Thoughts ?
. . . . how 'bout them Wildcats ! ! ! ! !
SEC teams ROCK !
That was a thriller when UCONN beat KY in the Final.
Of course, I have been eating crow for 9 months now: I was born and raised in KY, and my sweet wife was born and raised in Bristol, CT.
. . . . it has been a hard year . . . . .
;^)
Tony ( anybody but Duke - still putting the hate on Christain Lightner since 1991 )
Troy,
This team is light years ahead of last years team at their apex. No joking. They could lose at Arkansas or somehwere else but it will take the absolute perfect scenario. The only way this team loses is if they turn the ball over 20 times, the other team hits 10+ threes, UK misses a ton of free throws and gets outrebounded considerably. It can happen but they truly are that good on defense. They basically only have to scratch out 50-55 points to win.
Many people talk about how dominating the Kansas game was and it was but in the UNC game, UK would only had to have scored 4 points in the second half to win. In reality...if they just played defense and dribbled the shot clock out every possession they still would have won as taking a few extra possessions away from UNC would have accounted for the 4 points.
I can tell you this IF (and this obviously is a big if) they played 7, 5 or even 3 game series to settle the NCAA champion in basketball they could shut the season down right now. There is not a team in the country that can beat them 2 out of 3 even. On a given night....anyone could fly up and win but it will take a perfect game.
There has never been a team that plays defense like this. Never. They have 7 footers that will check guards on switches. It is unreal. I have watched them in Rupp twice this year and they are freakish. Regardless of how this season turns out, they are one of the most special teams I have ever seen in college basketball.
Thats what makes the NCAA tournament so much fun...the fact its a one and done tournament. Over the years there would have been many different champions had it been a multiple game elimination.
"There has never been a team that plays defense like this. Never."
Not taking anything away from this KY team...but thats a pretty big statement. I can think of some damn good defensive teams over the years.
I haven't seen them play yet, will start watching when football is done, but from the sound of it, they are a special team. Should be fun.
I stand behind my statement. Watch them and then look up the defensive stats. They simply are doing something that has never been done before. I know that sounds ridiculous but their defensive stats are off the charts. They held Louisville to 26% shooting and 1 assist. 1 assist!
To expand on what I said....They switch constantly. It doesn't matter who switches to who. Their 1 will end up on a 4. Their 5 will end up on a 1 or 2. They are simply amazing on how they cover guys. I am biased but I am also watching them with amazement and not pure fandom.
Troy,
I was not the least bit surprised that last years team lost so many games. I was not the least bit surprised that last years team lost to Arkansas twice. They were not a good team. They had a bunch of talented players but weren't a good team at all. This is the best team 1-12 I have ever seen at KY. This team would curb stomp last years team. I honestly think they beat the 2012 team and the team in recent history at UK that they compare to the most is the 96 team.
If they lose an SEC game it will be a surprise. I am not saying it won't happen or that it would be shocking but they truly are freakish. They are predicted by Sagarin to be double digit favorites in every game for the rest of the year. That is crazy. Also...Sagarin has UNDERVALUED UK so far this year. They have outperformed the spread more often than not.
I wish that those of you who haven't watched them could have watched them dismatle the ranked teams they have played this year. Unbelievable.
Keep in mind...UK hit like 10 threes last night. If you would tell me UK hit 10 threes in ANY game I would have bet anything they pounded who ever they played. Just goes to show you that you still have to lace them up every night as nobody lays down for you. My wife actually got rear ended last night and we spent the evening in the ER. The one bright spot of the the accident is that I didn't have to watch the game. :)
FWIW....the wife is fine. No breaks but really sore. She has one of these soft neck braces and some meds to hopefully get her on her feet quicker. The lady that hit her was uninsured so right now her car is a loss out of our pocket. At this point though we are just happy she wasn't severely injured and that she didn't have my kids in the car when it happened.
Regarding KY. KY's guards got exposed last year during the final game :)
Thing about trying to run the table, all it takes is to run into a hot 3 point shooting team on any given night while you go cold and it's all over. I wouldn't be surprised if Calipari isn't secretly routing for a loss somewhere between now and the start of the tournament. Just to get it over with.
You're killin me.....I don't know if I should call that cocky or spoiled....LOL
Personally.....it would not bother me to see them lose a few games. I only care if they win their lasts one.
Also...thanks for the well wishes about my wife.
Prolly a little of both, lol. I remember the last time I rooted against Ky. was when Maryland won..I think 2000 or 2001. Md. was still my home team back then.
