Kentucky 90, Tennessee 72
Suffering from some law school grade-related blues, I needed something, late Tuesday night, to make myself feel better. So at just a few minutes before 3 a.m. on Wednesday, after finishing the next day's reading, I decided to re-watch Jodie Meeks' record-setting 54-point effort (highlights here; sorry for the advertisement at the beginning, but that's ESPN for you) in a win at Tennessee.
Some people drink away their troubles. I've done my fair share of that over the years, but alcohol has never made me feel as good as a transcendant performance on the hardwood.
Meeks hasn't really been on my radar, since he was hurt or inconsistent during his first two years in Lexington. Even in this, his breakout season (he was leading the SEC in scoring at 24.2 points per game heading into the matchup with Tennessee, and had already registered four 30-point efforts, including a 46-point outing against Appalachian State on December 20) I hadn't noticed him, since I hadn't seen the Wildcats play.
Now that he's set the single-game scoring record in UK's storied history, consider me officially on notice.
The Volunteers are hardly a defensive juggernaut, and the frenetic pace they favor gives opponents a relatively high number of possessions on which to score. According to the ESPN broadcast, Meeks is the sixth opposing player to set a career-high in scoring this year against the Vols. Still, according to ESPN's Pat Forde, Meeks' 54 were the most points by a BCS-conference player since 2000, when Arizona State's Eddie House hung 61 on California in a game that went to overtime.
Maybe it's because Forde invoked his name, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities in the offensive games of House and Meeks. I've often noticed the unique way House moves around and especially the way he gets into his shot; I think the best word to describe it is "bouncy," or, maybe, "springy." House doesn't step into his lethal jumper so much as he hops into it, coming to what is essentially a jump stop before going up. This allows him to square his body to the bucket relatively quickly and effectively, as he is taking off for his shot from a very stable base. Compare it to shooting off the dribble without a jump stop, where the shooter's feet are often unnaturally far apart for a jump shot. House does this even when he's moving without the ball; his last step when coming off a screen is a jump stop. This has the effect of making an already quick release even quicker, and defenders are often caught off-guard, making the shot hard to contest. Meeks shoots the same way.
Of course, there are differences between the two, and they all point in Meeks' favor. The first is size. Meeks is listed at 6'4", while House -- the NBA journeyman who is now a backup guard with the Boston Celtics -- is listed at 6'1". Yet Meeks is bigger without giving up quickness; in fact, off hand, I cannot think of any 6'4" players quicker or even as quick as Meeks, and he's quicker than many smaller men, both with the ball and without it (ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes kept marveling at how hard he cuts). Meeks also has a more diverse offensive game than House, the three-point sniper who rarely does any damage inside the foul line. While Meeks has a very good jumper -- the school-record ten threes he hit Tuesday night attest to that -- he can also put it on the floor and get to the hoop. Finally, House is something of a liability defensively (though not for want of effort). Meeks, by contrast, is a good defender (his aforementioned size and quickness certainly play part here).
I still have a couple of Kevin Durant's Texas games on my Tivo, but neither those nor the 30-point half I watched Purdue's Glenn Robinson put up on Kansas many years ago compare to Meeks' dominance Tuesday night. Mr. Meeks, if you're reading this: Thanks for an enjoyable end to a rough day.
[Antonio Anderson keeping Memphis' Conference USA winning streak alive -- it's now at 45 games -- at the buzzer in Tulsa (link to highlights has introductory advertisement and sound) was a pretty tasty appetizer.]
Some people drink away their troubles. I've done my fair share of that over the years, but alcohol has never made me feel as good as a transcendant performance on the hardwood.
Meeks hasn't really been on my radar, since he was hurt or inconsistent during his first two years in Lexington. Even in this, his breakout season (he was leading the SEC in scoring at 24.2 points per game heading into the matchup with Tennessee, and had already registered four 30-point efforts, including a 46-point outing against Appalachian State on December 20) I hadn't noticed him, since I hadn't seen the Wildcats play.
Now that he's set the single-game scoring record in UK's storied history, consider me officially on notice.
The Volunteers are hardly a defensive juggernaut, and the frenetic pace they favor gives opponents a relatively high number of possessions on which to score. According to the ESPN broadcast, Meeks is the sixth opposing player to set a career-high in scoring this year against the Vols. Still, according to ESPN's Pat Forde, Meeks' 54 were the most points by a BCS-conference player since 2000, when Arizona State's Eddie House hung 61 on California in a game that went to overtime.
Maybe it's because Forde invoked his name, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities in the offensive games of House and Meeks. I've often noticed the unique way House moves around and especially the way he gets into his shot; I think the best word to describe it is "bouncy," or, maybe, "springy." House doesn't step into his lethal jumper so much as he hops into it, coming to what is essentially a jump stop before going up. This allows him to square his body to the bucket relatively quickly and effectively, as he is taking off for his shot from a very stable base. Compare it to shooting off the dribble without a jump stop, where the shooter's feet are often unnaturally far apart for a jump shot. House does this even when he's moving without the ball; his last step when coming off a screen is a jump stop. This has the effect of making an already quick release even quicker, and defenders are often caught off-guard, making the shot hard to contest. Meeks shoots the same way.
Of course, there are differences between the two, and they all point in Meeks' favor. The first is size. Meeks is listed at 6'4", while House -- the NBA journeyman who is now a backup guard with the Boston Celtics -- is listed at 6'1". Yet Meeks is bigger without giving up quickness; in fact, off hand, I cannot think of any 6'4" players quicker or even as quick as Meeks, and he's quicker than many smaller men, both with the ball and without it (ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes kept marveling at how hard he cuts). Meeks also has a more diverse offensive game than House, the three-point sniper who rarely does any damage inside the foul line. While Meeks has a very good jumper -- the school-record ten threes he hit Tuesday night attest to that -- he can also put it on the floor and get to the hoop. Finally, House is something of a liability defensively (though not for want of effort). Meeks, by contrast, is a good defender (his aforementioned size and quickness certainly play part here).
I still have a couple of Kevin Durant's Texas games on my Tivo, but neither those nor the 30-point half I watched Purdue's Glenn Robinson put up on Kansas many years ago compare to Meeks' dominance Tuesday night. Mr. Meeks, if you're reading this: Thanks for an enjoyable end to a rough day.
[Antonio Anderson keeping Memphis' Conference USA winning streak alive -- it's now at 45 games -- at the buzzer in Tulsa (link to highlights has introductory advertisement and sound) was a pretty tasty appetizer.]
Labels: Antonio Anderson, Eddie House, Jodie Meeks, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee, Tulsa
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 4:01 AM
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