Rewatching the UK game
-
Just a note I’ve seen thus far - Wheeler seemed to be pressuring Harris more than Remy. My guess is that he’s scared Remy will go by him and actually try to score… But just a guess. He was harassing him some, but then Remy drew the foul. Made him back off a bit.
-
Remy takes another 3 this time short and the result is Grady making a 3 on Remy seconds later
-
@BeddieKU23 Wheeler helped off on this as well btw. Similar to what they did with Harris earlier.
-
16:39 - Just noting that Remy’s D on this was meh. A player with better scoring acumen than Wheeler probably has a bucket here with Remy chasing under the screens.
-
Remy with a good decision once he gets in lane as mitch makes an easy 6 footer. Ware on the other end makes contested basket somehow with both mitch Remy there. Kentucky just making everything. Wheeler makes a step back deep 2 like he does that on the reg
-
Remy gets Oscar switched on him and drives and goes with the high arching shot that misses. Dave has a chance for the board and bats the ball out of bounds like he’s playing volleyball. Can’t make this stuff up
-
17:23 - This is the possession SUCKS. Remy takes a 3 he probably shouldn’t. But we had two baskets we didn’t take.
First Remy drives and kicks it back to Mitch. Wilson makes an AWESOME cut, but doesn’t get the ball.
Then, CB is the one who sort of puts us in a bad spot with 4 guys all standing next to each other. He has the corner and is driving the lane. But instead of forcing help from the big man (scared?) and either going up strong or dishing it to Mitch for a dunk he passes it out to Remy who takes a bad shot with 14 seconds left.
-
After the timeout Harris back in. Tschiebwe attempts another jumper that’s short but Brooks is being semi boxed out by Harris but like 8 inches and athleticism on him and gets the board with very little effort and scores 2 on him
-
17:33 - Remy blows this. Switches late on Grady and gives up an easy top of the key 3 to their best shooter. Type of thing Harris doesn’t do (often at least).
-
17:45 - Och brings the ball up so Remy is in the corner. Och passes opposite so motion offense dictates he rotates to the top. But he gets too far in the lane here. The opposite side has a ball screen for CB who has the corner turned, but Wheeler is basically able to guard both Remy and CB. This is a total free lancing thing.
-
As a follow up to the bucket Brooks gets that forces a timeout. Och is there with no man to guard if the ball is passed out. Let’s Brooks take a dribble to right hand to get in position for easy layup. Not even an attempt to help Harris there who’s got no chance to stop that play giving up all that height. Och having about as bad of a start to a game as you will see
-
18:30 - Remy does a nice mini-backdoor cut. Slips the double team and Mitch makes a nice little shot. Good O.
-
18:36 - Remy gets crossed and mixed up on the screen (going under this should never happen). Forced Mitch to help and Wilson just is not athletic enough to stop Ware from scoring on the roll. I’m not sure this happens with Harris in.
-
10:16 mark Harris on designed play to get och a 3. Executed perfectly and they get a 3
-
18:56 - Again Remy is like 2 feet inside the arc which is the worst place to be on a basketball court. This doesn’t affect the play, but should be noted.
Och drives and makes a nice pass to Mitch who misses a layup. But the actual best pass was to CB who’s man helped off and left him wide open at the top of the key. Still should have been a bucket though.
-
So far I think I’ve counted at least 8 points that we probably make 95% of the time. Should probably be up by 2 at this point, but at least tied.
-
19:30 - This is absolutely where the game was lost. Not this play, but coming to the realization that our guys made poor decisions on ball screens. To chase our shooters, UK went over screens. But they helped off from the TOP OF THE KEY to stop us from getting downhill. I’m startin at a wide open CB again right now. That is twice, and Wilson once. Ball gets tipped out of bounds when Och gets stuck.
On the ensuing inbound play, Ochai has an open 3 in the corner but isn’t looking to score. Ends the possession with us feeding Dave late in the clock who actually has a really good look if he is any other big. But he takes a full second to collect himself so it ends up missing what should have been 2 points.
