Brown: John Calipari and Kentucky basketball have big problem until 7-footers return
LEXINGTON — Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham dropped his hand low for a “too small” gesture aimed at a Georgetown College defender Friday night in the Wildcats’ 92-69 exhibition win.
But it’s UK that has a size issue, and its lack of available big men could become a big problem.
The Cats’ trio of 7-footers on the roster — Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivišić — sat and watched from the sidelines. Bradshaw and Onyenso, due to injuries, Ivišić while awaiting to be cleared by the NCAA.
The final score didn’t reflect how much Georgetown College challenged the Cats. It was just a nine-point margin midway through the second half. Part of the Tigers' fight came from knowing they could get to the basket.
“That was kind of our emphasis, go to the rim,” said Georgetown College’s Cam Brooks-Harris, who finished with a team-high 21 points. “We’re all 6-8, 6-5, we can go with anybody.”
UK coach John Calipari touted the 7-footers, especially noting Bradshaw, because of their ability to block shots and what that would do for the Cats defensively. His four Final Four teams at UK all ranked in the top 15 nationally in block percentage, according to KenPom.com. Last season’s team didn’t have a shot blocker and ranked 103rd.
The Cats blocked four shots against the Tigers, with forward Tre Mitchell claiming three. But Georgetown College actually led UK in points in the paint in the first half, 22-18. The Tigers did so, despite not using any player taller than 6-7 in the rotation and not having a true post player on the blocks.
Georgetown College wasn’t suited to fully take advantage inside — the Cats finished with a 44-34 advantage in the paint — but UK will certainly face teams that can in the regular season.
Calipari told his team at halftime, the Cats’ 35-34 lead should “slap you in the mouth, and wake you up and get you to understand you’re at Kentucky now.”
Kentucky is not only going to get opponents' best efforts as Calipari suggested, but those same opponents will be emboldened to be physical and attack the rim as long as the 7-footers are out.
Calipari said the Cats had to “gang rebound” and “play with more energy," but reiterated they needed to be physical in initiating contact before going after rebounds.
“You can’t just run from people,” Calipari said.
For the foreseeable future, and possibly for the Cats’ marquee matchups in the first month against Kansas and Miami, they’ll be small.
Calipari walked back his previous estimation that Bradshaw and Onyenso would be back by the end of November. And no one can ever truly guess the pace of the NCAA’s movements.
Calipari said he didn’t think many European players like Ivišić have been cleared to play yet and reiterated that he was confident with the process having done his due diligence.
“Again, it’s European, so there may be some things that they'll do different because he’s European and not a kid from the United States,” Calipari said.
The Cats played Georgetown College with some signatures of small-ball teams. They picked up full court and pressured the Tigers. They ran offensive sets that sometimes utilized five out.
Mitchell shined offensively in that setting, scoring a game-high 22 points and shooting 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
He’s also the one player UK can’t afford to get into foul trouble or get injured. Mitchell played 33 minutes not because the 6-9 graduate needed the extra work.
They're a little light on bigs. The Cats have to get used to playing without them or that "too small" gesture might just sum up who they are.
Exhibition vs. Georgetown College: What UK's uninspiring start taught us about Wildcats
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter atprofile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Georgetown College: John Calipari's big problem on display
