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  • Things to watch for: Vanderbilt Edition

    By: Tyler Adkins


    Vanderbilt got the SEC tourney championship last year while Kentucky got the big prize


    After what seems like a year away from the court, UK finally is back in action tonight against the Vanderbilt Commodores. UK has had over a full week of practice time since their last game to get ready for SEC play and they open up at one of the toughest venues for opposing teams in the SEC. UK enters conference play at 9-4 and this game will do a lot in telling us what kind of team this UK team will be. Now on to my “things to watch for:”

    *Road worriers

    This team reminds me so much of the 2010-2011 team that it seems like I keep looking back to that season as an indication of this one. That team struggled a bit in non-conference and it took almost the entire conference season to find its footing. Then we all know what happened after that. This current team is 0-2 on the road and has a great chance to open conference play with a road win and give it a boost in confidence. Lets be fair, Vandy isn’t good, but these are the kinds of games on the road this UK team has to start being able to win if they want to make some noise come March.

    *Harrow time

    Ryan Harrow has looked tremendous the last few games and has turned a corner quicker than almost any other player I can remember. He is playing with confidence and has put a strangle hold on the point guard position. Vanderbilt has notoriously been hard for opposing point guards because of the way the benches are placed in the end zones. Communication will be key for him. This game will be more about Harrow’s leadership than Calipari’s leadership. This is the time that he can really take control of the team, and he has to if they want to win.

    *Bi-polar Goodwin

    The title may be more harsh than accurate, but the point remains: Goodwin has seemed like a different player in the first half of games than he has in the second. It seems like he takes the first half of games off and after one or two wild plays he is usually done until halftime. To be fair, he has been great in the second half of games but he has the ability to dominate for the entire game on the offensive end. He doesn’t necessarily have to score to dominate, but his driving ability opens up so many things for other players that he has to be in tune with the game from the opening tip. This can’t be a game where Goodwin doesn’t have his name mentioned until the second half.

    *Big man deluxe

    Calipari has used his “big” man lineup for several games and it seems to be the best lineup so far. Noel is playing well and Poythress seems to be a little freer to use his athleticism rather than being stuck under the basket. Also, it has really turned on a light for Cauley-Stein, who I contend, is the most athletic player on this team. There are few teams that can match up with this team physically, add that to being able to bring two of the better scorers off the bench (Wiltjer and Mays) and the team has more depth than it would appear on paper. This team has to dominate on the boards and eliminate inside scoring by the other team in order to be successful. We will see how it does tonight in both areas.

    *Perimeter defense

    Finally, I will be looking to how the young Cats’ are able to defend the perimeter. This will probably be a game where Vandy does shoot 30 threes, so the key will be to make sure they are contested and not wide open. We may see a smaller lineup at times if the bigger players are struggling to guard the perimeter, but in any event, guarding the three point line and holding Vandy to under 40% from deep is an absolute must.

    That is all for today, I will be back to grade the Cats performance after the game. Go Big Blue.
    Comments 6 Comments
    1. KSRBEvans's Avatar
      KSRBEvans -
      Vandy takes over 40% of its FGAs from 3, and they're horrible inside (168th in 2-pt FG% D, 181st in 2-pt FG%, 290th in Offensive Rebounding %). If UK limits Vandy from 3, the Dores have 0 shot.
    1. akaukswoosh's Avatar
      akaukswoosh -
      I acn't see Vandy winning even if they hit a few 3s.
    1. tyleradkins's Avatar
      tyleradkins -
      Quote Originally Posted by akaukswoosh View Post
      I acn't see Vandy winning even if they hit a few 3s.
      Agree if they make a few threes, anyone has a shot if they make a lot of them though. I should have put a number on it instead of % I think. We will go with 15
    1. MickintheHam's Avatar
      MickintheHam -
      Tyler, you continue to knock it out of the park with these articles. This contest will put our ability to apply defensive pressure to the test. I would like to see us pressure them as they bring the ball up the court. I believe they would get out of syn in a hurry. This might be a game where you want to sit WCS and put Wiltjer out on the wing to disrupt the 3 attempts.

      You can pop the corn and open the beer for the first half tonight folks. Sit back and enjoy the entertainment. Cattails wife won't go near the roof. Vandy goes down by 20+.
    1. tyleradkins's Avatar
      tyleradkins -
      Quote Originally Posted by MickintheHam View Post
      Tyler, you continue to knock it out of the park with these articles.
      Thanks Mick I appreciate that. When it comes down to it, I don't see how this game is close.
    1. ajp40505's Avatar
      ajp40505 -
      Quote Originally Posted by MickintheHam View Post
      This might be a game where you want to sit WCS and put Wiltjer out on the wing to disrupt the 3 attempts.
      One problem with that logic. WCS is a better on-the-ball defender out on the floor than Wiltjer.
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