Big Blue Nation panics as the Wildcats win by 19 against Western Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats took on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the best non-conference opponent they have seen all year. The Hilltoppers had a clear plan to disrupt Kentucky’s offense, be aggressive and outplay the Wildcats. They were very disruptive and frustrating, and it was hard to watch the Big Blue Nation watch the Wildcats cruise to easy wins in every game except the Duke game.

There was panic among Kentucky fans about how things were going, with even fans calling for Amari Williams to be benched. That’s understandable in some ways, as Williams had a difficult first half; He finished the game with six turnovers, most of them in the first half. I also understand why there was some panic around him and the team’s performance. Kentucky fans are used to a coaching style where no adjustments are made and stars can drive the ship into reefs while ignoring the lighthouse. This is not Mark Pope and he will find ways to make adjustments.

As frustrating as the game was for Kentucky fans, there are three important things to keep in mind and why it will be important to watch how these are adjusted moving forward.

Hats off to the Hilltoppers. They clearly had a disruptive strategy that led to a frustrating rhythm, missed shots and hasty decisions. They were extremely aggressive and that was unsustainable for them in the long run because they had committed so many fouls. They played close to the ball and had no problem making contact at both ends of the pitch. Kentucky has not seen this from any team before and it will need to be adjusted in the future as other teams adopt it.

Some nights are cold, and that’s exactly what happens in basketball. Kentucky will have nights where the shots don’t seem to be falling. This was one of those evenings. Some of the credit goes to Western Kentucky’s strategy, but some of it was really just a cold shooting night.

They went into halftime with a 12-point lead and won the game by 19 points. The Wildcats were never able to pull away. They led from the first minutes and never looked back. What made the game disappointing for many Kentucky fans is that they know the team is capable of much more. This was a good learning game for the Wildcats.

It’s okay to be worried, but there’s no need to panic. They won by 19 points on a team that clearly decided that foul play and aggressiveness were the best way to disrupt Kentucky. We’ll see how other teams try to play against the Wildcats in the future.