-One hell of a defensive performance from Missouri in the first half. Kentucky looked completely out of sorts for the vast majority of the half, and the frustration was visible there in the final minutes.
-This Kentucky team comes in averaging nearly 78 points a game, and Missouri holds them to 18 in a half on 6-for-30 shooting. And they did out arguably their most important defensive player.
-I wouldn't expect Kentucky to shoot this poorly all game, so Missouri is going to have to make some shots, and even more so, some free throws. 8-for-14 just isn't going to work if you want to hold onto this lead.
-A really solid first half from Kevin Puryear. I thought he'd really struggle against Kentucky's length, but he's held his own and then some. He's done a good job on the defensive end of getting up under Killeya-Jones, Richards and Gabriel and pushing them off their spot.
-As an aside, how can Kentucky's big men be THIS bad? Not only are they soft inside defensively, but they can't hold onto the ball or grab a rebound over guys they're 4-5 inches taller than to save their lives. If Kentucky's going to make a comeback in this one, it's going to be on the backs Gilgeous-Alexander and maybe Vanderbilt, but the former has just two points and the latter already has three points.
More later.
-This Kentucky team comes in averaging nearly 78 points a game, and Missouri holds them to 18 in a half on 6-for-30 shooting. And they did out arguably their most important defensive player.
-I wouldn't expect Kentucky to shoot this poorly all game, so Missouri is going to have to make some shots, and even more so, some free throws. 8-for-14 just isn't going to work if you want to hold onto this lead.
-A really solid first half from Kevin Puryear. I thought he'd really struggle against Kentucky's length, but he's held his own and then some. He's done a good job on the defensive end of getting up under Killeya-Jones, Richards and Gabriel and pushing them off their spot.
-As an aside, how can Kentucky's big men be THIS bad? Not only are they soft inside defensively, but they can't hold onto the ball or grab a rebound over guys they're 4-5 inches taller than to save their lives. If Kentucky's going to make a comeback in this one, it's going to be on the backs Gilgeous-Alexander and maybe Vanderbilt, but the former has just two points and the latter already has three points.
More later.
