Kentucky vs Arkansas......A Preview

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Arkansas……A Preview 1/23/10
Saturday at 4PMEST/3PMCST(SEC Network)

Arkansas

Location-Fayetteville, Ark.
Enrollment-19,191
Arena-19,200

Head Coach-John Pelphrey
Career Record-117-95 (55.2%) 7 seasons
At Arkansas-37-28 (56.9%) 2 seasons

2008-09 Record-14-16
2008-09 SEC Record-2-14
2008-09 Postseason-None

2009-10 Record-8-10
2009-10 SEC Record-1-2

Arkansas 130 Alcorn St. 68
Louisville 96 Arkansas 66
Arkansas 81 Appalachian St. 72 (OT)
Morgan St. 97 Arkansas 94
East Tennessee St. 94 Arkansas 85
S. Alabama 74 Arkansas 61
Oklahoma 67 Arkansas 47
Arkansas 91 Miss. Valley St. 54
Arkansas 71 Delaware St. 53
Arkansas 76 Alabama St. 51
Arkansas 72 Stephen F. Austin 69
Arkansas 66 Missouri St. 62 (OT)
Baylor 70 Arkansas 47
UAB 73 Arkansas 72
Texas 96 Arkansas 85
Mississippi St. 82 Arkansas 80
Arkansas 71 Alabama 59
Florida 71 Arkansas 66

Arkansas Stats / UK Stats

PPG-75.6 / 82.2
FG%-46.2% / 50.0%
3 Point%-36.8% / 39.0%
FT%-66.7% / 68.6%
Rebounds-34.4 / 41.3
Assists-15.0 / 16.2
TO’s-13.5 / 15.1
Steals-6.7 / 7.3
Blocks-4.2 / 7.2

Probable Starting Lineup

Marshawn Powell F-6’7” Fr. (PPG-15.8)
Michael Washington F-6’9” Sr.. (PPG-13.5)
Marcus Britt G-6’3” Jr.. (PPG-4.3)
Rotnei Clarke G-6’0” So. (PPG-18.3)
Courtney Fortson G-5’11” So.. (PPG-16.3)

Other Key Players

Jemal Farmer G/F-6’5” Jr. (PPG-7.9)
Delvon Johnson F-6’9” Jr.. (PPG-3.4)
Stefan Welsh G-6’3” Jr. (PPG-6.1)

A quick look at Arkansas’s 8-10 record….with early season losses to the likes of Morgan St. , East Tennessee St. and S Alabama….. would lead one to believe that the Razorbacks are not a good team, but this record is deceiving….because coach Pelphrey was forced to discipline several players early this season and only reinstated his lighting quick PG, Courtney Fortson, 4 games ago. Fortson returned for the Texas game and Arkansas played the Longhorns very tough as they were tied 48-48 at the half and lost by 11 points. A look at the stats revealed that Texas shot 58.8% against Arkansas and still struggled to win. Fortson scored 19 points in his first return to the lineup….along with Clarke’s 24 points and 4-3 pointers. The Hogs then lost to a solid Mississippi St. team at Starkville by only 2 points…..then defeated Alabama by 12 points…..and Thursday night the Hogs lost a close game to Florida with Fortson handing out 11 assists and Clarke hitting 5-3 point shots.

The Razorbacks have 4 starters scoring 13 points or more PG….led by Clarke’s 18.3 and Fortson’s 16.3 PG. Clarke is shooting 50.8% from the field and a blistering 49.3% from the perimeter. In fact, Clark has taken 68% of his shots from the perimeter and is one of the very best long range shooters in college basketball. Fortson’s brings great quickness to the Hogs lineup and averages 8.2 assists per game, however, he has a problem with getting out of control and is averaging 5.0 TO’s PG. Fortson has been a challenge for coach Pelphrey as Fortson has too often taken bad shots and made bad decisions on the court in the past..…..but, when playing smart and under control….Fortson is a solid PG and not easy to defend. There is no question that Fortson makes Arkansas a better team when he is on the court as he is Pelphrey’s only true PG.

The Hogs are led in rebounding and blocks by Powell and Washington who are both scoring in double figures. These two players give Arkansas solid play in the paint.

This Arkansas team, now at full strength, is playing their best basketball of the season. The Hogs are averaging 17.5 –3 point shots PG with Clarke accounting for 42.5% of those perimeter shots. While the Razorbacks can be a dangerous team from the perimeter, especially with Clarke, they do have scoring balance….and can score inside the paint as well.

John Pelphrey, a beloved Wildcat from the Unforgettables, will be warmly welcomed in Rupp Arena, but….you can count on Pelphrey having the Hogs sky high to attempt an upset.

The Wildcats enter the Arkansas game as the only undefeated team in America…..knowing that a win over the Razorbacks will give the Cats the #1 ranking in college basketball. Unquestionably, few if anyone expected this young UK team to be undefeated with an 18-0 record…..it is a remarkable achievement. However, these super talented Cats still have a lot to improve on if they want to remain undefeated. UK is having great difficulty holding big leads and struggled at home against Georgia….blew a huge lead at Florida before winning…..and at Auburn….the Cats let the Tigers overcome a 19 point deficit to tie UK in the 2nd half. The Cats barely won by 5 points. Coach Calipari knows that this UK team, despite their great talent and undefeated record, is living on the edge.

A look at the Auburn game stats is very revealing. Amazingly, Auburn had 17 more shots than the Cats….3 more FG….4 more 3-pointers….4 fewer TO’s….10 steals…..and only 5 fewer rebounds. The Cats had 16 TO’s (7 by Wall)….hit only 13-25 FT……Cousins and Patterson only got 6 shots each for the game and Patterson never got a single shot in the 2nd half. With those kind of stats, it’s a wonder that UK was able to win the game!

It’s obvious that this Kentucky team must do a better job getting the ball inside the paint to Cousins and Patterson…..Wall and Bledsoe must make better decisions and minimize their TO’s……the Cats must improve their defense especially on the perimeter…..free throw shooting must improve…..everyone needs to step up their game intensity and stop allowing teams to run off 10-15 points runs. Obviously, UK will be playing much tougher SEC opponents than Georgia and Auburn….and they will lose if they don’t make the necessary improvements offensively and defensively.

Coach Calipari knows that this incredibly talented UK team has a golden opportunity to make the NCAA Final Four and even win a championship…..but, they must play smart….not play out of control….and execute not only against the man to man….but significantly improve their execution against the various zones they will face. In short, it’s the mental part of the game that these young talented players need to master!

A great place to start after a week of practice is to correct some of these issues and demonstrate improvement offensively and defensively by playing a solid game against the Hogs and ring up #19 win. I see a 10 point UK win over the Razorbacks. GO CATS!