Before Kansas announced the suspension of forward Carlton Bragg on Thursday night, Kentucky coach John Calipari wanted to make it an emphasis for his guards to throw the ball into the low post.
Now it could become even more important for the Wildcats heading into Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena (5:15 p.m., ESPN).
It certainly wasn’t the week that the Jayhawks had planned heading into one of their most high-profile games of the season with a suspension and other off-the-court issues.
But when the ball is tipped in the air, it will still be a matchup of two top five teams in the country — both eager to put losses behind them from earlier this week. The Wildcats suffered a two-point road loss to Tennessee on Tuesday when there were too many careless turnovers and they didn’t shoot the ball well.
With Bragg out, will the Wildcats put even more emphasis on throwing the ball inside of the paint?
“I don’t know. I’m just worried about how we’re playing,” UK coach John Calipari told reporters Friday. “We don’t know what they are going to do. They may go zone. They may go triangle-and-two. They may trap the post. They may go small and us go (small).
“At this stage, I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about us.”
One of the biggest differences between this Kentucky team and one of the top freshmen-dominated squads in the past is the speed of the offense. According to KenPom, the Wildcats’ average possession lasts only 14.3 seconds, which is the ninth-fastest offense in the nation and the fastest in the Calipari-era.
“Their three guards are exceptional, and certainly they go from defense to offense probably faster this particular year than just about anybody in college basketball,” KU coach Bill Self said.
**Interesting note:** Under Calipari, Kentucky owns a 36-7 record following losses.
**Series history:** Kentucky leads 22-7. KU owns a 1-7 record in Lexington, including a 1-4 record inside of Rupp Arena. The last time KU won there was in 2005.
**Vegas says:** Kentucky by 5.
**KENTUCKY STARTERS**
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*No. 0 — G De’Aaron Fox | 6-3, 187, fr.*
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.@KentuckyMBB's De'Aaron Fox took over down the stretch, putting Mississippi State out of reach late in the second half. #BBN pic.twitter.com/TEnGB149h5
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) January 18, 2017
– Projected as the sixth pick in Draft Express’s latest NBA mock draft, Fox is averaging 16.2 points on 48 percent shooting. That includes a horrendous 7-of-39 mark (18 percent) from the 3-point line.
– He leads the Wildcats with 118 assists to only 43 turnovers, and he’s snagged a team-best 32 steals. His 2.74 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 34th in the country. He’s known as one of the fastest point guards in the country.
– When the Houston native drives to the rim, he’s converted on 69 percent of those opportunities, according to hoop-math.com.
– His mom, Lorraine Harris-Fox, played basketball at Arkansas-Little Rock. He said he chose the No. 0 because he feels like you should fear no one. His nickname is “Swipa.”
– *QUOTE:* “No one can guard him off the dribble,” teammate Derek Willis said. “He beats every defender. He’s too quick. When he sets his mind-set of attacking and getting to the rim that opens up everything for everyone.”
*No. 5 — G Malik Monk | 6-3, 200, fr.*
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Time to update the Malik Monk highlight reel. ???? https://t.co/G7RBrSwqR0
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 30, 2016
– The SEC’s leading scorer, Monk is averaging 21.9 points per game, which ranks 13th in the nation. No player coached under John Calipari has ever averaged more than 21.2 points in a season. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 83 percent at the free throw line.
– From Lepanto, Ark. (pop. 1,893), Monk has scored in double digits in each game this year, including a 47-point outburst against North Carolina. He’s scored at least 24 points in three of the last four games. Draft Express has him seventh in the latest NBA mock draft.
– Monk is one of the best spot-up shooters in the country. According to Synergy Sports, more than a third of his points come through catch-and-shooting scenarios.
– His older brother, Marcus, played college football and basketball at Arkansas and was drafted by the Chicago Bears.
– *QUOTE:* “Man, he’s put in his time,” UK coach John Calipari said. “He’s mastering his craft. We had a great practice film session. I go up to my office and I shower and I look back and he and Isaiah Briscoe are like in a full body sweat getting a workout in. That’s what we need to see.”
*No. 13 — G Isaiah Briscoe | 6-3, 210, soph.*
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– In 18 games, Briscoe is averaging 14.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game. He’s shooting 49 percent from the field and ranks second on the squad with 76 assists this year.
– He is averaging 8.3 points in the team’s last four games, which includes a scoreless outing against South Carolina in 29 minutes.
– Briscoe recorded a triple-double against Ole Miss in December, only six games after De’Aaron Fox accomplished the same feat. They are the first pair of teammates to register triple-doubles in the same season in SEC history.
