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The University of Kentucky had a rare opportunity to score two wins in one day, and to contradict everything history tells us, the football team was the easy bet. Despite being down for most of the regulation against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team fought back with two overtime to start 1-0 in the SEC game and bring at Big Blue Nation his second victory of the day.
The final score was 78-73 in favor of the Wildcats. First-year winger Terrence Clarke was sidelined for the game due to an ankle injury he sustained last week. John Calipari was sent off after receiving two technical fouls.
But the great story of the game is that the Cats were led by Dontaie Allen (!) While he exploded for 23 points, including 20 in the second half and overtime. Kentucky certainly didn’t look like a Final Four contender on Saturday, but a win is a win and this team desperately needed it. Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.
DONTAIE ALLEN
After weeks of begging, Kentucky fans finally got their hands on a healthy dose of Dontaie Allen. Allen played 33 minutes in the game, hitting seven of 11 three-pointers to move towards his 23-point-to-go with five rebounds, one block and no turnover.
Allen did everything Kentucky fans hoped to see. His shot was pure and his effort was evident. He looked a lot like Kentucky’s top offensive player during the game. He has surely gained more minutes in the future, and he absolutely won the hearts of fans across the Commonwealth.
Calipari thrown
As he often does when a team struggles on the road, John Calipari was kicked around 10 minutes into the second half. It sounded intentional, as he continued to plead for a portage against the Mississippi State which was never called up and then calmly left the field.
I’m never a fan of the tactic, but we’ve seen it work before and it seemed to do the trick on Saturday. Kentucky went on a 10-0 run to take their first second-half lead and ultimately fought in overtime to win the game. Does Cal have credit for being kicked out or does Bruiser Flint have credit for coaching the guys while Cal was gone? Let’s go with both.
Boston continues to fight
BJ Boston was Kentucky’s top-ranked rookie entering the season, and he remains Kentucky’s leading scorer this year. However, he doesn’t seem at all comfortable in the attack. It often forces readers into traffic or pulls (and generally misses) long two-point jumpers. He only shot 30.7% of his 13 shots on Saturday.
It became evident in the second half that Boston hadn’t done it on Saturday, finishing with a -7 in +/- for the game. He didn’t play at all in any extra time, and he played sparingly in the second half. The lineup the Cats went with in times of crisis were Olivier Sarr, Devin Askew, Davion Mintz, Dontaie Allen and Lance Ware.
As it turns out, Boston’s playing time became limited after Calipari hit the showers. Coincidence? We may never know.
Terrence Clarke injured
A week after Clarke threw off his boot and dressed up against Louisville, he was unavailable in the Kentucky SEC opening game. Obviously, the ankle injury is a bit more serious than before. That, or he hurt him again in the past two days while allegedly playing in the secret scrum against Transylvania.
While that didn’t translate into a win, the offense looked much better since Clarke took over some playmaking responsibilities. If he continues to be unavailable, the rotation will continue to evolve as Calipari doesn’t. still haven’t found a range that consistently produces offensively. But if Saturday’s victory means anything to us, it may be that BJ Boston’s role will be reduced and that Dontaie Allen will have more time on the floor.
Turnover
Kentucky had eight turnovers in the first half and 18 for the game. It only went with 17 assists. This has been a constant theme for the season, and seeing little to no improvement is very frustrating.
Kentucky, on the other hand, also forced 16 B turnovers. The defense led to an attack at several points in the game where the buckets were hard to come by. While the Cats played a decent amount of zoning in the first half, the defensive intensity really increased as the game progressed.
Turnovers on both sides will determine Kentucky’s fate going forward. But will they be able to find the right formula to manage turnover? Time will tell us.
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