This is a much different Kentucky basketball team than ones from the past. While the Wildcats are once again loaded with top-ranked talent, but consistency has been an issue. Since entering SEC conference play, the Wildcats lost to LSU before beating up on Alabama. They started to play the Mississippi Bulldogs well until falling apart in the second half. Now they will try to put a full game together as they prepare to face off against the Auburn Tigers.
The Wildcats thought they had a win against the Mississippi Bulldogs. The team held the Bulldogs to 37 points in the first half before falling apart and letting their opponent shoot 52.9 percent from the field. Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee are trying to lead the Wildcats into some kind of consistency, but it appears it will be an uphill battle. Head coach John Calipari admits he is not sure what is wrong with the team at the moment. The coach has been fighting off rumors that he is interest in the Brooklyn Nets. Salary demands could be holding that deal back.
Pythress has been part of the inconsistency. He finished with just four points against LSU before having 25 against Alabama. Lee is the same way right now. He combined for 11 rebounds against LSU and Mississippi State while having 19 along against Ole Miss. Tyler Ulis had eight points against Alabama before finishing with 21 on Tuesday. The lineup is just not capable of playing a full game and Calipari is hopeful it will change.
"The whole thing is wanting, relishing in the responsibility," Calipari said, via ESPN.com. "I relish that responsibility of having to come every day and do what I do. But it's hard. It's not easy."
Kentucky will now try and get back on track against Auburn who have suffered three straight double-digit defeats. They fell to Vanderbilt on Tuesday while Kareem Canty was the lone bright spot with 16 points. He has averaged 20.9 points in the last two games while shooting 43.7 percent from long range. He is the only threat Kentucky has to worry about on the Tigers' roster. Head coach Bruce Pearl is trying to get his team focused. The team is shooting just 34.7 from the field along with 24.4 percent from beyond the arc. That will be hard to improve against Kentucky.