-
22:30 - Remy plays good (not bad) D. We force UK into a long two by Oscar. Who buries it… Bad luck
-
23:10 - Remy really has to make that shot.
-
23:49 - Harris gets matched up against Brooks and we get out-athleted for a rebound. Not sure it would have mattered who was guarding him on this play. Ball bounced right to him. BUT nobody helped Jaun here in the paint. Everyone scrambled to the perimeter and so we essentially conceded 2 points.
-
Again just something I am noticing - more pressure on Harris bringing up the ball than Remy. Mintz even pressuring Harris pretty hard.
-
26:16 - CB drives the lane weak AF without running any offense. Either drive it like a man or run the offense.
-
26:28 - We switch and Harris ends up on Brooks AGAIN. UK immediately sees it. Dave has to help. JCL late on the rotation. Oscar and 1. I really do not understand the coaching logic to switching the way we switch. Harris and Remy are liabilities here. We switch EVERYTHING and so you only have to run one action to get this matchup. Our best defensive half all season was the KSU game where Harris stayed with Pack the entire game.
Would love to find out why we play defense this way. It seems like a flaw unless you have a 6’5 PG like we did last season.
-
27:37 - First look at running 2 guards. Harris and Remy both on the floor. We sort of toil around for a bit. End up with Remy flaring to the corner who immediately finds a cutting Dave who Dave’s it up. Competent big man this is a basket. Mitch might even score this tbh.
-
29:05 - Remy uses a Dave screen and does a fantastic job to get an easy layup.
-
29:18 - Remy does a decent job forcing a tough shot from Wheeler. But Dave does the half-help thing, meaning he doesn’t affect the shot but also is out of position to block out and rebound. Ends up with UK getting the ball back for a layup.
Just my observations thus far - but Dave has been dogshit. I’m not even trying to watch him, but he’s so eye-poppingly awful. Not even because we are going up against Oscar, but because he sucks.
Of course the following possession after I type all of that he makes a nice power move for a layup. But I still think what I said above
-
29:58 - Dave bites on an Oscar pump fake from 15 feet (DARE HIM TO SHOOT THAT). Ends up with Oscar blowing by him for a layup.
I swear - Dave single-handedly has been the reason this game isn’t around a 4 point deficit. 10 atm.
-
30:09 - Och blows by his guy for a layup that he has made all season long. But misses. Sigh.
-
Ouch. Next possession is another Grady trail 3 caused by the runout on the Och miss. Goes from 10 to 15 in what feels like an instant. Mostly on two plays that should be made. One defensive and one offensive that led to that runout. Bill calls another TO.
-
31:48 - Remy with a nice pass to Wilson who misses a layup he should make.
-
31:55 - Wilson sags too far off of TyTy. Then gets taken off of the dribble. Forces help from Mitch and an easy dunk.
-
32:23 - Harris finds Wilson nicely. Foul not called that should have been an easy call. Textbook hands coming down over the shooters arms… Sigh.
-
33:12 - We go Triangle & 2 (hereby referred to as T2). Remy takes what I think and thought was a charge live. It was definitely “sold” so I get why the refs didn’t call it. If Remy stays upright, it doesn’t lead to an easy dunk. This is one of those plays where it looks like the “smart vet” taking a charge or like Remy is “weak” depending on your mindset. I’m of the mindset you shouldn’t try to draw fouls like that for this exact reason.
When I go back and tally this up, I’ll make sure to put Remy for -2 on this play.
-
35:40 - Harris makes a very nice play on a little floater. Would love to see him master that. I think it changes everything if he can hit that at a 60% clip.
-
36:05 - the Harris dunk. Count this as a play Harris can make that Remy can’t.
-
39:14 - What should have been the death of the T2. Wheeler basically runs a quick weave with Brooks for the easy 8 footer that he hits about 10 more times…
-
39:31 - Harris makes a nice pass to Dave who gets fouled on the oop. KJ/Udeh/Zuby finish this next season guys, so that’s encouraging.