Bowfreak, So happy your wife will be ok but if an uninsured driver hit her what happens to the uninsured driver? When I got my last sticker in August I had to have proof of insurance.
Since you are in KY I think you have probably heard the saying "you can't get blood out of a turnip."
From what I understand nothing really. Up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail max. They go to a high risk insurace category immediately but trying to recover cost is difficult. We will send her notification from my lawyers office and ask her how she plans to reimburse us. We may choose to take it to small claims but it is probably a waste of time unless we can get a wage garnishment. I am not even sure that is allowable. The girl will most certainly be on the hook for my wife's medical bills too. It is not a lot but when you add in a trip in the ambulance to the ER, catscan and numerous XRays and am guessing it will be $5K+.
Go UK!
KY, OTOH has 14 games left with only one of them against a ranked team (#19 AR) at home. And yet, they supposedly have a #4 SOS
KSU has so far played 3 ranked teams, beating two of them. KY has so far played 4 ranked teams, beating all of them.
If KY doesn't go undefeated, it will be nobody's fault but their own.
HA/KS's Link
It was SOS, but maybe only for games already played. This link is future SOS and has K-State #1. That doesn't surprise me.
Bowfreak's Link
Here is the ranking of the sweet sixteen tournament teams for 2014 by graduation success rate (GSR)
#1 University of Dayton (100) #2 Baylor University (91) #3 Michigan State University (89) #4 Stanford University (83) #5 University of Kentucky (82) #6 (tie) San Diego State University (75) #6 (tie) University of Michigan (75) #8 University of Louisville (70) #9 (tie) University of Arizona (64) #9 (tie) University of Virginia (64) #11 (tie) University of Florida (60) #11 (tie) University of California, Los Angeles (60) #11 (tie) University of Tennessee (60) #14 Iowa State University (54) #15 University of Wisconsin (44) #16 University of Connecticut (8)
I can go on and on but you get the point. UK is performing in the classroom regardless of what the sports drive bys and haters tell you. They had a perfect 1000 APR for 2012-2013 and a 989 on a multiyear basis.
HA/KS,
RPI, Sagarin, SOS, and all of that stuff only matters for bubble teams and seeding. When you beat everyone on your schedule or say only lose a couple of games it doesn't matter especially when you start out ranked high. For what its worth...Kentucky is second in RPI. They beat the #1 team in RPI by 32 points.
I stated above that I do not expect K-State to make the tournament.
UVA and UK, both undefeated, playing for the NCAA championship...and UVA wins.
Sorry Kathi...:^)
just dreamin'...^)
You can't control the strength of your conference schedule but you can control the strength of you non conference schedule. That being said....the SEC is underrated just like the Big 12 is overrated. UK beat the 2 best teams in that conference by double digits. Also...I will be surprised if they go undefeated in the SEC. I think it is possible they lose a couple even. When you play conference games on the road it is tough sledding. When you are UK and you play on the road you get everyone's A game.
Also...UK is 5-0 against ranked teams.
Dave,
No way UVA goes undefeated. They play too many top tier teams to not take a loss. But...a final of UK an UVA is not far fetched at all but the winner you have picked is pretty much fantasy land. :)
I suspect you're more right than I, but I just had to throw it out there to give a little tug on Kathi's chain. :^)
But you have to admit, it would be way more exciting than this week's Super bowl.
Big 12 won 7-3 last year.
UK is heads and shoulders above anyone else which is why I asserted that they have no reason to lose a game in the easy rest of their season against poor competition.
Which is why I said the Big 12 is not as good as their ranking and the SEC is not as bad. Conference play is conference play and as long as you don't play in the Patriot league it is tough sledding in conference play. The Big 12 historically is more of Kansas and everyone else than the SEC is UK and everyone else.
GO WILDCATS !
Not if they continue to sleep walk. They have been outrebounded 3 out of the last 4 games. At this point I am thinking a loss would actually help them. They are able to beat people at times with minimal effort. They will either have to turn it on or will take a loss in the next 4-5 games which will be a tough stretch.
GO WILDCATS !
UVA will wake 'em up in the final four. :^)
"The horrible part about this season for UK is that anything less than a national championship will be considered disappointing."
You're right...And that happens more often than not, even if the team has a couple of losses going into the tournament. Happened to CT with a couple of teams that should have won it all...One I can remember losing to George Mason, they had no business losing to them, they just came up with a stinking game. That's all it takes.
Go Cats!
