Well, it wasn't a thing of beauty, but it's a win. A win that this Kentucky team would not have gotten a month ago. Every time Kentucky looked like it was going to run away with it, Ole Miss fought back, and stayed within striking distance. A tough game that only has to help this teams confidence in close game situations. Confidence they will need in the NCAA tournament and the rest of this one.
Kentucky started the game strong, going out to a 14-4 lead before going back to their old habit of relaxing when they get a lead. Turnovers (10 for the game) and poor shot selection was what gave Kentucky problems. Kentucky went into half time with a 36-29 lead, and extended the lead to as much as 12 in the second half. But old habits die hard as Kentucky let the Rebels back into the game for much of the second half. Ole miss never got the lead, but stayed close enough to make Kentucky fans nervous, cutting the lead to as low as two. But Kentucky closed out the game with Brandon Knight hitting 6 of his last 7 free throws to seal the deal.
Speaking of Knight, he had a good game scoring 17 points but his shooting left a lot to be desired. Brandon was 0-6 from three, and 5-15 from the floor but his 7-10 from the free throw line is what saved the game. What Brandon lacked in shooting, he more than made up for by getting others involved. Knight had 6 assist in the game, and found guys open at just the right times for a crucial bucket.
Darius Miller played a good game no matter how hard he tried to go back to his old ways. There was a couple of possessions where Miller picked up some pointless fouls(4 fouls)by going over the back, or swiping at the ball as someone drove lane. But all in all, Miller hit some big shots in the second half, and took advantage of mismatches when the opportunity presented it's self. Several times in the second half Ole Miss guard Chris Warren got stuck defending Miller in the post on switch offs, and Miller used it to his advantage by backing him down for an easy shot. Miller was aggressive at times looking for his shot, which is the way he should be. Miller shot 6-11 from the floor, 1-3 from deep, and 2-2 from the stripe to finish the game with 15 pts and 7 rebounds. Good all around game from Miller.
Doron Lamb led the team with 19 pts, shooting 7-10 from the floor, 3-4 from long range, and 2-4 from the line. Lamb also had a good game defensively, when asked to guard Chris Warren he did a solid job limiting his shots. Every time Warren came off a screen he had a hand in his face, either from lamb or Liggins.
Speaking of Liggins, he had a solid game sure he only had 4 pts but what he did defensively on Chris Warren shouldn't go unnoticed. Sure Warren ended up with 20 pts, but his open looks was limited by the defense of Liggins and at times Lamb. Warren shot 5-15 from the floor and 4-15 from three, that is a result of good defense. And one thing Liggins can hang his hat on is the fact that Chris Warren needed 22 pts to get to 2000 pts for his career, but thanks to Liggins Warren comes up painfully short at 20 pts.
Then there is Josh Harrellson. Josh really battled today scoring 13 pts and grabbing 7 rebounds, most of which came at a time when Kentucky was trying to stop an Ole Miss run. Josh brings a lot to this team, he brings hustle, passion, and most of all heart. Josh plays with more heart than anyone else on the team, if every player on this team played with as much heart as he does they would never be in a close game.
It was a DECENT showing today by the cats, and once again proved that they can win in a close game. Kentucky fans have to wonder if Terrence Jones will be 100% after twisting his ankle early in the first half. He finished the game heavily taped, but you could tell he didn't play the same scoring only 7 pts for the game. So that is something to keep an eye on tomorrow.
But as a Kentucky fan, it makes you want bamboo shoots drove under your fingernails when they let a team back in the game and Terrence being injured surely contributed to this come back by Ole Miss a little. But as long as they keep winning I guess it doesn't matter how they do it.
Kentucky will face a tough Alabama team tomorrow at 1 o'clock that needed overtime today to beat a solid Georgia team. Let's just hope it wore the Tide out a little bit and Kentucky can find a killer instinct.
Florida and Tennessee tip off at 7:30 tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment