Kentucky @ South Carolina 1 Feb 2003:
The
bad news for Tubby Smith and the Wildcats, if there can be such a thing during
this torrid, commanding streak through the toughest conference in college
basketball, is that the defensive intensity that put the entire nation on
notice in recent weeks was only on display during a 10-12 minute onslaught to
end the first half at South Carolina.
The good news is that those dozen glorious minutes were so completely
decisive that the team could afford to put the Big Blue Bus on cruise control
the remainder of the afternoon. It's
not supposed to be this easy on the road in the southeastern conference, but
the dismantling was complete. Tubby
Smith could have taken a nice Saturday stroll through downtown Columbia,
carelessly enjoying its many charms, during the last twenty minutes. The game was over. The largest Gamecock crowd ever assembled in Columbia to watch a
basketball game had fewer chances to get excited than the players they came to
see. Don't look now, but Tubby Smith
and his 'Cats have won ten straight.
They're unblemished in conference play, and in contrast to recent
Februarys in Lexington, many are beginning to wonder exactly who can stop this
waking basketball giant.
Just
another day at the office for Kentucky's soaring senior leader. Bogans finished with 16 points on a solid
6-11 shooting (3-5 from three; 1-1 from the line), 7 rebounds (1 offensive), 1
steal, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers in 33 minutes. After struggling somewhat in the game's opening minutes, a
composed Bogans calmly started making play after play in the game-turning first
half run. As sweet and effortless as
his deep jumper at the halftime buzzer was, the prettiest play of the game was
his gliding spin-move on the baseline with a defender in his face, when the
ball arched softly from eight feet out and found nothing but the bottom of the
net. When that graceful shot found the
mark, it was obvious that Bogans was in command. Though there were some defensive lapses along with a couple of
careless passes, especially in the second half, Bogans attacked the glass well,
finishing second to only Chuck Hayes on the backboards, and led a Kentucky
attack that never gave the home team a chance.
Mister
Versatility in the Kentucky backcourt finished with 9 points on a rather cool
4-11 shooting (1-6 from three), 2 rebounds (0 offensive), no steals, 3 assists,
and 1 turnover in 30 minutes. Fitch
didn't exactly excel in any one area versus the Gamecocks. It was probably one of his more lackluster
defensive efforts, at least in comparison to his usual lock-downs. He also failed to rebound the ball
effectively, often from the point guard spot.
Still, he always handled the Carolina traps, was very steady taking care
of the basketball, and had a pretty solid floor game overall.
Hayes
finished his double-double with 12 points on 6-10 shooting (0-1 from the line),
a game-dominating 10 rebounds (6 offensive), a game-high 3 blocks, 4 assists,
and 4 turnovers in 33 bruising minutes.
In one of his more impressive outings of the year, Hayes was probably
the Wildcats' most consistent all-around defender. He finished with as many rebounds as the entire South Carolina
starting five and twice as many offensive boards as the entire South Carolina
<i>team</i>. His interior
passing continues to add multiple layers of versatility to Kentucky's offensive
attack. Responding to one of the team's
few weaknesses thus far in conference play, Chuck Hayes owned the offensive
glass, leading the way in successfully eliminating any second chance
opportunities for the opposition.
Simply put, Chuck Hayes did it all.
The
"Doctor" finished with 14 points on a stellar 5-7 shooting (4-5 from
the line), 5 rebounds (1 offensive), 1 block, 1 steal, an amazing 5 assists,
and only 1 turnover in 25 minutes. Like
his partner in crime-fighting, Chuck Hayes, Daniels' play was probably best
described as well-rounded excellence.
Disruptive defensively, solid on the glass, versatile in his ability to
score in traffic around the bucket, and surgical in his precision passing, Erik
Daniels continues to be an X-factor for these soaring Wildcats. The complimentary play of Kentucky's two
starting forwards has been nothing short of superb. They're a pleasure to watch.
Estill
finished with 18 points on 7-14 shooting (4-8 from the line), 4 rebounds (3
offensive), and no blocks, steals, assists, or turnovers in 20 minutes. Quis did the vast majority of his damage in
the first half, when Kentucky successfully pounded the ball inside, and he was
very effective at either finishing or putting back his own misses, working well
alongside Hayes and Daniels in the paint.
Like the rest of the team, it would have been nice to see continued
focus from Estill, especially on the defensive end, and his free throw
shooting, a strength in season's past, has become a bit of a liability at times
this year. However, the Wildcat pivot
dominated for stretches when he was on the floor, certainly making his presence
felt in Columbia.