Amazing that the Bowsiters who predicted their teams earlier have nothing to say now. Typical
No worries with UCONN this year. They are bad but they have had UK's number over the years.
GO WILDCATS !!!!!!!
The 75-76 Indiana Hoosiers are the Gold Standard.
That team went 32-0. Granted...that record was through the NCAA tourney.
But for UK to go 28-0 even before the NCAA...that is indeed a record.
tonyo6302's Link
"Has anybody at any school coached by Calipari ever graduated? "
Your Strawman statement is astonishing, given the fact that the UK Athletes entered into the arena as men, and won as men, fair and square 28 times in a row.
But just to placate the Straw-man, click the link, and you will see that at UK, Calipari has a 100% graduation rate so far.
Compare that to UCONN if you dare.
Having said all the above, absolutely no more straw man statements will be allowed on this thread.
Start your own thread if you want to discuss any other subject about the Wildcats that has anything else to do besides playing basketball.
Sincerely,
Tony
Maybe a different look at the purpose of College is in order.
College is supposed to prepare you to earn a living in the world. Whether that be 1 year, 4 years or eight years.
If the kids are ready to go out and earn a living after 1 or two years, the College has done it's job. As a side benefit, It's likely that the jobs the kids are walking in to after leaving school a year or two later are likely to net the school fairly good donations.
No one should be under the illusion that kids playing basketball at the elite d 1 level are there to complete their education as a primary focus.
Suggesting that the coach is somehow responsible to ensure that the players stay for four years and graduate is not being realistic.
That coach is there to churn out winning Basketball teams, first and foremost. Anything else they say is just pre scripted PC speak. They know it and everyone else knows it.
The kids do what they have to do to meet the NCAA basic requirements as a means to an end.... with some exceptions of course.
Going after the coach here is going above and beyond the scope of good rivalry banter.
A third chance will not be forthcoming. Thread owner tools will be utilized.
Tony
You can knock UK Wildcats..God knows there are many who do..but the fact is 29-0. They may loose during the championships, who knows, on any given day anything is possible but why do you want to put down a team and a coach that are so good? This is surprising to me. I thought the Bowsiters were about sportsmanship. Maybe I'm wrong.
The thing about being the best team in the country still doesn't mean you cut the nets down in April. That is how fickle college basketball proves to be. Play bad one night and another team plays great and you go home. After the first weekend of the tournament anyone can beat anyone.
tonyo6302's Link
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- - With a perfect regular season in sight, No. 1 Kentucky looks downright unstoppable.
. .
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UK69%36Ga31%16.. UK -10 O/U: 126.5 GA +445 Powered by OddsShark.com..
Georgia is the next team standing in the way, hoping to somehow trip up the Wildcats.
Good luck with that.
The team the Bulldogs will be hosting on Tuesday night has won its first 29 games, looking very much like one of the greatest groups in college basketball history.
''There are a lot of talented teams,'' Georgia coach Mark Fox said. ''But this team is talented and big and deep. And then they combine great unselfishness with that. That makes 'em a terrific team.''
There's a lot on the line for the Bulldogs, as well.
Related Stories
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Georgia (19-9, 10-6) hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2011. While the Bulldogs have a strong RPI rating and most projections put them in the 68-team field, a win over Kentucky would surely clinch a spot - no matter what happens in the regular-season finale or the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Insisting the Bulldogs already have an impressive resume, Fox said his team will approach the game no different than any other.
''In the eyes of the NCAA selection committee, I think that Kansas and (North) Carolina will likely get in the tournament. Well, they couldn't beat Kentucky,'' Fox said Monday at the team's training facility. ''Georgia doesn't have to beat Kentucky to go to the NCAA tournament. Because if that was the standard, a lot of teams wouldn't go. But that's not what we're concerned about. We're concerned about playing the best basketball we can because it is a special opportunity. They've got a great, great team. Their team should be celebrated.''
Kentucky had some close calls early on in SEC play, going to overtime at home against Mississippi and needing two overtimes to win at Texas A&M.
But the Wildcats are 16-0 in the conference and really stepped up their play over the last five games, winning by an average of more than 24 points. They're coming off an 84-67 rout of No. 18 Arkansas, clearly playing some of their best basketball at the most important time of the season.
Kentucky knocked off Georgia in their first meeting at Lexington, building a big lead at halftime and withstanding a late charge by the Bulldogs for a 69-58 victory.
Coach John Calipari said that game is irrelevant, because Georgia was missing one of its best players, senior Marcus Thornton, who was sidelined by a concussion. The Bulldogs are at full strength now, having won three in a row including a 68-44 rout of Missouri this past weekend - the team's largest SEC victory under Fox.
