Jamal Murray was one of three Kentucky point guards in double-digits in the win over Duke. Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
By RYAN FISH
CHICAGO — Before Tuesday’s primetime matchup between Duke and Kentucky at the State Farm Champions Classic, someone in the United Center media room asked ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams if Kentucky’s seemingly crowded backcourt would hurt the team by forcing it to pass the ball too much.
Williams smirked and shook his head.
“I think [Coach] Cal’s had point guards like that before,” he said. “The issue [for Kentucky won’t be], ‘Am I passing too much?’ but ‘When do I need to be assertive offensively?’”
The Wildcats’ guards certainly figured that part out on Tuesday night.
Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe took their turns being assertive on offense, combining for 46 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists along with eight steals as Kentucky topped defending NCAA champion Duke, 74-63. The backcourt’s balanced effort stood out as one of the more striking takeaways from the game, as the guards moved the ball effectively, scored often and only committed four turnovers between them.
“I felt like our backcourt took care of it,” Ulis said, according to the Courier-Journal, “just put (the team) on our back.”
While big men Marcus Lee, Skal Labissiere and Alex Poythress are also essential to the Wildcats’ success, the backcourt play is eye-popping and a departure from the overwhelming size that defined last year’s Kentucky squad.
“Last year we had 7-foot, 7-foot, 6-10,” head coach John Calipari said after the game. “This year we’re 5-9, 6-2, 6-5. We’re playing different. The whole idea today was to put it on the floor, to move that ball and get some good spacing.”
On a night where Calipari said his big guys were “pushed around” at times, it was the guards who delivered against tough competition and put the rest of the nation on notice. Duke big men Marshall Plumlee and Amile Jefferson combined for 28 points and 25 rebounds, but the Blue Devils’ starting guards shot only 28 percent and committed 10 turnovers.
When discussing the three guards, Williams said that Ulis, the sophomore and Chicago native, might be the most important.
“I think Ulis is going to be an interesting key,” Williams said. “He needs to be aggressive, no doubt… I think he’s a guy who’s going to need to be the main distributor [in order for Kentucky to have success].”
Ulis did exactly that on Tuesday, leading the team with six assists and no turnovers. He also had 18 points to lead all scorers, earning some praise from his coach.
“When he’s off the court, you know we’re not the same,” Calipari said. “He’s kind of like a baseball player who watches the ball and he can see the seams. The game is happening slower for him. We have a couple other guys whose minds are racing. When your mind races, you can’t really react.”
Slowing the game down is a trait that has also been attributed to Murray throughout his basketball career. Known for meditating before games and a relentless work ethic, Murray received high praise from Williams.
“He gets himself mentally in the right state of mind to go out there and compete,” Williams said. “I think there’s something about making the game easy that Jamal Murray is really good at doing.”
That being said, Calipari still wasn’t completely satisfied with Murray’s 16-point effort on Tuesday. He knows there’s still a long way to go for Murray and for the team this season.
“I thought Jamal settled a couple times when he didn’t have to,” Calipari said. “He settled for tougher shots that he didn’t need to take.”
And while saying it’s “nice to win,” Cal brought up another fair point after the game.
“This is one game,” he said. “If we lose to Wright State, people in Kentucky will think I should be fired.”
If his guards play the way they did on Tuesday night, Calipari might not be hearing those murmurs for a long time.
