Miller Coming Up Big in Atlanta

Wow. Somebody in blue is really starting to step it up in the postseason. And his name rhymes with "carry us".

That's two excellent SEC tournament games for Darius Miller, who looks like an All-American out of nowhere. Going back over his last eight games, Miller has now hit nearly 50% of his three-point attempts, he's playing with a ton of energy on both ends of the court, and perhaps most importantly, he looks both assertive and smart in attacking the basket.

I give Darius most of the credit for UK's win over Ole Miss on Friday, as he hit several of those hanging floaters in the lane, especially at times when the Cats really needed a bucket. Most opposing teams will have a smaller man guarding him, but Darius is still quick enough to get around someone with either a shot fake or a quick crossover-- and lately he's doing a tremendous job of knowing where to pull up and get that little 8-footer headed toward a swishy conclusion.

So long as he keeps his handle while driving, that can be a very effective weapon. The Cats certainly needed it against a very feisty Rebels squad....the game was much closer than the final score might indicate.

Fortunately, Miller's got that long distance drifting jumper working right now, too. (I almost hate to elaborate any further for fear of jinxing him.) Probably the key for the former Mason County star is making sure he takes the more appropriate three point attempts-- meaning he's catching a pitch out with the trigger already cocked, rather than trying to create something with a lateral move on the perimeter.

One thing I would like to see vs. Florida is for Darius to get some more chances in the open floor, and finishing on the break. It seems like most of the time, Miller is in more of a "trailer" position. If that's because he's crashing the boards, then so be it (he only pulled down 4 today vs. Bama), but if Miller can run out more often, and fill a lane properly, then he should get rewarded for it. Hopefully B. Knight will have several opportunities to find him on the break.

But any particular way that Darius can pitch in offensively is huge right now. Terrence Jones has looked rather lethargic in "Rupp Arena South" at this point, and it should be an extremely competitive rubber match with Florida in the finals. All I know is it's a wonderful, beautiful thing to have Mr. Miller peaking as we head into Selection Sunday.