After dispatching Duke earlier this season, it looked like Kentucky’s title odds were as strong as anyone else’s. John Calipari was once again the wizard of player assimilation, blending veterans and freshmen seamlessly.
Here we are, three months later, and Kentucky’s title odds could not be any lower. That’s what an 85-67 loss at the hands of LSU will do for your outlook. That’s what getting beaten down by a team whose best player, Ben Simmons, played just 27 minutes and took just five shots from the field will do for morale.
Tim Quarterman and Craig Victor II were the catalysts for the Tigers, scoring 21 and 15 points respectively, while also combining for 22 rebounds. Compare that with Kentucky’s frontline (seven points and nine rebounds from four players, combined) and it’s easy to see why Johnny Jones’ underachieving squad seems to have found their groove.
Meanwhile, Kentucky looks lost.
Sure, they bounced back from a brutal loss at Ohio State to beat Louisville in a big time atmosphere, but when they have a chance to show the nation that they’ve found some consistency and are ready to make a run through the SEC, they falter spectacularly.
We’ve seen this year’s UK squad flash the ability to play at extremely high levels, thanks to those wins over the Blue Devils and Cardinals, but we have yet to be convinced of their reliability in going on a multi-week run of play that could land them in the Final Four.
Getting improved play from their frontline is most important, but putting Tyler Ulis in a position where he isn’t a primary scoring option would have to come just behind that. Getting more consistency from freshman Jamal Murray would go a long way towards achieving that goal.
Do those two things, and Kentucky’s title odds could be on their way back up.
