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NASHVILLE — The free-flowing offense.
The 3-pointers launched from every position on the court.
The frenetic pace.
Kentucky basketball witnessed every aspect of how coach Mark Pope wants his program to play during his tenure. Only, on Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Alabama was the team playing the style he covets.
The Crimson Tide showed while running away to a 99-70 victory over the Wildcats — its third straight this season — that it is everything UK wants to be with an offense that can overpower opponents and a defense that’s solid enough to get by.
The Cats have been that good at times this season but are not close to that level right now, especially playing with a broken-down lineup that seems to keep taking hits.
Starting guard Lamont Butler did not suit up after reinjuring his left shoulder during Thursday’s win over Oklahoma. And the Cats fans who packed Bridgestone Arena let out a collective sigh when starting guard Otega Oweh stayed on the floor after a collision at the rim with Labaron Philon.
Oweh was ushered to the locker room with a lot of blood showing. He missed nearly six minutes before returning to the bench and checking back in the game. UK chipped into a nine-point deficit when he left the game and was within five upon his return.
But the Bama machine was just cranking up, and the Cats were helpless to stop it.
The Tide shoots 3s with the frequency — and accuracy — that Pope has previously expressed he’d like his teams to do. The magic number for Pope is at least 30 attempts per game. Against UK, Bama attempted 29, and six different players made at least one before Mark Sears made his first.
Sears leads the team in both attempts and made 3s. They also rank 41st nationally attempting 46.2% of all their shots from 3-point range. UK ranks 107th in that category just one season after Pope’s last team at BYU ranked fourth nationally with a percentage of 50.4.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball score: Bama shows Mark Pope what needs to change
Continue reading...
The 3-pointers launched from every position on the court.
The frenetic pace.
Kentucky basketball witnessed every aspect of how coach Mark Pope wants his program to play during his tenure. Only, on Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Alabama was the team playing the style he covets.
The Crimson Tide showed while running away to a 99-70 victory over the Wildcats — its third straight this season — that it is everything UK wants to be with an offense that can overpower opponents and a defense that’s solid enough to get by.
The Cats have been that good at times this season but are not close to that level right now, especially playing with a broken-down lineup that seems to keep taking hits.
Starting guard Lamont Butler did not suit up after reinjuring his left shoulder during Thursday’s win over Oklahoma. And the Cats fans who packed Bridgestone Arena let out a collective sigh when starting guard Otega Oweh stayed on the floor after a collision at the rim with Labaron Philon.
Oweh was ushered to the locker room with a lot of blood showing. He missed nearly six minutes before returning to the bench and checking back in the game. UK chipped into a nine-point deficit when he left the game and was within five upon his return.
But the Bama machine was just cranking up, and the Cats were helpless to stop it.
The Tide shoots 3s with the frequency — and accuracy — that Pope has previously expressed he’d like his teams to do. The magic number for Pope is at least 30 attempts per game. Against UK, Bama attempted 29, and six different players made at least one before Mark Sears made his first.
Sears leads the team in both attempts and made 3s. They also rank 41st nationally attempting 46.2% of all their shots from 3-point range. UK ranks 107th in that category just one season after Pope’s last team at BYU ranked fourth nationally with a percentage of 50.4.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball score: Bama shows Mark Pope what needs to change
Continue reading...
