Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s loss to UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 63-53 loss to UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
1. Let’s face it, Kentucky’s offense is a mess
Facing a good UCLA defensive team that put the clamps on Kentucky’s fast-break opportunities, the Wildcats were awful in their half-court offense. UK committed 12 turnovers in the first half, 18 for the game. It ended up shooting 32.8 percent from the field, including 6 of 21 from three-point range. It made just 10 of its 33 second-half shots. And to make matters far worse, John Calipari’s club was a dreadful 5 of 13 from the foul line.
That lack of offensive punch killed UK’s chances down the stretch. Sahvir Wheeler’s bucket from the right wing cut UCLA’s lead to 55-53 with 4:29 remaining. After that, however, Kentucky did not score another point. Not one. The Cats finished the game with nine straight empty possessions and 11 straight missed shots. Throw in Chris Livingston missing the front end of the bonus at the 1:52 mark.
The 53 points is the fewest by a Kentucky team since a 71-52 loss at Tennessee on March 2, 2019. After that, you have to go all the way back to March 15, 2013, when the Cats lost 64-48 to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament in Nashville. That was the Kentucky team that failed to make the NCAA Tournament and lost at Robert Morris in the NIT.
2. Calipari is no closer to finding the lineup he wants
Kentucky went with its usual starting lineup of Wheeler, Cason Wallace, Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin. But after falling behind 35-27 at the half, Calipari inserted Chris Livingston and Lance Ware as starters for the second half, replacing Toppin and Reeves.
The change worked. Livingston scored eight of UK’s first 11 points as the Cats tied the game at 38. When Tshiebwe scored inside, while being fouled, UK had a chance to take the lead only to see Oscar miss the free throw.
In fact, Calipari did not sub in the second half until the 12:09 mark. Ware did not play again after that. Reeves played just nine minutes in the second half. CJ Fredrick played less than a minute for the game. Wallace played 15 minutes in the second half, but went 0-for-7 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
No doubt UK’s coach was looking for some sort of spark on the offensive end, some physicality to match UCLA’s aggressiveness, but nothing worked. And remember, this is the same UCLA team that flew to Maryland on Tuesday, beat the Terps by 27 on Wednesday night, then Thursday morning took a train to New York. You might think the Bruins would look like the tired team down the stretch. They did not.
3. UK has not beaten a ranked team since February
Over the last two seasons, Kentucky has now lost four straight games to ranked teams and is 3-8 overall. Here’s the list in reverse chronological order:
12-17-22 Lost to No. 16 UCLA 63-53.
11-20-22 Lost to No. 2 Gonzaga 88-72.
3-12-22 Lost to No. 9 Tennessee 67-62.
2-26-22 Lost to No. 18 Arkansas 75-73.
2-19-22 Beat No. 25 Alabama 90-81.
2-15-22 Lost to No. 16 Tennessee 76-63.
1-29-22 Beat No. 5 Kansas 80-62.
1-22-22 Lost to No. 2 Auburn 80-71.
1-15-22 Beat No. 22 Tennessee 107-79.
1-4-22 Lost to No. 21 LSU 65-60.
11-19-21 Lost to No. 9 Duke 79-71.
Of course, it’s difficult to beat any team when you make just five of 13 free throws. The Cats were 2-for-6 from the foul line in the first half, 3-for-7 in the second. They missed four of their last five free throws, including a pair of front ends of the bonus — Reeves at the 5:20 mark of the second half and Livingston with a 1:52 left.
Through 10 games, Kentucky is now shooting 66.3 percent from the foul line. Opponents are shooting 69.2.
The loss dropped Kentucky to 7-3. UK’s best win to date was the 73-69 victory over unranked Michigan in London. (The Wolverines are currently 7-3.) The Cats have lost in double overtime to Michigan State, by 16 to Gonzaga and now by 10 to UCLA.
Bottom line: This has not been a good start.
