Kentucky Scraps, But Loses To Louisiana State By 3 Points

If you watched the first half, then you were probably saying to yourself “Oh No”, as the outcome was looking horrible for the Kentucky Wildcats.  The LSU Tigers went into halftime with an 8 point lead at 36-28.  In the beginning of the basketball game, the Wildcats were looking good.  They got two great dunks from Perry Stevenson and a layup by Patrick Patterson, but then everything went downhill as they went about 8 minutes with only 1 field goal and LSU’s lead ballooned to as much as 13 in the first half.

The second half was a little different.  UK came out scratching and scrapping.  Patrick Patterson established himself in the paint and LSU decided not to double team him as much, so he was able to get his game going.  The Tigers focused most of their attention on Jodie Meeks and held him at bay from 3-point land, but Jodie was able to drive, get fouled, and make 2-point baskets.

The main difference in the game was that Coach Gillespie decided to change up the lineup to start the second half.  Instead of going with Perry Stevenson and Michael Porter, Darius Miller and Kevin Galloway started the second half and played almost the whole second half.  The Wildcats came out in the second half, with defensive intensity and a sense of urgency.  The shots started falling for the Cats and Kentucky grabbed a lead that ballooned to 10 points. 

As predicted though, LSU came back and made it into a game.  The basketball game was back and forth until the end.  In the last minute, UK was down by 4 points with Kevin Galloway at the line.  He hit the first free throw, but missed the second one.  Luckily, Patterson was there to grab the rebound and kick the ball out.  The ball found it’s way into Darius Miller’s hand and he hoisted up a three that was good to tie the game.  Unfortunately, just like other games this year, UK could not keep the Tigers from scoring a shot close to the end.  The Tigers were able to get a 3 to take the lead.  Kentucky had 9 seconds left and called a timeout to run a play.  The play was to set a screen for Meeks and have him take a 3 at the top of the key.  The play worked, but Meeks air-balled the 3 pointer with credit to some tight defense.  Louisiana State just ran the last 2 seconds out and the game was over.

The final score was 73-70 in favor of the Louisiana State Tigers.  The Tigers became the regular season “Southeastern Conference Champions” with the win.

Top performers for the UK Wildcats were:
Patrick Patterson - 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists
Jodie Meeks - 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers
Darius Miller - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks
Perry Stevenson - 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block

So, the question remains…will the Kentucky Wildcats make the NCAA Tournament?
My outlook on the situation is that today’s basketball game was a must win.  However, I do believe that we are still alive if we can win both upcoming games, “Georgia and Florida”.  We also need to win a game or two in the SEC Tournament as well.  If that happens, then we should secure a 10 or 11 spot in the NCAA Tournament.

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