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Well the game against Duke ended up being an excruciating loss with Duke controlling the game throughout the second half except for one spurt by the Wildcats. There were some major positives to take away from the game though: UK played well without their starting point guard and Alex Poythress and Nerlens Noel showed they have a lot of fight in them.
With that said, there are some things to watch for in the game tonight against Lafayette. This game should be a blowout, but there are still things to watch for during the game to gauge this young teams progress:
*Freshmen “bringing it”
Against Duke you saw the freshmen really come to play for most of the game. The intensity was there and Archie Goodwin is a major scorer when he is able to stay under control. Poythress showed the man-child he can be and Nerlens looked the part of a work in progress that is turning from a raw prospect to a basketball player. Freshmen have a tendency to not bring it every night or for an entire game, it will be interesting to see the effort level tonight against a much weaker opponent.
*Point guard play
No one really knows how long Harrow is going to be out for the Cats, and Goodwin looked much more comfortable playing off the ball than running the team. Will Polson get more minutes tonight? Will Goodwin continue to be groomed into a point guard? Those are the two biggest questions I have in this game and going forward for this team until Harrow is able to come back.
*Wiltjer
Wiltjer was essentially non-existent in the Duke game on the offensive end. He is a guy who showed he could score in bunches against Maryland, but couldn’t seem to get many open shots against Duke. It will be interesting to see how Calipari gears the offense to getting shots for the sharpshooter who doesn’t necessarily have the ability to create shots for himself. Wiltjer needs to be a big part of the offense if this team wants to go far in March.
*Cauley-Stein
WCS never seemed to be able to get into a groove against Duke. He had a couple of nice buckets but seemed to struggle on defense and didn’t stay in the game very long due to that and a lack of rebounding. A lot of praise has been heaped on him and everyone can see why; he is long, athletic and has all the ingredients to be a superstar. But, he isn’t there yet, and his progress will be something I am watching throughout this game and watching his effort level on the glass.
That’s all for tonight’s game. What are some of the things you are looking for in this game?
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