and they are looking to go 3-1 in those road games. Auburn should not be too difficult of a place to win but make no mistake, road games always make the home team at least 5 points better than they are typically. With that said, let's get to the things to watch for:
*Maturity from Julius
Calipari stated something that most witnessed during the MSU game which was Julius not helping double-team on the post and then when he did refused to hustle back to his man when the ball was passed. For the most part this team has seemed to be playing harder but Julius seems to be stuck in neutral for whatever reason. He is the most physically talented player on the court and should be able to dominate games when he plays hard. I have a feeling the message Calipari has been trying to send through the media will be received and we will see the dominant Julius return. I am looking for 20 points and 10 rebounds from Julius.
*Transition defense
There is no way around the fact that UK's transition defense has been terrible. However, the good news is that it can improve dramatically when the players simply buy in to the fact that they cannot take plays off. The zone has helped the Cats get back because they cannot point to a man and expect someone else to pick him up when they want to jog back. I am looking for the team to sprint back tonight and hold Auburn to under 10 transition points tonight. If that occurs, Auburn will not be able to score in the half court against this team.
*Keep Denson out of the lane
As bad as Auburan has been, they have two really good players, Chris Denson and KT Harrell. I am more focused on Denson because he is a 6-2 guard that averages 20 points per game while only shooting 27% from three. His strength is penetrating and he gets to the free throw line nearly 10 times per game. UK has struggled stopping penetration from guards and if Denson has his way, we could see a lot of free throws and some foul trouble for UK's guards who try to stop him. The key will be to limit his driving lanes and force him to be a jump shooter. I want to see Denson go to the line six times or less tonight and be forced into at least four three's.
That is all for today, as always, Go Big Blue.
Let me know in the comment section what you are watching for tomorrow night.
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