Why didn’t Muss pressure UK playing without a PG?

Basketball Insider Board
#1

I am sure this will be an unpopular opinion.

When I realized during the warmups that Kentucky will be without a PG as both Wallace and Wheeler were out, I thought Muss will put extreme pressure on SG Reeves as he became the PG today and Kentucky will be turning the ball over all day. But I counted just twice when Muss pressured Thiero who played PG later and both times UK turned the ball over But we never went back to it, until very late in the game. Muss basically allowed Reeves and then Thiero to cross into the front court and set up the offense.

I understand Arkansas is just not deep enough (playing just 7) to press the opponent the entire game, but I thought every now and then would have been the right thing to do.

I wonder if they ever work on full court press.

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#2

Aloha PJ,
My thoughts exactly.
UA…Campus of Champions

1 Like
#3

Hard to press when you aren’t making baskets.

#4

Hard to make baskets when we aren’t pressing. Because only baskets we can make are uncontested transition dunks

#5

With Kentucky’s history of ‘One and Done’ players, I was surprised to see that Kentucky started 4 seniors!!

#6

Agree 100 percent and have wondered throughout year at times as well. We are young and talented in transition and appear to like to run which you would hope we pressed when half court O is stagnant. But the the program that Eddie and Nolan built on trapping and steals doesn’t seem to be as much a strategy of Muss. An Alvin Md Daryl Walker trap would have turned them over ten times. Nolan traps at least that much. Our freshman love transition but we have resorted to the most dry run the clock uninspired O sets with little cutting.

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#7

Kentucky’s recruiting had fallen off in recent years as Coach K went to one and done approach.

I said ‘had’ not ‘has’ because Cal has #1 class for 2023.

#8

We made enough baskets and second of the two free throws to pressure the guards in the back Court.

#9

Devo’s getting tossed made a difference if he had been the defender on the hot shooter. I am not saying it would have offset the turnovers, failure to finish at rim or free throw shooting but it would have made up for much of it. However getting tossed showed there were other issues with him that day so maybe no effect after all.

#10

Devo was on Reeves until he got tossed. Reeves was still scoring. Reeves was get ti g around screens and scoring while Devo was in. In fact who technical debacle started with Devo trying to fight thru a screen while chasing Reeves,

#11

True, At the half would you take Devo to shut him down or bet that Reeves has the hottest shooting streak that we have seen in a long long time? Devo was only one on team capable of defending him and when he got tossed that was it. Reeves knew he had freedom so it kind feeds on it self at that point.

#12

That is fair.