-
41:02 - I’m not exactly sure who is in the wrong here. Wilson throws a pass to the corner where CB is cutting. Nobody home. Part of me think CB SHOULD have been in the corner. Part of me thinks Wilson should look where he’s throwing the ball. So I’ll just say 50-50. These types of TOs happen though, so I’m not that mad about this one? Jalen made the correct read (CB was going to be wide open). CB made a nice cut actually. Just so happened that those two thoughts didn’t mesh. Just hurts more when you’re down 17.
-
Note here for myself - UK has only scored about 6 points from sheer athleticism so far that I can recall. Wheeler has made 2 shots he almost never makes. Oscar has made two shots he never makes.
Remy is responsible for giving up 5 points by himself - one the trail 3 and the other getting lost on a screen.
Harris has yet to make a “blunder” on D. Ultimately, feels more like we’ve been crushed in secondary offense off of transition or in transition more than anything. Rebounding has been an issue. We’ve easily left 10 points on the board from shots we usually make. And probably another 5 from poor decisions.
All of this to say that with 2:50 on the clock, it shouldn’t be at 17 point gap.
-
41:30 - Grady hits the 3 to go up 20. Cal was smart here. Knowing that the Triangle guys aren’t really helping on the perimeter, he screens Harris to free Grady. It was a really good off balance shot, and nobody on our team is doing a better job guarding it than Harris. Just a good play call for a good player.
I do want to say that I don’t think we should have switched to T2 (maybe not even 2-3 but we aren’t there yet) based on what I’ve seen so far. I don’t think we were necessarily defending THAT poorly. I think I’d haver rather seen them deny the pass to Wheeler on makes and press than this.
-
44:20 - Harris bricks a wide open 3. Remy probably makes that.
-
45:00 - Ochai misses an open 3. Harris and Och make those and this game is 11 or 13 at half.
45:30 - Dave has an absolute brain melting moment. Wheeler has the ball at the top of the key (he’s open, but like that’s sort of the goal). SPRINTS from the block up to “help” and literally leaves Brooks wide open for the world’s easiest alley oop. I’ll give him the benefit that we don’t practice this much, but this was dumb.
-
45:50 - Juan ends up shooting a contested floater instead of hitting JCL open at the top of the key. Half time.
-
49:03 - Harris uses the screen, but doesn’t take the ball down hill. Allows Oscar to guard 2 guys at once. If he had gone down hill he either forces help from TyTy to get Wilson open, or forces Oscar to commit which gets Dave open on the roll. He stops at the FT line, and we end up not getting a shot off on a CB travel.
Remy does something with the ball here.
-
So noticing this now - but really feels like Remy must be doing his own thing on D. You don’t know how badly I don’t want this to be true, but I have noticed Harris still going over screens when Wheeler has used them where Remy has been going under. It seems pretty clear that Remy going under had caused issues (it just didn’t look “right”) in the first half. I’m going to keep watching for it, but my guess is this was an issue.
-
49:50 - Och doesn’t get downhill enough here. While 99% of the time this lob is probably a bucket, Oscar is the 1%. Tips the ball. Only able to because Och didn’t force him to truly help.
This has been a theme thus far. Our guys are not forcing help and looking to pass too early. Probably the 5th time this game.
-
51:00 - FINALLY. Someone sees the help from the top of the key. CB passes it to a wide open Jalen for an easy 3.
-
52:28 - Och does it AGAIN. Doesn’t actually force help and tries to throw a lob. Tipped. Turnover. Runout. And 1 on the other end.
This is really just aggression where we are lacking. We are coming off screens with our guy beat, running downhill, and NOT looking to score. Looking to throw a lob to the big instead of just going up strong. Almost funny to see UK go over screens with basically no hedge from the big and we don’t take advantage of it.
-
53:45 - And JUST like I have been talking about CB actually turns the corner and realizes the big can’t get to him with this half hedge/help. Makes a nice layup. We could have been doing that all game long…
-
54:00 - You can count this as a UK athlete point. 8 points so far for them from just being better athletes than us. Wheeler blows by on the layup, but misses. Ochai doesn’t really block out. KJ gets out jumped for the ball by Brooks.
