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The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky., John Clay Column: Cats Are History Against These Vols

Posted on: Wednesday, 8 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By John Clay, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

Feb. 8--I remember the days when Kentucky used to play just like that.

I remember when Kentucky was the aggressor. I remember when Kentucky played together as a team. I remember when Kentucky played as if it believed in what it was doing.

I remember when, on the road, it was the Kentucky fans who found their way down close to the floor at end of the game to celebrate another Wildcat win.

I remember when Kentucky played just like Tennessee played last night.

Behind the magic Bruce Pearl, it was the Volunteers who were in constant attack mode, who pressed to actually steal the ball, who executed down the final minutes to beat Kentucky 75-67 in the hated Orange's first victory inside Rupp Arena since 1999.

Chris Lofton, the magnificent Maysville product, popped in 31 points. For Tennessee.

One team made 10 three-pointers and collected eight steals. That team was Tennessee.

As much as you have to marvel at what Pearl has done in less than year in Knoxville, turning a group of 14-17 underachievers into a club that is now 8-1 atop the SEC, you have to shake your head at what has come undone in Lexington.

Not only are the Cats now 5-4 in the league, with road games left at Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and LSU, last night they were thrown into a way-back machine, as if watching a version of what they used to be.

Pearl's team didn't play to keep it close or make it respectable. Tennessee played to win, pressing to force tempo, pushing the ball up the floor, denying passing lanes on in-bounds plays, crashing the boards, taking confident shots.

Lofton took the most, hitting 11 of 17 field goals, seven of 10 three-pointers. He hit threes with Cats in his face, yet his most important basket may have been a runner in the lane that softly swished for a 68-65 Volunteer lead with 1:39 left.

That was the same Lofton, of course, Kentucky passed on in the recruiting wars.

Were that not frustrating enough, there was the way things unfolded on the floor, with the Cats making the same mistakes, committing the same errors.

At one point, Rajon Rondo forced it on a two-on-one fast break, taking a contested shot that missed, causing Tubby Smith to slam his fist into the scorer's table.

When Patrick Sparks earned Smith's ire, the senior got a seat on the bench. Sparks played just 15 minutes, taking only two shots.

"Give C.J. Watson credit," Pearl said. "(Sparks) was a no-leave guy. We worked him up the whole game."

Did Watson take Sparks out of the game, or did Smith, unhappy with Sparks' defensive play?

At one point, after he had been yanked after just a minute on the floor, Sparks disgustedly grabbed the towel from his replacement and went toward the end of the bench.

The noose is now around the Cats' necks. True, Tennessee has four left on the road -- Georgia, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Florida. But the Vols are 8-1. Kentucky is 5-4.

"Florida looks to me like they're the team to beat," said Pearl.

Kentucky looks like the beaten team. Go outside Memorial Coliseum and the consensus is that this team has internal issues. And to be sure, the Cats do not appear to be a happy collection of campers. For instance, Ramel Bradley did not even make it off the bench.

"He didn't play because of some off-court issues," said Smith.

But from where I sit, there isn't typical talent on this Kentucky team either. When you are unable to make plays, and the opponent keeps making plays, frustration builds as confidence wanes.

Tennessee was the confident and aggressive team last night at Rupp Arena. Kentucky was not.

I remember when it was the other way around.

Reach John Clay at 859-231-3226 or 1-800-950-6397, ext. 3226, or jclay@herald-leader.com [mailto:jclay@herald-leader.com]. Read his blog at johnclay.typepad.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

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Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.)

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