– One of his sisters, Iasia, played basketball at Syracuse. He’s of a cousin of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving.
– *QUOTE:* “When I think of Kentucky,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said, “the heart and soul of that team is Briscoe. If you asked me who am I most worried about, I’m worried about him. He makes it happen.”
*No. 32 — F Wenyen Gabriel | 6-9, 213, fr.*
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Wenyen Gabriel is balling out today. pic.twitter.com/95lM6lVMyn
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 21, 2017
– Averaging 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, Gabriel is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 32 percent from the 3-point line. On defense, he has 24 blocks in 20 games.
– Gabriel is hitting the glass harder than ever this season. In the past four games, he’s recorded 38 rebounds. He had a combined 34 rebounds in his previous 10 games.
– Born in Khartoum, Sudan, Gabriel moved to Cairo, Egypt when he was just two weeks old because of Sudan’s civil war. After living in Egypt for two years, Gabriel’s family was granted refugee status by the United Nations and they moved to New Hampshire, as [detailed by the Lexington Herald Leader.][1]
– Pronunciation: when-yen. His sister, Karima, played basketball at Boston College. One of his sisters died in infancy about a year before Gabriel was born. So he was given the name Wenyen, which translates to “wipe your tears” in his native Dinka language.
– *QUOTE:* “When he has his confidence going, when he’s bouncing and talking on defense, everything just starts to flow,” Fox said. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing, it’s tough for people to beat us.”
*No. 3 — F Edrice “Bam” Adebayo | 6-10, 260, fr.*
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– Earned the nickname “Bam,” when he flipped a coffee table as a toddler while his mother was watching “The Flintstones.” Living up to his nickname, he has 62 dunks through 19 games. Anthony Davis owns the Calipari-era record with 92 slams.
– Adebayo has made 21 of his last 24 shots. He’s shooting 62.4 percent from the floor this year, averaging 13.5 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds (3.0 offensive boards per game). According to hoop-math.com, he’s taken 69 percent of his shots this year at the rim for layups/dunks.
– He leads the Wildcats with 34 blocks this season, which ranks sixth in the SEC.
– Pronunciation: ah-duh-BUY-o. He spent most of his childhood in a single-wide trailer, which was [featured in a Sports Illustrated story this week.][2]
– *QUOTE:* “I think he’s too nice and too unselfish,” assistant coach Kenny Payne said. “I really do. I think that if he had a little bit of DeMarcus Cousins’ mentality, he changes the dynamics of this team. Every game I’m telling him, ‘Take over the game for us. Dominate the game for us.'”
**KENTUCKY BENCH**
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*No. 35 — F Derek Willis | 6-9, 228, sr.*
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Derek Willis… HAVE MERCY! pic.twitter.com/tsFY29Py8K
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 22, 2017
– In 20 games (five starts), Willis is averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 36 percent from deep (21-of-59). More than half of his shots are from behind the 3-point line.
– Willis has scored in double digits in three of the team’s last six games. And he’s recorded at least five rebounds in the last three outings.
– He has Native American heritage from his mother’s side of the family.
– *QUOTE:* “That’s the thing in my head now, it’s not missed shots or doing stuff like that,” Willis said. “It’s messing up on defense, not grabbing rebounds, stuff I know I can do. I need to stay more consistent and help the team out much more.”
*No. 25 — G Dominique Hawkins | 6-0, 191, sr.*
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– In 16.9 minutes per game, Hawkins is averaging 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds on 34.5 percent shooting. But he’s extremely strong with the ball, dishing 43 assists to only eight turnovers.
– Perhaps the most athletic player on the Wildcats’ roster, Hawkins boasts a team-best 44.5-inch vertical leap. In the team’s preseason combine, he had a team-high 16 repetitions on the 185-pound bench press.
– *QUOTE:* “Being patient is the key,” Hawkins said. “I never know when my moment is going to come, and I’m always ready for it. Every time I get that moment, I usually do the most I can, try to do my best, and it usually works out well for me. So I probably should thank the man above that I’m always playing so well when it happens.”
*No. 15 — F Isaac Humphries | 7-0, 255, soph.*
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– Humphries is averaging 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He has more offensive rebounds (38) than defensive rebounds (37). He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor.
– The Sydney, Australia native ranks fourth on the team with 16 blocks this season. He’s only played double-digit minutes in two of the last six games.
– Suiting up for Australia, he helped his U17 National Team to a silver medal at the 2014 FIBA world championship. He led his squad with 18.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
[1]: http://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article106417027.html
[2]: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/01/26/edrice-bam-adebayo-kentucky-wildcats-recruiting-freshman
