Realistic View on the State of UK Basketball

Who would have thought the Kentucky Wildcats season would come to this? Going into the SEC Tournament the Cats don't even look like a glorified NIT team, let alone a team with a shot at the NCAA Tournament. In their last 11 game they've been downright awful. They've lost 8 out of their last 11, and four straight. Instead of playing like a team fighting for their postseason lives, this bunch of Cats have played like they're ready for the season to be over. Where are the smiles? Where are the high-fives? All missing with this Kentucky team. This after starting off the year 16-4. There's no doubt this team has some flaws, but there's also no doubt it has two of the top player sin the country in Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. With that said here's an honest assessment of the Cats.

They lack the overall talent to be a serious Final Four contender. Patterson and Meeks are legitimate stars but UK is lacking that consistent third scoring option. If Patterson and Meeks don't have stellar games the Cats struggle. Darius Miller could be that third option but he seems to lack confidence to pull the trigger. Ramon Harris showed some fight at Florida Saturday but does he have all the tools? Kentucky is also suffering by not having a serious point guard. Michael Porter is more suited as a backup two guard, playing off the ball. He's being asked to do too much on a nightly basis. But the lack of depth, a third scoring option, and a starting caliber point guard is not enough to excuse the Cats losing at home to VMI, and to Georgia on senior night. Those are embarrassing loses which brings me to my next point.

Coach Billy Gillispie is not getting it done. He may have been SEC Coach of the Year last season, but this season he's struggling. He's been unable to adapt to other teams and his offensive sets are stale and stagnant. This was most evident against the Gators zone on Saturday. Instead of attacking the middle of the zone UK just passed the ball around the perimeter hoping for an opening. CBS analyst Greg Anthony was imploring the Cats to attack the middle. Why not throw Perry Stevenson in the high post? Or even Darius Miller? That would force the defense to react. Earlier in the season it seemed like Stevenson and Patterson were effective working the high-low action. Coach Gillispie didn't switch things up on Saturday and what resulted most times was a bad shot or turnover.

There are a number of things which have contributed to the Cats struggles this season. There's enough blame to go around. Tubby Smith didn't leave the cupboards stocked when he left. Coach Gillispie hasn't pushed the right buttons with this team. The players aren't showing confidence in their own abilities. With all that said there's no doubt the Wildcats are underachieving this season.

Let me know what you think.