My all-time favorite inspirational slogan from motivational guru Tony Robbins, “Your past does not equal your future,” is one that fits No. 5 ranked Kentucky well these days.
Remember when Kentucky was hammered by Duke 118-84 in its season opener? That Wildcat disaster had me wondering if Coach John Calipari would be requesting FEMA assistance. Well, in only a few short months, Coach Cal’s troops have recovered just fine from the wreckage. Just ask the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, who had the misfortune of heading into the eye of a Category 5 storm in Lexington Saturday night. Playing the most physical man-to-man defense I’ve seen all season (not sure there is even a close second), Kentucky wreaked havoc on the Vols’ high-octane offense in a convincing 86-69 victory.
Tennessee came in averaging 86 points and a nation-high 20 assists. The Vols left Kentucky with season lows in points and assists (11), as the Wildcats ended the season’s longest winning streak at 19. Pretty much every offensive possession for Tennessee resembled trench warfare. Bodies were falling everywhere, especially the stout body of star Vols forward Grant Williams, the reigning SEC Player of the Year. At one point, ESPN color commentator Jay Bilas keenly observed that he had never seen a star player like Williams go to the floor so often. Kentucky’s floor mopper should have earned double time. So what was the view like for Williams down there? “We were just allowing them to bully us,” admitted the Vols star.
To Williams’ credit, he kept getting up, albeit a little slowly at times and showed why he is one of the nation’s best while battling valiantly for his 16 points. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s star PJ Washington sent a clear message to Williams that repeating as SEC Player of the Year cannot be taken for Grant(ed). Emerging as the best center in the country, Washington was the star of the game on his way to a game-high 23 points. The rangy Kentucky sophomore is listed at just 6-8, but with a wingspan that stretches to 7-3, Washington displayed a jump hook that the smaller Vols had no chance of stopping. Almost every one of his hooks was a swish.
Washington hardly lacked a supporting cast around him in Kentucky’s most impressive win of the season. The Wildcats’ three starting freshmen Keldon Johnson (19 points and three big 3’s early on), Tyler Herro (15 points and 13 rebounds from a guard position!) and Ashton Hagans (7 assists and only 1 turnover) all played like the high school All-Americans they once were. Hagans’ strong performance was especially significant, as he more than held his own facing Tennessee’s Jordan Bone (team-high 19 points), rated among the SEC’s best point guards. And let’s not ignore the solid performance turned in by Kentucky’s fifth-year senior Travis Reid, who scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Reid’s value definitely exceeded his stats, as he was the game’s most physical player while sending Williams to the floor more than any other Wildcat. The 6-8 power forward is not Kentucky’s most talented player but let’s not forget that he was a first-team All-Pac 12 player at Stanford last season.
Kentucky is now 21-4 and making a late-season run at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s. Aside from Duke’s outrageously good freshmen class — surely the best since Michigan’s Fab 5 — Kentucky has more ESPN Top 20 recruits than any other team in the country. Duke, with its National Player of the Year candidates Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett (insane to think they’re both freshmen!), is the most talented team in the country. But Kentucky isn’t far behind, and I would rank them as the second most gifted team in the nation after watching them pummel a very good 23-2 Tennessee team.
Wouldn’t be surprised at all if Duke and Kentucky meet up again in the Final Four in Minneapolis. It would be a great matchup and one that would likely be much different than before. I bet Tony Robbins would love to see this happen. What better way for Robbins to convince his audience, “Your past does not equal your future,” than Kentucky beating Duke the second time around?
Overtime Coach-Couch Talk:
Haven’t had the opportunity to watch LSU so far but wondering if the 19th ranked Tigers are the most underrated team in the country. LSU, now 21-4 and just one game behind Tennessee along with the Wildcats in the SEC, handed Kentucky its only home loss of the season, 73-71, last Tuesday. The Tigers host Tennessee this Saturday. Definitely, have to make that my Game of the Week.