Kentucky loses opener

NOT AGAIN!

For the second straight year, the Kentucky Wildcats have dug themselves into a hole as they fell to an unknown Big South opponent.

Virginia Military Institute, or VMI, came into Rupp to shock the Cats with a 111-103 win.

Coming into the game, VMI Coach Baucomm explained his play style and team philosophy.

“A lot of people who don’t have the personel try to slow the game down, but we take the opposite approach and try to get as many possessions, the more there are the less valuable they are. So we shoot the threes and rebound, and it keeps us in games. If we force turnovers and make shots then it is good.”

And it was good. VMI had a hot hand making 71% of their field goal attempts and forcing Kentucky to turn the ball over countless times.

The peculiar philosophy of the VMI Kadets has led to the team leading the nation the past two year in points scored with an average of 100 points per game.

VMI got dictated the game to the Wildcats and forced Kentucky to play a style which they are unaccustomed to playing. Kentucky simply lacks leadership within the team to change the pace of the game and play the style of basketball which Kentucky wants to play.

Being unable to play Kentucky paced basketball was obvious as big man Patrick Patterson was held to 0 points in the first half. Patterson would be held to only 8 points for the game. Kentucky had a HUGE size in the paint with VMI’s team, having only one player over six feet tall.

Kentucky’s loss puts the Cats in a HUGE hole and can be summed up by HUGE question marks. Lack of leadership and fight was prevalent Friday night and with a showdown with the #1 team in the nation Tuesday against North Carolina one can only hope the issues can be resolved quickly.

“We just got whipped and I don’t like to be whipped”, said Billy Gillespie after the game. And hopefully this bad taste can be ameliorated with improved play Tuesday in Chapel Hill.