Tempo becomes taboo for Tubby

[The Bubba]

Jerry Tipton
HERALD-LEADER

A telling exchange concluded Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith's news conference after the victory over Lipscomb Monday night.

Reporter from the UK student newspaper, The Kernel: Do you think your style of play makes it a little bit tougher to really run up the score and blow people out?

Smith: I don't know what you mean.

Reporter: Not really running and gunning too much.

Smith: I'm not answering that, buddy, OK?

Tempo can be a sensitive subject with Kentucky basketball. The fans want the return of Rick Pitino's Bombinos. Smith wants to score as much as possible, but not with the bombs-away three-pointers and gambling full-court pressure of his celebrated predecessor.

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The Bubba's 2cents:

It's funny how some people not only want to win but do it with a certain style. I don't know about you folks but a win is a win to me and I'll take em any way we get em. Tubby didn't seem to like that question did he?

[teamweaver]

That reporter might be surprised at the tempo the team has played at so far this season.

The best indicator of tempo is the number of possessions. Last year we averaged 68 possessions per game. This year, over the first 3 games, we averaged over 75 possessions per game. That is a truly fast paced game!

Now the bad news - after averaging more that 75 possessions for the first three, we had only 58 possessions against Lipscomb. The telling statistic is TOs. With the torrid pace of the first three games we had 16, 24 and 18 TOs. In the slower paced game against Lipscomb, we only had 9 TOs.

We all know how much Tubby likes Turnovers, but the real reason for the TOs wasn't pace imo, the number of TOs dropped in the fourth game with the increase in playing time for the smaller/quicker frontcourt of Thomas/Sims/Moss.

[The Bubba]

One has to only look at the lineups and substitution patterns to realize that this is a work in progress and stats are not what it's all about just yet. Having lived 40 miles from the IU campus for 25 years taught me some valuable things about early season games with B Knight at the helm. After a close game with a much less than equal opponent and after a game that was less than stellar, Knight would speak about things that were accomplished not of the obvious failures. Even though I disliked him, he knew his coaching as so does one Tubby Smith.

[uk9698]

I also think we need to realize that, a lot of these players even though experienced arent 100 percent usd to their roles this year. I mean there is no Kelenna, Randolph and Chuck. So it will take even the experienced players a little time to adjust to whatever new role they assume.

[The Bubba]

Very well put 96, having to get use to a new leader like Sims, even though he is experienced is still the new kid on the block.