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The woes continue for the Kentucky Wildcats as they drop to 1-4 after falling short against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 64-63. This is the worst start from a Kentucky team since 1984. The young Wildcats put up a fight in the second half which was needed to make the game competitive after Kentucky had a 22-point halftime deficit. Kentucky outscored the Fighting Irish by two points in the second half and came within a missed shot at the buzzer for the win.
The offense is the point of concern for the Kentucky Wildcats.
As you have to admire the young Kentucky Wildcats' effort for being resilient when falling to a 22-point halftime deficit, they are still not effective offensively. The John Calipari-led side looks stagnant as their freshmen take turns attempting to make contested shots. After a full week of practice before today's game, you would have expected the 32-time SEC champions to have had a more effective gameplan against an Irish team that has given up an average of 80 points this season.
At one point in today's game, the Wildcats held Notre Dame for over nine minutes without allowing a basket. But during that same stretch, Kentucky only capitalized on 14 points of their own. The team shot just 21.7 percent from behind the perimeter, missing their first nine attempts, culminating a streak of 22 straight three-pointers missed at their home court, Rupp Area.
The Kentucky Wildcats are still working out the starting lineup.
John Calipari has still yet to find a successful starting lineup for the Kentucky Wildcats. With nine new players on their roster this year, the Wildcats do not have a connection on the court.
Today Calipari shifted the previous starting lined up of Olivar Sarr, Isaiah Jackson, Devink Askew, Brandon Boston Jr., and Terrence Clarke, four freshmen, and added another senior by swapping out Devin Askew for Davion Mintz. The change was a tale of two halves as with Mintz starting that makes freshman Terrence Clarke the primary distributor at the point. Clarke was abysmal in the first half, losing three turnovers and only accounting for one assist. In the second half, he seemed to find his rhythm and the offense looked more fluid. The new backcourt was the key to the Kentucky Wildcats second-half comeback attempt.
The Kentucky Wildcats are a talented side and full of potential, but time is running out for them in a shorter season. John Calipari and his young team will need to quickly turn their season around, starting with a win against the 5-1 UCLA team next Saturday.
