Numbed By The Wall

I’m still a little numb.  Sure, it helps that I had to drive in this frigid cold this morning, but I was just as numb when I went to bed and through the night as I am now.  The final horn last night was a sound that made you sit back off the edge of your seat for the first time in two hours and go, “Whoh”.  It was that kind of game.

 

And we should expect that type of game at Kentucky.  We deserve that type of game.  What made it that type of game was a very tough and talented UConn team.  This was a game where you win, but you have to tip your hat to the other guys and say, “Damned well played”.  Kentucky made it that type of game.  OK, let’s be perfectly honest for a second.  John Wall made it that type of game.  He almost single handedly kick started UK to a 12-0 lead and he almost single handedly carried UK down the stretch.  The start was fools gold at its finest.  Getting cheap baskets is great.  Getting cheap baskets is a must.  But you can’t get cheap baskets the entire game and you can’t win by relying on cheap baskets.  Wall had some help making it that kind of game from Harris.  I’m not sure if many understood as it was happening, but without Harris’ defensive team work on Dyson UK loses this game going away.  The guy was killing UK and the combo if Wall and Harris switching to him effectively took him out of the game and he eventually went to the bench for good.  To all of those that said Harris would never be a player, its time for crow because the kid’s got game.  He may not score a bunch of points, but he has been a positive difference maker in every game and I don’t see that changing.  Orton and Stevenson also helped make it this kind of game, although the rebounding for all but a few stints was horrid and I did not see one block out by a Cat.  Note to the Cats:  Giving up three offensive boards on one possession will lead to bad things PLUS a foul; every time. 

Things missing were Miller, which isn’t much new.  His failure to execute plays called for him and failure to rotate on defense were major contributors to UConn’s success.  Patterson got 16 points, but was pretty much missing when you consider Patterson is Patterson.  Stats to note: 4 boards, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 blks (blked twice himself).  Those are pretty mundane numbers for Patterson.  Big Cuz was a difference maker in the second half but the liability on the board fundamentals negated most of what he did positively in the game. 

 

The question MUST be:  Where would UK be without John Wall?  I really don’t even want to think about the answer.  He was huge to start the game and over life sized down the stretch.  The kid looks to get others involved, but lets be honest in that he wasn’t getting much help on the offensive end and the two assists says more about his team mates than it says of his game.  Cal is right, this TEAM is not very good at all.  Wall has his own areas he needs work on.  He doesn’t understand tempo, or maybe better said, he doesn’t know how to play well at different tempos.  But knocking Wall for anything is like knocking a super model who has a small birth mark on the back of her thy.  Last night I said that UK is exactly two points better than anyone they play.  What I should have said was Wall is two points better than anyone UK plays.  I think the staff needs to seriously give Wall a week off and MAKE this team learn how to do it without him.   Hold him out of practice, games, the whole bit.  At this point this season may very well come down to whether Wall is in the game at the end or not, and it isn’t fair to Wall to have to lose because of it.

 

While the wall show didn’t get the sort of help he deserves, part of that has to go on UConn and the Refs.  I don’t usually complain about officiating but those guys were horrid on both ends and the more ugly the game the more it favored UConn.  Charges called blocks, blocks called charges, goal tending calls on blocks, blocks called goaltending moving picks on both ends, a UConn player taking four steps with the ball and no call.  I’ve played in games like this and it’s really hard to do anything when there is no consistency in the calls. 

 

Having said all of this, I wouldn’t have traded my numbness for anything in the world.  This is a great numb compared to the bad numb going back to 2003.  I’m ready for more!!