Vandy wasn’t Dandy

It was a huge win for UK.  Looking at the schedule, who would think UK could get out of Starkvi1le and Nashville without a loss?  There are still some very tough games ahead and I am still scratching my head as to how UK got the win at Vandy.  It isn’t like they played well, because Patterson was the only player that I thought brought the A game.  UK did defend, but Vandy also provided a lot of help by missing many open opportunities.  Give Vandy some credit in causing UK to look below average.  They had 15 fouls to use in the paint and they got their money’s worth out of every single one of them.  UK was just as charitable by missing 13 of 30 free throws.

I learned a lot about this team after the Vandy game.  This was by far the biggest game of the year and I saw just how much pressure a few players will be able to take.  Bledsoe, who early in the year was touted as a clutch, go to guy is far from that at this point, and I think its way too late in the year to expect that to change and I hope coach notes it when he reviews the tape.  I love the kid, but its time to adjust roles for the sake of going as far as UK can go.  The kid generally was out of control the entire game.  He did play some stretches of good defense, but I saw several times where he was completely out of what he needed to do.  On several presses, he let his guy get way over the top, lost them completely, and the guy would get a wide open look (which was missed, of course).  The very best display of his stage fright was the free throws he shot late in the game.  He was visibly shaken by the thought of shooting a clutch shot and missed.  Coach calls time out and he still wasn’t settled and missed the second.  Wall wasn’t much better, but he generally would make one of two. He did have the block which was a great play, but that guy should not have even tried that shot.  With Wall so tight, he should have driven around him, or tried.  As big as this stage was, it will be nothing compared to the do or die stage that is coming soon.

Patterson had a huge day and he needs to thank Boogie for part of that.  Vandy was blocking Boogie out with two, and sometimes three guys!  They also did one of the best jobs of doubling him by sandwiching from inside and out instead of two guys on the inside.  This didn’t allow him to turn and exposed the ball to quick hands.  The cost to Vandy’s D was minimal as the guy they used on the outside came from the short corner.  UK didn’t do Boogie any favors as the offensive guy that was open stayed in the corner, which was an easy recover.  I hope coach notes this and if its used again, have a guy like Miller that can flash by for a pass and penetrate, or move the guy out to the elbow for a longer recover distance. 

Dodson has a mechanical issue with his shot.  The shots are veering right and I noted that his elbow isn’t tucked.  His distance looks good, but that might be affected when he gets his elbow corrected.  This is NOT the time of year to need a shot doctor and I would expect coach to use him less if he can’t get it fixed soon.  While his D is better, he simply doen’t have much value if he isn’t knocking down shots.

I hope coach notes all the off the ball blocks Vandy committed during the game and asks the refs to watch for them if someone else tries to do the same.  Vandy was able to slow all of UK’s sets by getting a defender in front of where a guy wanted to go then moving his feet to block the path.  This is what frustrated Bledsoe and is why he pushed.  Its illegal and should be called the same as a guy with the ball.   UK could also use it against a team.  Vandy knew what UK was running and gambled with their position to slow down a plays flow.  Running a play to counter the position would cost the defensive team and force them to play straight up.

All in all, this was a huge win.  This was a game that may have been won before they even played.  Vandy missed a bunch of shots, maybe because they didn’t expect to make them.  Having that sort of ora  is a huge advantage.   I’ll be interested in seeing the mindset of USC this week.  My guess is, they know they are in for a much different contest than last time.