Marquis Teague’s two halves
December 11, 2011
Marquis Teague stood inside a doorway in a side hallway of Assembly Hall as Indiana fans streamed past, up a stairway, after they decided their time rushing the court was complete.
“Should have picked us!” one yelled at Teague.
“You made the wrong choice!” another called to the Indiana native.
Teague had finished a nothing-then-everything game against the home state school he considered as a senior.
Before the game, Teague had been reminded of his choice. Assembly Hall reserved its biggest boos for him. One sign depicted a 2009 high school game between Teague and Indiana guard Jordan Hulls, a contest Hulls won.
Teague had said before the game he would be ready for it. He clearly wasn’t, scoring zero points on 0-for-5 shooting, including a blown layup that was beyond wide open.
“He was antsy to start,” head coach John Calipari said. “I even told him that. I expected that. You’re at home, have the fans on you, want to prove yourself.”
If Teague proved anything, it was in his stellar second half: 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting, carrying the team as UK mounted a comeback.
“When he plays like that, we’re a different team,” Darius Miller said. “It makes so many mismatches, he’s so quick and strong and gets to the rack with ease. When he’s playing like that, we feel we’re unstoppable.”
Teague has struggled with piecing together a full game of high-quality production. Playing Indiana was more of the same.
“How did he look in the second half? Like one of the best point guards in the country,” Calipari said. “How did he look in the first half? My god, you can’t play this game. Now how can you be the same guy? Well, one’s playing the way you want to play, the other is playing the way I’m telling you to play.”
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