Kentucky wins, but needs work

Kentucky wins 74-46, but still needs to improve going forward. There were some bright spots in the game, the play of Ryan Harrow, the defensive play of Nerlens Noel, and the late domination by Archie Goodwin, but there are still some areas for improvement. Transition defense left a lot to be desired, as did transition offense. These things will work themselves out, but the team has to put in the effort before that can happen. 

It gets really hard to watch, when a team as talented as Kentucky  (young or not), give up so many runout baskets to a far less inferior team just because they don't get back on defense. That comes from lack of effort. With "Camp Cal" in full swing for the next couple of weeks, I'm sure that's one of the areas that will be hit the hardest, along with rebounding. With such a tall and athletic team, there isn't any reason they should struggle to rebound the way they have so far, again, this is just lack of effort. I lost count of how many times two Kentucky teammates battled each other for a rebound just to have it ripped away by an opposing player, or have it fall out of bounds. Again, all these are things that are fixable, but the team has to want it. 

Everyone is looking for a "leader" for this team, but before they get a "leader" there has to be a team to lead. What I mean is, there are too many possessions where guys try to go one on one, when there is no play to be made, and usually results in a turnover. Cal has a saying that he uses often, "play for each other". This team doesn't do that as much as it should. When they figure out that it's easier to play as a "team", then the other things will fall into place. This has to start with Archie Goodwin. The kid is by far the most explosive, and best athlete on the team, but he has got to learn to pick his spots. He can get to the rim against anyone with ease, but he has got to learn when, and when not to drive. More times than not, Goodwin goes to the rim a little out of control. It's good to see this type of aggression, but he needs to be more under control instead of just putting his head down and driving. Teams are going to learn this habit, and will use it to their advantage by setting up for a charge. 

All in all, it looks like this team is starting to improve in some problem areas. They started a little shaky today, but ended up playing a pretty decent game. With that said, they will have seven days off before Lipscomb comes to town. I imagine with seven days off, Cal is drooling over the amount of practice time he will have.