LSU guard Andre Stringer (10) drives to the basket past Kentucky forward Terrence Jones (3) during the second half Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. Kentucky won 74-50. (The Associated Press) |
Kentucky coach John Calipari hopes Terrence Jones has snapped out of his funk.
It’s certainly starting to look that way after Jones turned in his best outing of the season Saturday and helped lead the top-ranked Wildcats to a 74-50 win over LSU¿In Baton Rouge, keeping the team’s perfect record in the Southeastern Conference intact at 7-0. Jones was nearly unstoppable against the outmanned Tigers, scoring 27 points and missed just six field goals on 16 attempts.
He also grabbed nine rebounds, collected three blocks and had two steals. It was the kind of performance Calipari has been yearning for from the preseason All-American candidate since the season began. The Kentucky coach was indeed impressed with Jones’ performance following the contest.
“My point to him was, if this is who you are, then you should be this every game,” Calipari said. “When he went after that ball, four-straight jumps, come on, that's what we've all been waiting on and he makes us different.”
He makes the Cats a better team, too. Jones pretty much had his way against the Tigers and proved that he still has the ability to dominate inside the paint.
"He was scoring at will in the post,” Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague said. “He had anything he wanted. If he drew a double team, he would kick it out and make the right play. We were trying to feed him the ball."
The emergence of Jones since conference play began has been a plus for the Wildcats and gives the team an added weapon on both ends of the floor. Jones has led the Cats in scoring in three of the team’s seven league contests. Jones and sidekick Anthony Davis have combined to lead the team in the scoring department in five SEC¿games.
"He just takes a lot of pressure off these young kids, and he needs to,” Calipari said. “He and Darius (Miller) and Doron (Lamb), this should be their team, not the freshmen’s team. This team should be their team. And whether they are two sophomores and a senior doesn't matter. The other kids are freshmen. You can't expect them to carry the load. At times, we've been doing that."
Despite Jones’ inconsistency at times because of a pinky injury that forced him to miss two games, it hasn’t diminished his value to the team. Darius Miller thinks Jones remains a key component to the team’s success this season.
"He is a key part of the team and one of our best players,” Miller said. “When he has it going, it makes it a lot easier for everyone else. It opens up everybody else because they are going to have to double team him. When he's playing how he is playing, it is great for us too."
If Jones continues the trend during the rest of the season, it will give the Wildcats a boost heading into the postseason. The more weapons Calipari has at his disposal, the better.
It’s certainly starting to look that way after Jones turned in his best outing of the season Saturday and helped lead the top-ranked Wildcats to a 74-50 win over LSU¿In Baton Rouge, keeping the team’s perfect record in the Southeastern Conference intact at 7-0. Jones was nearly unstoppable against the outmanned Tigers, scoring 27 points and missed just six field goals on 16 attempts.
He also grabbed nine rebounds, collected three blocks and had two steals. It was the kind of performance Calipari has been yearning for from the preseason All-American candidate since the season began. The Kentucky coach was indeed impressed with Jones’ performance following the contest.
“My point to him was, if this is who you are, then you should be this every game,” Calipari said. “When he went after that ball, four-straight jumps, come on, that's what we've all been waiting on and he makes us different.”
He makes the Cats a better team, too. Jones pretty much had his way against the Tigers and proved that he still has the ability to dominate inside the paint.
"He was scoring at will in the post,” Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague said. “He had anything he wanted. If he drew a double team, he would kick it out and make the right play. We were trying to feed him the ball."
The emergence of Jones since conference play began has been a plus for the Wildcats and gives the team an added weapon on both ends of the floor. Jones has led the Cats in scoring in three of the team’s seven league contests. Jones and sidekick Anthony Davis have combined to lead the team in the scoring department in five SEC¿games.
"He just takes a lot of pressure off these young kids, and he needs to,” Calipari said. “He and Darius (Miller) and Doron (Lamb), this should be their team, not the freshmen’s team. This team should be their team. And whether they are two sophomores and a senior doesn't matter. The other kids are freshmen. You can't expect them to carry the load. At times, we've been doing that."
Despite Jones’ inconsistency at times because of a pinky injury that forced him to miss two games, it hasn’t diminished his value to the team. Darius Miller thinks Jones remains a key component to the team’s success this season.
"He is a key part of the team and one of our best players,” Miller said. “When he has it going, it makes it a lot easier for everyone else. It opens up everybody else because they are going to have to double team him. When he's playing how he is playing, it is great for us too."
If Jones continues the trend during the rest of the season, it will give the Wildcats a boost heading into the postseason. The more weapons Calipari has at his disposal, the better.
