Cats must minimize turnovers against U of L

Let's delay the point guard discussion for another time... goodness knows there is plenty of ground to cover there. Suffice it to say that at this point, if you're looking for a single key to victory for UK, facing in-state nemesis Louisville tomorrow, it has to be simply taking care of the basketball.

At the risk of sounding like Mr. Obvious: Cut down the turnovers.

Sure there will be plenty of other factors and matchups that will play out (Samuels vs. Patterson ought to be quite pivotal), but I figure Rick Pitino will have instructed his players to trap, press, shove if possible, and then and trap some more. The Cards would like nothing better than to see UK's guards transform Cheat'em Hall into a bakery.

This game always delivers that great high-intensity college basketball atmosphere. It has been circled on everyone's calendar as soon as the schedule was released. How a youngster like DeAndre Liggins or Darius Miller, or even the more seasoned players like a Mike Porter or Jodie Meeks responds to the intensity that U of L is sure to bring will definitely go a long way towards determining the victor.

Naturally, Coach G has been preaching to his backcourt rotation that they must value possession like they should value cold hard cash. But this UK team has shown a nauseating tendency to throw the ball away like so many Benjamin Franklins right down the drain. Kentucky's guards simply must be able to effectively bring the ball up the court and get the offense started if the Cats are going to have any chance as an 8-point underdog. If it gets too sloppy out there early, there may be too big of a hole to climb out of later, a la the UNC game.

There are going to be some mistakes made for sure, since you can't play at full speed and push the ball without coughing it up occasionally. But there probably comes a tipping point-- make it somewhere around a baker's dozen, to strain the pastry analogy--so that if the Cats' turnover total starts stretching into the mid- to high-teens, it probably means Louisville will be doing a lot of Dunkin'.