Finishing
with 10 points on an excellent 3-4 shooting (2-2 from behind the arc; 2-2 from
the line), 4 rebounds (2 offensive), 2 steals, a game-high 6 assists, and 2 turnovers
in just 22 minutes off the bench, Cliff Hawkins was undoubtedly one of the MVPs
for the game. It's probably worth
noting that Hawkins understandably had some difficulty matching up with the
6'7" Eidson in the second half, but otherwise, he played a nearly flawless
game. Coinciding with his insertion
into the lineup in the first half, Kentucky erupted defensively, keying an
accompanying offensive flurry that effectively nailed the proverbial coffin
shut on the Gamecocks. Cliff continues
his surprisingly improved perimeter and free throw shooting. Though he doesn't take many shots from
behind the arc, his newfound accuracy places him among the conference leaders
in that category. Always steady at the
point, he consistently led the team well, driving into the defense with
relative ease and creating open looks for his teammates with impressive
passes.
The
fifth-year senior finished with 3 points on 1-2 shooting (1-2 from the line), 2
offensive rebounds, no blocks, 2 steals, 1 assist, and 1 turnover in 19 minutes
off the pine. Jules played a decent
defensive game, especially subbing for Estill in the first half. He also made a solid pass from the high-post
that led to a basket in the first-half run, but all-in-all, Camara's play was
relatively uneventful.
The
former JUCO All American finished his 7 minutes off the bench with 3 points on
1-2 shooting (1-1 from three), 2
rebounds (1 offensive), no steals or assists, and 1 turnover. Starting the game with some of his better
play since returning from his injury, Barbour calmly canned a three, was
rebounding the ball energetically, and had an impressive block in transition
where he took off from just inside the foul line and trapped the ball against
the backboard. Unfortunately, the play
was wrongly called a goaltend, and his subsequent execution and confidence
seemed to dip. Getting by his defender
easily on one play, Barbour ignored the mid-range jumper and proceeded to slash
forcefully into a crowd, having his attempted dunk/lay up careen harmlessly off
the backboard without drawing iron.
Shortly thereafter, his action was curtailed by Smith after he badly
missed two defensive assignments, one leading to an easy backdoor
opportunity.
The
freshman finished without scoring in 8 minutes off the bench. He missed three attempts from beyond the
arc, and failed to collect a single rebound, block, or steal. His biggest highlight came on an assist when
he was surrounded in the paint but made a nice scrambling feed to an open
three-point shooter. The talented
newcomer, much like his older teammate, continues to struggle to find his role
on this clicking basketball team. At
times this afternoon, his confidence appeared to be at an all-time low for the
season. However, given his obvious
character, expect Azubuike to keep his head up and continue to work hard,
waiting for his time to shine.
Kentucky
impressively won it's fourth road game of the conference slate, shooting better
than 52% from the floor and 41% from behind the three-point arc. Without Estill, who continues to struggle
from the stripe, Kentucky was a respectable 8-11 from the line. The team also continues its veteran floor
play, dishing out 22 assists to just 13 turnovers. The 'Cats successfully focused their offensive efforts on the
interior, rarely forcing contested perimeter jumpers (making 7-17) and really
responded to Tubby's week-long emphasis on better rebounding, more than
doubling the Gamecocks on the glass, 36-17, and owning the offensive
backboards, 16-3. That rebounding
dominance was a big factor in allowing the 'Cats 13 more shots at the basket
for the game than South Carolina.
Defensively,
Kentucky erected the iron curtain fans have come to expect in recent weeks
during the final twelve minutes of the first half, completely disrupting the
Gamecocks' offense and creating numerous easy scoring opportunities. However, earlier in the game and throughout
the second half in a markedly lopsided affair, the intensity disappeared. Focus vanished, and Kentucky allowed South
Carolina, a team that has struggled to put the ball in the basket, to shoot 52%
from the floor, a number Tubby Smith will undoubtedly be most displeased
with. With the toughest three-game
stretch of the season only two short days away, Kentucky will need its Blue
Crush defense more than ever, not for 12 minutes, but for all forty.
In
a fascinating side story, many of Kentucky Sports Report's beloved (and bemoaned)
moderators gathered together for the game in Columbia. Preliminary reports at this time are still
sketchy, but inside sources now believe that KSR's ever-lovable Doc was housed
overnight in the Richland County Jail.
Apparently- and this detail needs further clarification- a <i>
blue thong </i> (now held by authorities), was somehow involved in the
circumstances leading up to the incarceration.
Fortunately, as they always have in the past, the tight band from KSR
helped Doc make bail, and it appears that they have convinced local authorities
that everything was a simple misunderstanding about the proper dress code in
the new Carolina Center. All readers
should extend a hearty thanks to the trustworthy gang for averting disaster and
to Darrell, who sources say has agreed to become Doc's legal council in order
to help defuse possible future lawsuits from his eventful trip to South
Carolina.
Seriously,
it's a great tribute to the amazing play in recent weeks of the Kentucky
Wildcats and the leadership of their coach, that, even with some sloppy
defensive execution, they were able to completely dominate another SEC team on
the road. All aboard the Big Blue Bus,
next stop: Rupp Arena and the long-awaited battle between two of this season's
college basketball goliaths. Wildcats
versus Gators. Tubby Smith versus Billy
Donovan. Bring plenty of Big Blue war
paint and come ready to raise the roof off Rupp, because February basketball
doesn't get any better than this.
