Quick Reaction: Kentucky Locks Down Kansas, 72-40
Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
The second game of the Championships Classic on Tuesday night was between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Kansas Jayhawks.While the Jayhawks kept it close at times, the Wildcats were by far and away the better team.
Here’s a quick reaction to what went on in those 40 minutes.
The Wildcats are overwhelming on defense
The Kentucky guards did a good job of containing dribble penetration all night long but on the odd occasion that a Jayhawk managed to get into the paint, their shot was met at its apex by six long, gangly arms. If blocking everything in sight in the half court wasn’t enough, the Wildcats chased layups in the open court, too. They were everywhere. Kentucky finished with as many blocks as Kansas had made field goals on the night. That shouldn’t be legal.
The Wildcats are filled with athletes who get up and down the court with ease, and ones who actively look to challenge shots. In total, they held the Jayhawks to 11-for-56 shooting on the night. Had they not gotten to the free throw line 14 times in the first half, the game would have been over a lot sooner.
Their defense was so overwhelming that Bill Self was looking for some vodka after the game.
Duke is deep, Kentucky is deeper
Each member of the Wildcats scored in the first half, with Andrew Harrison leading the way with seven points. Dakari Johnson finished the night as the team’s leading scorer with 11 points, Marcus Lee and Karl-Anthony Towns both blocked four shots, and Willie Cauley-Stein, Lee, Towns all grabbed seven or more rebounds.
Kentucky is deep. Really deep. It’s maddening that they can play 10 players with little-to-no drop off in production, especially on the defensive end.
Nice of you to join us, Wayne Selden Jr.
It’s a big season for Wayne Selden, which is why it was concerning that he got off to such an underwhelming start against UC Santa Barbara. While he didn’t put up any eye-popping numbers on Tuesday, he had spurts in the second half where he was more aggressive, and it led to good results. He had a number of nice passes, setting up teammates with easy looks, and actively sought out his own shot.
Selden finished the night as Kansas’ leading scorer with nine points. He shot just 4-for-12 from the field, but at least he took 12 shots. The Jayhawks will need him to take on a bigger role moving forward.
We haven’t come close to seeing Kentucky at their best
The Wildcats comfortably beat the fifth ranked team in college basketball by 32 points, and did so shooting just 43.1 percent from the field. They already look great on defense but their offense is still coming together. We haven’t come close to sniffing how good they could be by the time March rolls around.
That’s a scary thought.