Kentucky, Noel have much to learn after loss to Baylor

• Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel was only 3 of 14 from the field in Saturday's loss
• Widely assumed as another one-and-done, Noel has much to learn in his freshman season
• Noel's three made field goals were two layups and a dunk

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Nerlens Noel has a wingspan worthy of a bald eagle, and the light touch of a longshoreman.

He is more size than skill, more potential than polish and considerably less than he will be if he figures out how to finish around the basket. The University of Kentucky's ballyhooed freshman stands 6-10 or so, depending on the altitude of his hi-top fade, and his raw talent is as conspicuous as his coiffure.

Yet last year's USA TODAY High School Player of the Year is not nearly as far advanced as was Anthony Davis at this stage of last season, nor as physical or refined as he should be if he wants to declare for next year's NBA draft. Though hard lessons abounded in UK's 64-55 loss to Baylor on Saturday afternoon, Wildcat World's consolation is that John Calipari's current crop of aspiring one-and-dones may want to stick around for additional seasoning.

Noel seized seven offensive rebounds Saturday but converted only three of his 14 field-goal attempts. His personal shot chart suggested a man shooting blowdarts at a peephole rather than basketballs at point-blank range. He made two layups, one dunk and missed every other contested shot.

"I guess," Noel said, "I didn't have enough touch."

Noel wasn't alone in his inaccuracy. Kentucky missed 50 of its 71 field-goal attempts, a .296 conversion rate narrowly worse than last season's New Year's Eve low (.298) against Louisville. But while Kyle Wiltjer (1-for-11), Julius Mays (2-for-9) and Ryan Harrow (1-for-9) all contributed to the Cats' collective futility Saturday, most of their misses were launched from the perimeter.

Noel, however, plays in the paint, most recently like a man trying to catch butterflies with tweezers. The shortest distance between two points, evidently, was not short enough.

"We had 21 offensive rebounds, folks, and we had six points (as a result)," Calipari said in summary. "We are not very strong. We got the ball, (but) we couldn't get it in the basket."

In point of fact, the Wildcats were credited with eight "second-chance" points, not the six Calipari counted, but you would think pedigreed players could do better than that blindfolded. You would think a team defending an NCAA title that grabs 11 more rebounds than its opponent and commits three fewer turnovers would find a way to extend a home winning streak that had reached 55 games.

Yet hype is not heft, and reach is not grasp (or what's a heaven for?). Gifted freshmen are sometimes more athletic than they are assertive, and they are sometimes prone to be pushed beyond their maximum comfort range. Though Baylor starts three smallish guards, the Bears' interior length, width and will complicate the challenge of establishing/maintaining position.

Baylor's 7-foot-1 freshman center, Isaiah Austin, is a mobile matchup problem. Junior forward Cory Jefferson, 6-foot-9, blocked five shots Saturday.

"They are definitely, by far, the longest team we have played so far this year," Kentucky forward Willie Cauley-Stein said. "Honestly, I don't think we had realized it. We were still trying to go up the same as we would against a 6-foot-1 kid, and getting our shot blocked."

This is the kind of problem that could be corrected in practice, or in the weight room, but after absorbing three losses in seven games, Calipari is contemplating more drastic measures: a smaller lineup, a full-court press.

"I think everybody now understands, you know, that you don't just put a collection of players together," Calipari said. "But it's more than just our fans and everybody understanding -- it's our team understanding. ...

"I don't have a magic wand, folks."

Baylor coach Scott Drew said the Wildcats missed shots Saturday that "they are going to make later in the year," and he predicted that UK will demonstrate tougher defense and better finishing "as those guys get more physical and used to playing in college."

For now, Noel acknowledged, "we still have a long way to go to build our identity."

For now, Noel needs to get to work on his short game.

Tim Sullivan also writes for the Louisville Courier-Journal