Kentucky’s shooting woes spell disaster in season-ending loss

A stunningly-bad shooting performance ended the Kentucky Wildcats’ season one win short of the Final Four.

The Wildcats missed their first 20 3-point attempts en route to a 4-of-32 mark, largely contributing to a 73-66 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Elite 8.

Kentucky hit its first 3 with 3:29 left in the game, when the game was essentially decided. Now, the Wildcats not only say goodbye to their national title hopes, but also likely the core of their starting five. Freshman John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are almost assuredly going to enter the NBA Draft, as well as fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe and junior forward Patrick Patterson. All are projected to be first-round picks, with Wall and Cousins likely top-3 selections. Even backup Daniel Orton, who didn’t score a basket in the loss, has discussed the possibility of leaving.

Wall led all scorers with 19 points, but was just 1 of 5 from 3-point range and 4 of 8 from the charity stripe. As a team, Kentucky shot 55 percent from the line. Cousins added 15 points, but the two were the only Wildcats who reached double-figures.

West Virginia found the basket much bigger, hitting 10 3-pointers and going 23-for-34 from the free-throw line.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 5:33 pm by Raj Sethi

Kentucky runs past Cornell, 62-45

The top seed Kentucky Wildcats overcame an early deficit to run past the Cornell Big Red, 62-45.

Kentucky trailed 10-2 in the opening minutes and it looked like an upset could be in the making.

The Wildcats quickly quelled such thoughts by going on a monstrous run fueled by their defense.

The team used their aggressive defense to force turnovers and turn the game into a track meet.

The pace of the game did slow down in the second half, but Cornell could pull no closer than eight points.

Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 11:05 am by steve

Kentucky and Cornell square off in Sweet 16

It might be an overused cliche, but there might not be a better way to describe tonight’s Sweet 16 matchup between the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 12 Cornell Big Red.

David vs. Goliath.

One school has the most wins in the history of college basketball on its resume. The other earned its first NCAA Tournament win a week ago. Enough said.

Still, Kentucky had better not overlook Cornell if it wants to advance. The Big Red dominated two very good teams to get here, defeating Atlantic 10 champions Temple and 4th-seeded and Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin. They also boast one of the most experienced teams in the nation, led by seniors Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale, and Jeff Foote.

The Wildcats feature four freshmen starters who will likely be playing for pay next season, led by likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, John Wall. Still, Kentucky has suffered from lapses in focus and motivation throughout the season, and if one rears its ugly head at any point tonight, it could cost the new odds-on favorite a shot at another national title.

There’s no question which is the more talented team, but in the NCAA Tournament, anything is possible on a given night.

Just ask Kansas.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 4:51 pm by Raj Sethi

Kentucky pulls away from Georgia, 80-68

The No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats overcame a sluggish first-half performance to pull away from the Georgia Bulldogs, 80-68.

John Wall led Kentucky with 24 points, six assists and three steals in his best effort in more than a month.

Patrick Patterson added 17 points, but DeMarcus Cousins was noticeably off of his game and had just six points.

He also finished with just four rebounds, but was a major factor defensively, blocking six shots.

The Wildcats shot 8-24 from three-point range, still an ugly percentage but at least a small improvement.

Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 12:00 am by steve

Kentucky upset by Tennesee, 74-65

The No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats finally got knocked off in a 74-65 loss to the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers.

Kentucky’s three-point shooting continues to stick out like a sore thumb, and the Tennessee game was no different.

The Wildcats shot a horrific 2-22 from long distance, which is going to be a major issue heading into the NCAA tournament. Teams that can’t make three-point shots aren’t around very long in March.

Center DeMarcus Cousins finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. John Wall led the Wildcats with 19 points and six assists.

It’s not time for Kentucky to start panicking just yet, but they are far from being a team of national championship caliber with their shaky outside shooting.

Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 9:27 am by steve