''Are they playing with a purpose, five guys? Oh yes,'' Calipari said. ''They run their stuff. They know how they're supposed to play and they play that way. They create the kind of shots they want to create, they put you in situations and they know where they're going to find their shots. They do a good job.''
Usually overshadowed at their football-centric school, the Bulldogs will finally get some well-deserved hoops attention in their final home game of the season. The game has long been a sellout, and Georgia fans were urged to take part in a ''blackout'' - wearing all black clothing to ramp up the intensity.
The key for Georgia is to use that emotion wisely. If the players get too jacked up, they could make the sort of silly mistakes that just won't do against a team of Kentucky's caliber.
''The atmosphere is going to be great,'' senior forward Nemanja Djurisic said. ''A win would be great. Obviously, they're undefeated all season. No one else has beaten them. They're a great team. Everyone knows that. They're a very tough, athletic team. But it's one team against another team. We do have the home-court advantage. We do have the atmosphere behind us. There's going to be some emotions, but you have to be businesslike and try to focus on the game.''
The biggest challenge for the Bulldogs, as for most teams, will be dealing with Kentucky's size. Their front line includes 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein, 6-11 Karl-Anthony Towns and 6-10 Trey Lyles. Georgia doesn't have a regular taller than 6-8.
''Obviously, it will be a challenge,'' Thornton said. ''But we're looking forward to it. This is what you play your whole life for.''
Hope it is a good game.
29-0 is a lot of stress on UK..we shall see.
The Wildcats finished the regular season undefeated.
I think this is only the 5th time it has ever been done.
Looking forward to the Tourney.
GO WILDCATS !
if they don't win the last game it does not matter how many they won before it
I think you are almost better off underachieving all year and then come into the tournament and smoke everyone.
I just hope that if they do lose, it's not because they choked.
This team is great but so are many others. When they get to Elite 8 and they play in those huge arenas with no backdrop - then you will see a much different game.
Favorite time of year! Best sporting tourni in our country!
"if they don't win the last game it does not matter how many they won before it "
LOL !
I didn't realize you spoke for all Basketball fans, Bou.
I am going to go out on a limb here, but I think you know absolutely nothing about Wildcat Fans.
It is nothing new, KY fans are only concerned with championships. 39-1 means nothing if the 1 is the last game.
bb,
On a national level, it doesn't really matter, since we all have our favorite teams.
"It is nothing new, KY fans are only concerned with championships. 39-1 means nothing if the 1 is the last game. "
I will have to dissagree with you Bowfreak.
UK fans are pretty loyal, and unforgetful. Just ask Christian Lightner.
Basketball runs deep in both KY and IN. A good perspective on that is the movie "Hoosiers", followed by reading the book, "When Cuba Conquered Kentucky." ( Don't tell me, Bowfreak, that you have not read that book :-)
One thing we can all agree on, is that as usual, March Madness will be great again this year.
My only hope is that Obummer will not pick Kentucky. His picks have usually not made it to the Great 8.
;^)
I know, not this year. But, with such a dominant force such as KY, I hope March Madness lives up to the annual hype!
Damn, someone finally got that right.
So many say "road to hoe".
"Anything less than winning out by 20 or more is underachieving."
The Bulldogs sure gave it a run the other night.
Hopefully the tourney is exciting, and Obummer won't pick KY.
;^)
. . . . of course, what saved me from a 1 x 1 fully guided trip to the woodshed was my UK Tee Shirt that I was wearing . . . . .
. . . . Grandpa was a Wildcat fan too . . . . .
;^)
If this team doesn't win the National Championship it will be a huge disappointment to fans. Kentuckians love their basketball and realize how fickle the tournament can be but to be considered great they have to win it all. They won't be thrown under the bus if they go 39-1 and lose the last game but they won't be considered in the same light as their national championship teams.
HA/KS,
Trust me....nobody cares how many points you win by. The only people that say stuff like that are delusional fans of other teams. You could convince me by that post that you are actually a Louisville fan. In 2012 UK was curb stomping the Jayhawks in the national championship game. Cal took his foot of the gas and ran the clock and slowed the game down when he realized it was more or less statistically impossible to lose given the amount of time left on the clock. An 8 point win is still a national championship. Many times teams just play great and play you close too. Winning is all that matters.
tonyo6302's Link
Read that book. Ya'll will enjoy it.
