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Loss To Kansas Is Not The End For Cats
Defeat To Kansas Shouldn't Dampen Spirits
Don't shed a tear for the Wildcats because of the game against Kansas. The Cats played a team that had everything going for them. Kansas had the home court advantage. The Jayhawks had the incentive and strong desire to beat the Cats (1-16 against UK prior to the game), and they had the experience along with the height advantage to go along with being upset about the loss at Freedom Hall last year. Kansas also had the advantage because of its schedule so far this year. The 'Hawks have already played the likes of Louisville. Duke and North Carolina State. They had everything in the book going for them. I believe if Kansas would have lost this game, it would have really put a dent in its season. This loss will not mean that the Cats will throw in the towel for the rest of the season. It did show that Kentucky needs to make certain adjustments when they play different types of teams.
				
	if		Dicky Beal Cats' Pause Columnist	
				
The one big adjustment that Eddie Sutton had been stressing all week was ball control. Coach Sutton stressed that Indiana took the Rupp Arena crowd out of the game by being patient. The Cats had to take the Kansas crowd out of the game by being patient also. That didn't happen in this game. Being a former player I know that it is difficult trying to change your style in such a short time. The Cats have been getting a lot of points from their defensive play. Steals, resulting from their tough 'D'. have been the reason for a few easy baskets but not as many as the previous games.
UK's full court pressure didn't work as well against Kansas. The reason, their guards (Kansas) are very experienced and they have four good ball handlers on the floor at once. If the Cats would have pressed the whole game they really would have had a difficult time of it.
Kansas had already faced Louisville's press and they beat the press convincingly. It looked as if they wanted Louisville to press them so they could get easy baskets. They had experienced (Jayhawks) one of the best presses in the nation so playing against the Cats' full court pressure didn't seem to bother them.
Davender Bennett
After UK got down so early in the game (14-1), you could see the players were trying to get back in the game as soon as possible. The offensive end for the Wildcats was very sluggish. They (Kansas) were packing the defense on Kenny (Walker) and that really hurt UK's attempt of pulling out a win. Kentucky should of had someone to step up and take the 15-foot jump shot. Ed Davender was hitting the jumper early in the game and that helped alot. With James (Blackmon) and Roger (Harden), the Wildcats have three good outside shooters. If the Cats are going to be successful against the tougher teams they're going to need the outside jumpers from the three players previously mentioned. That will open up the inside game for Kenny and Winston (Bennett).
I can sit here and write about all the things that I thought might have went wrong during the game. It is totally different when you are a spectator rather than a participant. I certainly can identify with the crowd that the Cats had to face (Kansas crowd). I find myself saying why didn't 'such-and-such' take the jump shot or why didn't he pass the ball to the open man? I see why so many people are critics when it comes to being a spectator. When you are out on the court you think instinctively. You do things because you really don't have a lot of time to think about what you are going to do. Think about it, if Greg Drieling (Kansas' seven-foot center) is in your face while driving to the basket do you try to shoot the short jumper or do you pass off to someone else? These type of judgements are made throughout the game. Believe me, I know how difficult it can be to overcome what the Cats nad to face at Kansas.
Without sounding critical I think that if Kentucky is going to play with some of the better teams in the nation, they will need help from the big guys on the team. Robert Lock, Cedric
Jenkins Lock
Jenkins and Richard Madison are going to have to take control when they're in the game. I don't mean to take control completely, but to be contributing factors when they enter the game. In defense of Blackmon it is very difficult to be guarded by someone who is bigger and stronger than you are. It takes its tolls as the game continues. James is a super athelete but when he has those big guys to worry about, it hurts his game a little. He needs to be out on the floor so he can use his athletic ability to help the Cats. I'm sure Coach Sutton realizes what he's doing when he uses three guards in the game. A lot of people question why he uses three guards at once. If you look at the games closely you will notice that the three guards really don't play that much together. There is usually someone bigger coming off the bench when the Cats need help inside.
UK has a couple of games coming up to get its confidence back. They will play a tough Louisville team that has the best freshman center in the country (Pervis Ellison). He doesn't play like a freshman, but like a seasoned veteran. If the Wildcats are going to be able to defeat the Cards or any other top flight team, they will need more help from Madison, Lock, and Jenkins. I believe all of these guys have the potential to be effective, especially Madison and Jenkins, who both have good athletic ability. Everybody's got their opinion on why the big guys are having such a hard time. Who really knows other than the coaches and the players themselves. In time things will work out for the Cats' inside game. The good thing about it, Eddie Sutton and Co. have all season to find the right combination to make them a very strong contender. Getting experience and taking the hard knocks along the way will help UK around tournament time. That's when you want Lock, Jenkins and Madison to really come on strong. Meanwhile, Kentucky will have to make the best of the upcoming season.
Walker Down With Another Eye Injury