Paging Patric Young! You are a key at Kentucky
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Football, Chris Harry
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Patric Young has made three baskets the last two games. He's scored a combined seven points, taken just seven shots and grabbed all of nine rebounds.
Florida's 6-foot-9, 255-pound sophomore center doesn't need Dick Vitale to tell him those kinds of numbers won't cut it tonight when the eighth-ranked Gators (19-4, 7-1) call on No. 1 Kentucky (23-1, 9-0).
But Vitale will be here, if he feels so compelled.
Clearly, if the Gators are to have any chance to halt the Wildcats' 48-game winning streak at Rupp Arena, Young has to be a factor in the game -- and a concern for UK's 6-10 freshman phenom Anthony Davis, who defensively is looking like a modern-day version of Bill Russell.
Young has been dealing with a sore ankle for a month, but it didn't stop him from making 13-of-21 shots, including some rim-rattling dunks, in tough wins at Ole Miss and home against Mississippi State the week before last. But in the ensuing two games, Young was very quiet. Against Vanderbilt (and 6-11 center Festus Ezeli), he played three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and really never got into the flow of the game, finishing with two points and four rebounds.
If that happens against the Wildcats, it could be a very long (and loud) night for the visitors.
Ankle, schmankle. Time to ball.
“He's got to push himself through and there's been some moments in the last two games where he's had those great minute or two bursts of athleticism and speed and quickness, and then he's had some times where he kind of disappears,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “I think that as he starts to get more and more comfortable he'll push through the fatigue point. When he's got that energy going and he's got that motor going and he's somewhat rested, he's really effective. But I think his inefficiency maybe the last couple of games has to do with he has not played with that motor. He's got to mentally push that fatigue, whether it be mental or physical that he's dealing with some times."
Young's got to do some physical pushing, too. If he posts up and tries the kind of baby hooks (hesitating, falling away from the basket) he attempted against South Carolina shot-blocker Damontre Harris, Davis will eat the shot alive. Even more than Harris did -- and he swatted six shots against the Gators, including Young's first of the game.
"i think it's a matter of playing smarter," UF junior guard and leading scorer Kenny Boynton said of going after the Wildcats talented front line. "But I think Patric is way bigger than the guys they got there, physical-wise. Those guys are thin."
So Young needs to use that incredible physique of his to challenge Davis -- right at his chest -- rather than allow the long and lanky Cat to defend in space and use his length to chase balls. Alabama did that and played Kentucky into the final minute before finally falling 77-71. That sort of action inside can only help, especially if Young can then kick the ball out some for teammates to take 3-point shots.
Davis was 2-for-10 in that game, scoring seven of his 11 points from the free-throw line. Both the Crimson Tide and Indiana, which handed the Wildcats their lone loss of the season on a buzzer-beating 3-point shot, kept a body on Davis the whole game, which also negated opportunites for him to screen high, lose his man and roll to the hoop for alley-oops.
And you can guess what happens at the end of those.
Young needs to come ready for a war.
"On the way to Lexington, We're ready for battle" said a tweet Monday night from @BigPatYoung4.
“Patric, regardless of who we're playing against, he always goes into every game with an unselfish, team mentality to help,” Donovan said. “He's has always been like that. I don't think that Patric necessarily is the kind of guy that, based on a player he may be playing against, takes himself to a different level. Clearly, Ezeli is one of the better centers in our league. So is Davis. I just think it's [a matter of] Patric getting locked in and focused on the things he has to do to impact a game."
