Rotation Changes Coming?

I talked to one of the assistants earlier today and we talked about UK not having the "killer instinct". He confirmed what I thought all along, it is a lack of defensive effort which is allowing teams back into the game. The lack of defensive intensity not only allows the other team to score more but hurts UK offensively as well.

He gave possible reasons; UK is young, inexperienced, trying new things, etc etc etc... These are a real reasons why we struggle at times to put teams away and they will get better.

One thing I found interesting is that the staff thinks certain players are getting really tired during parts of the game (mainly 2nd half). Instead of asking to come out they are trying to rest on defense. The staff is also starting to get a better feel for which guys play well together.

The staff will try different rotations and this week in practice so during those times during the 2nd half when UK seems to struggle the most, they can put in productive rotations while giving certain players a rest. You may also see Calipari call more timeouts then he usually does. Obvious reason would be to get players rest but also when certain players are on the bench resting you might see Calipari call a timeout to run a offensive play hoping it will lead to points.

Since the times when UK struggles seem to fall around the same time in every game, it should be easy for them to figure what rotations to go with.

What you might see during a 8 min stretch in the 2nd half (I'm guessing from around the 15 min mark until the 7 min mark in the 2nd half) is Bledsoe and Wall not being on the court at the same time. Which means possible increase minutes for Liggins, Miller, and Dodson.

You may also start to see a little more Perry Stevenson and/or might start seeing Cousins and Orton on the court together.


So now I bet you can guess who the main 3 players are that are getting really tired at some point during the 2nd half and not telling anyone.


The staff will work hard to make changes that hopefully benefit them but one thing the assistant wanted me to remind everyone - The #1 issue is still inexperience. He said they are getting a lot better every single day but it all doesn't show up at once on the court. Don't expect to start seeing a HUGE LEAP until the beginning of February. That is when you will see everything they have learned and gotten better at come together at the same time. Until then you will see small steps game to game. You will just see pieces of what can be here and there from the team and individuals. You might even see just one of the many improvements has in one game and then not see it for the next couple of games. That is just the way it is going to be until some point early in February.

So don't be surprised if you see different rotations and guess what? They might not always work but then they will adjust and make it better for the next game. That is the challenges of a young and inexperienced team.