Cats had no business losing game against Baylor
December 9, 2013
By David Schuh | Basketball columnist
UK quietly surrendered a comfortable second half on Friday in a game they had no business losing.
The Cats imploded in the final 13 minutes, making just two field goals and allowing No. 20 Baylor to upset them for the second straight year.
Head coach John Calipari put it well after the game: His team was outhustled.
UK spent much of the night methodically keeping the Bears at arms length. And with 13:09 left in the game, after UK freshman forward Julius Randle rose for an emphatic two-handed dunk, the Cats took a nine-point lead, their largest lead of the game.
They scored just 12 points the remainder of the game, losing by five in a game they had firm control of at the midway point of the second half.
For the first time all season, UK was outrebounded, and the margin wasn’t even close. They finished with 25 rebounds, 10 fewer than any game this season and 16 fewer than Baylor.
The Bears are the longest team UK has played this season. They played a zone defense that made it difficult for the Cats to corral anything on the offensive glass. But they also struggled on the other end, allowing Baylor to amass 18 offensive rebounds.
Despite shooting a pedestrian 52 percent from the free throw line, UK did a lot right on offense.
With 19 assists on 21 made field goals, they showed they are starting to figure out opponents’ zone defenses.
However, against ranked teams, UK has to be proficient in nearly all facets of the game.
Whether it was UK’s effort or Baylor’s strengths, UK can’t be grossly outrebounded and hope to beat a ranked team.
The Cats win over Providence College on Dec. 1 was a big step in the right direction. The Friars are not as good as Baylor, but UK did just about everything well, winning comfortably over a viable opponent.
Sunday’s game was a regression.
UK did a lot well, but didn’t show the fight that championship-caliber teams must possess. When the game got close late, Baylor got the loose balls, made their free throws and got defensive stops.
Luckily for Calipari, they have time. If the Cats want to return to AT&T Stadium in April, they’ll need the late-game poise they sorely lacked on Sunday.
Without it, the losses will continue to mount.