Tony
The best thing that can happen to Kentucky is to lose a game just before to tourney . Then I would pick them .
I agree. Duke does know losing in the tournament. They have bowed out in the FIRST round 2 of the last 3 years.
I will stick with the team that ONLY knows winning.
Ummm..Ruger..Ky just won it's 1st post season game today. 64-49
Which one of the teams below is remembered nationally, even 40 years later. Hint.........the only one that won the last game. They all entered the NCAA tournement with 0 losses.
Heck one was just last year and if you asked casual basketball fans, maybe even true fantatics, outside Kansas what was special about the 2014 (less than 12 months ago) Wichita State basketball team they would not have a clue. You can ask them what was special about the 1976 Indiana team (39 years ago) and many many people would say it was the last undefeasted team.
The difference...........the one that won the last game is remembered 4 decades later and the one that did not, even though they were national news only 11 1/2 months ago, is not even a footnote in people's minds.
1975 -- Indiana (Bob Knight), 29-0
1976 -- Indiana (Bob Knight), 27-0,
1976 -- Rutgers (Tom Young), 28-0,
1979 -- Indiana State, 30-0
1991 -- UNLV 30-0
2014 -- Wichita State 34-0
I am starting to think it really doesn't matter if UK doesn't implode. This team is methodical, tough, TALL, super talented, deep and did I say TOUGH? It has been awesome watching this whole season.
I have a hunt scheduled with my daughter, who is 9, in late March-early April. She freaked out when she found out we will miss a portion of UK's games if they continue to win. LOL! Unfortunately, like adults in this state, children also care too much about basketball.
tonyo6302's Link
While live tweeting his documentary, Christian Laettner apologizes for stepping on former opponent
You might hate Christian Laettner, especially if you're a Kentucky or North Carolina basketball fan, but you have to give the former Duke All-American this much: He couldn't have handled the debut of his "30 for 30" retrospective on ESPN much better. "I Hate Christian Laettner" debuted Sunday night after the 2015 NCAA tournament bracket was announced and dissected and Laettner live tweeted throughout the show, interacting with fans, former players and folks who really do hate Christian Laettner. He approached with a sense of humor some might not have thought he possessed. The background on his Twitter page features the hashtag #Hatersgonnahate and he used the show's title as a hastag throughout #IHateChristianLaettner
Laettner is the only player in NCAA history to start in four consecutive Final Fours. It is because of his amazing run of success at Duke in the early 1990s that so many college hoops fans grew to loathe him. But he did plenty to help bolster their fire, such as the time he purposely stepped on Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake
Yea, he is sorry now - now that he wants to be a famous sportscaster.
The intentional foul should have been cause for immediate ejection, tame love tap or not - notwithstanding the cowardice of kicking a man when he is down.
It wasn't an apology. He still tried to justify his actions during the so called apology.
We UK fans may be "delusional" according to some, but we have good memories.
:^)
I am still proud of the Wildcats. They had a good run.
I am gonna now have to talk to those Air Force Veterans at my work place, and get some re-remedial reading comprehension lessons !!!!!
( For some reason, I don't get UK Games on my TV - I have to read about it )
Some match ups have one team with a multi-day rest period, while their opponant barely has time to finish a game and travel to the next.
Having not ever paid attention to that before, I wonder if this is the norm for the NCAA tourney ?
Anyone have a clue ?
DL's Link
What happened to the Mountaineers? I thought they were hungry, and were gonna give KY a run for it.
I never saw Notre Dame as that big a threat.
Guess I was wrong in both instances.
I thought ND might be a sleeper in this tournament, but didn't look at the brackets to see who they were with.
I think KY survived their scare and will finish out at the top.
WI and MSU go the Final Four!
Agree with you. Sure disappointed, ND deserved it IMO.
championship or not this team will long be remembered by all as one of the best college teams ever assembled. failing to win a championship is a mere blip on the radar screen of immortality.
PS: I'm not even a WI fan.
PS: I'm not even a WI fan.
NO! who remembers 3rd place.
Harrison immediately apologized to Kaminsky. It was a stupid thing to say and it was said after a heart wrenching loss. They are all good kids. Probably the best group of kids I can remember at UK.
FWIW....UK was in the drivers seat and went 3 straight trips with a shot clock violation. Unreal! Wisconsin was America's Team for one night....on Monday they will be the red headed stepchild and will have to beat 8 guys to win unfortunately.
It seems the whole state is in mourning.
Congrats to the Cats for a fine run.
Congrats to Wisconsin for outplaying them and winning.
