Well Jorts Day (Senior Day)is behind us which is hard to believe, and we got the win that we so badly needed for two reasons. One, it still gives Kentucky hope of getting a two seed in the SEC tournament and getting the first round bye, and two, we finally won a close game.
It was nice to see this team, that has struggled in late game situations finally pull out a win that came down to the wire. The bad part, it should have never been that close. Kentucky had a 15 point lead two times in this game, once in the first half and once in the second, and still about let this one slip away. Now I'm not one to use coaching terminology, but this team is lacking killer instinct in the worst way. It seems when they get a big lead, they play relaxed, then when the opposing team cuts into or takes the lead, they play scared. This is something that has to have fans concerned going into the last week of the regular season.
There was a lot of positive things to take away from this game though. One being the continued improved play of Darius Miller. Darius didn't do much in the first half, but came out strong in the second, finishing with 12 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor and 1-2 from three. Now I know this doesn't sound like much, but Kentucky fans will tell you what an improvement this is from Darius, who has the tendency to disappear in games. Let's just hope this can carry over to Sunday's date at Tennessee.
Brandon Knight played a decent game, but like Miller didn't really do a lot till the second half. When Vandy switched the bigger Jeffery Taylor on him to limit his outside shot, Knight did the smart thing and started taking him off the dribble. Taylor did a nice job of stopping Knight from beyond the three, but just wasn't quick enough to stop him from getting to the rim without sending Knight to the free throw line, where he was 6-6 with two of them coming in the final minute. Knight finished the game with 17 points on 5-14 from the floor and 1-1 from three.
Terrence Jones was...well Terrence Jones. Not passing out of the post when nothing was there, turning the ball over (4 turnovers total) from trying to do too much, not boxing out, and did I mention TURNOVERS? Jones started the season playing like lottery pick, but has spent the last part of the season playing like a guy who would benefit from another year in college. Which could be good for Kentucky come next year. But this year, they needs Jones to play like a lottery pick. Jones does some things that makes you scratch your head, and this game was no different. Late in the game with Kentucky trying to pull out the win, Jones time and time again had unforced turnovers. The worst was the traveling call that gave Vandy the ball with 1.8 seconds left, and Kentucky up only two. I know he is a feshman, but this late in the season he should be playing like a sophomore. He did however finish the game with 15 points going 5-12 from the floor, 1-1 from three, and 4-6 from the charity stripe ( none bigger than his last two that gave us the lead for good) and 9 rebounds.
DeAndre Liggins may have finished with only 5 points, but he and Doron Lamb done a spectacular job defending sharpshooter John Jenkins. The duo held him to just 16 points (compared to 32 points in the last meeting 6-10 from three) and 2-5 from deep. So Liggins and Lamb's lack of scoring can be forgiven considering the job they done on Jenkins.
This all brings us to the man of the day, Josh (aka Jorts) Harrellson. It was great to see the appreciation the crowd showed Jorts last night. This kid gives you 110% every game, and last night Kentucky needed every bit of it. Josh done what he could against the bigger, stronger Festus Ezeli but the Vandy big man still ended up with 22 points. Now this isn't all the fault of Jorts, there is no one to send in to give Jorts a break, and he isn't overly athletic. But he did continue his trend of great rebounding, and getting put backs at just the right time. Josh finished the game with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks, none bigger than the block he had against Ezeli as Vandy threw him the inbounds pass, and Jorts broke up what looked like the winning shot for Vandy. It was good to see Jorts go out on a positive note.
All in all it was a good night with a great win, and one of Kentucky's favorite players going out in style. Enough can't be said about Harrellson and what he brings to the team (never thought I'd say that) but it was good to see him having fun in his last home game.
Up next the Cats have a date with Tennessee on Sunday, and depending on what Vandy does in their last game of the regular season against Florida, a lot will be on the line.
So let's enjoy the win over Vandy who will most likely be a top 4 four seed in the big dance, and get ready to level Rocky Top!!!!
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