Kentucky aims to rebound from first loss
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky (7-1) will look to get back on the winning track Wednesday night when Valparaiso visits Rupp Arena.
After reeling off seven straight wins to start the season, the Wildcats suffered their first loss Saturday, a 97-92 setback to undefeated UCLA that snapped a 42-game home win streak. It cost Kentucky their No. 1 ranking, dropping them to No. 6 in the new Associated Press poll. UCLA skyrocketed from No. 11 to 2.
"For 24 hours, I mourn and then I'm good. Let's go. Next game, who is it?" Calpari said. "And then it happens to be this one. Like, why did we schedule this team? I have no idea. This is gonna be an extremely hard game for us to win. They have three seniors, two juniors. You know what they did a year ago and they came back to be together."
In the loss, Kentucky's defense surrendered a season-worst 97 points, nearly 30 points above its season average. On offense, UK shot just 41.3 percent, including 33 percent (8-24) from 3-point range.
Next up is Valpo, also 7-1, and riding the wave of strong victories heading into Wednesday's showdown. Coach Matt Lottich's Crusaders defeated No. 21 Rhode Island, 65-62, on Nov. 29; BYU, 92-89, on Nov. 23; and Alabama, 68-60, on Nov. 21. Valpo's only loss was 76-54 at No. 4 Oregon.
The game will be Kentucky's first test against a dominant post player. Valpo's Alec Peters, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound senior, averages 25.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
"Twenty-five points and 13 rebounds and if you foul him he's 94 percent," Calipari said. "He knows how to score baskets. He steps back, he fades away and scores so even if you guard him and do a good job he can still score. Other than that, it's just another guy. Twenty-five a game, man. There's more pro scouts coming to this game than even the last game."
Calipari has his strategy set.
"Go to church and light candles," he said. "Because he's one of those guys, literally, if you double-team and he fades away he can still make it. Try to keep him from catching it. Try to go at him on offense, but they do a good job. You ready for this number? In four years, he's never fouled out of a game. Well, how can that be? Because if you post him, they double-team, and if he gets in any kind of foul trouble they go zone. Smart coaching."
The only other Valpo player in double figures is 6-7 guard Shane Hammink at 15.4.
As a team, the Crusaders are shooting only 42 percent, including 26 percent from 3-point range. Valpo, however, hits 81.5 percent from the foul line, fifth best in the nation.
Kentucky, by contrast, shoots 48.4 percent, 32.4 from 3-point range. The Wildcats hit 70.6 from the charity stripe. UK's biggest strength might be defense where they have forced 151 turnovers through eight games, 19 per game. Kentucky also averages better than 20 assists per outing.
The Wildcats are led in scoring by freshman guard Malik Monk at 19.9 points per game. Next is sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe at 17.3, freshman guard De'Aaron Fox at 15.9 and freshman forward Bam Adebayo at 12.0 to go with 8.3 rebounds.
Kentucky averages a whopping 95.1 points per game, fourth best in the nation, compared to Valpo's 75.5.
"I've been doing this 30 years and it is a process," Calipari said. "I've been doing it here now for eight years, and every team was different. It is a process. I get like you: We should win every single game that we play, we should go 82-0, win every game by -- then I wake up and I'm like, 'What am I thinking? Let's go. Let's just get back to work and get better.'"