Front page thoughts on Duke - Kentucky (not BBQ)

The front page article on "One reason why people dislike John Calipari" has some thinking I don't agree with. Well there's two...the quick first one is that despite the title of the article, they never give another reason why people shouldn't like Calipari. (They say they do, but if you can find it, post it here.)

What I disagree with is the flawed thinking of why we shouldn't play Kentucky.

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Here’s a reasonable guess: given the venom that still comes out of Lexington, nearly 20 years after The Shot, why would anyone from Duke wish to play there? It’s an unhealthy atmosphere which comes from the inability of Kentucky fans to deal with reality.

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Oooooooh I hate that attitude. An unhealthy atmosphere? You mean like that in which both unc and Duke play in twice a year? You mean like the one the Crazies try to create for all of Duke's opponents? Pat Summitt had that attitude to. She said she wasn't going to play in Cameron because the Crazies were too mean. This line of thinking boils down to an adult version of "I'm gonna pick up my ball and go home". Arrgh!
Ok, I know someone is going to read this and say that what the Crazies create is not an unhealthy atmosphere. I TOTALLY agree. I love it. I love the atmosphere even more when it's unc. And maybe the article means to imply it is not the game itself, but the atmosphere around the game. Once again, I point to the rivalry with unc. It's an atmosphere that we relish. But the front page article seems to predict that is not what we would find in Lexington, nor that is not what would be present if UK were to visit Cameron. Geez, it's sports! There is supposed to be bad blood. Not literal blood, but being that every UK fan I've ever met has taken a good ribbing as well or even better than a tarheel, I don't see the benefit of saying up front that it won't work because it will be negative.
Back to the first point for a second, on "another reason to dislike Calipari". They say the reason is because Calipari said that Duke "will not play us". And then the next line is "well, yes and no". Ummm...if it's yes at all, then he is only stating a fact. Hard to hold a grudge against someone for stating the truth.
The article is right about one thing, there are plenty of reasons to dislike John Calipari.

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Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred

Pat Summitt had that attitude to. She said she wasn't going to play in Cameron because the Crazies were too mean. This line of thinking boils down to an adult version of "I'm gonna pick up my ball and go home". Arrgh!

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She is basically saying that she does not think her team can handle the adversity. A coach that is confident with their teams abilities and mental toughness would never say that.

I don't agree with the statement about the Crazies being mean, everytime I have been there they have been respectful and still in your face. I have seen many times when the opposing teams find humor in what the Crazies antics.

As far as the real reason Duke vs. Kentucky isn't happening I am sure it has more to do with location of the game being played (home and home or neutral site), scheduling problems, or financial reasons rather than the fact that Calipari is their coach.

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Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred

The front page article on "One reason why people dislike John Calipari" has some thinking I don't agree with. Well there's two...the quick first one is that despite the title of the article, they never give another reason why people shouldn't like Calipari. (They say they do, but if you can find it, post it here.)

What I disagree with is the flawed thinking of why we shouldn't play Kentucky.


Oooooooh I hate that attitude. An unhealthy atmosphere? You mean like that in which both unc and Duke play in twice a year? You mean like the one the Crazies try to create for all of Duke's opponents? Pat Summitt had that attitude to. She said she wasn't going to play in Cameron because the Crazies were too mean. This line of thinking boils down to an adult version of "I'm gonna pick up my ball and go home". Arrgh!
Ok, I know someone is going to read this and say that what the Crazies create is not an unhealthy atmosphere. I TOTALLY agree. I love it. I love the atmosphere even more when it's unc. And maybe the article means to imply it is not the game itself, but the atmosphere around the game. Once again, I point to the rivalry with unc. It's an atmosphere that we relish. But the front page article seems to predict that is not what we would find in Lexington, nor that is not what would be present if UK were to visit Cameron. Geez, it's sports! There is supposed to be bad blood. Not literal blood, but being that every UK fan I've ever met has taken a good ribbing as well or even better than a tarheel, I don't see the benefit of saying up front that it won't work because it will be negative.
Back to the first point for a second, on "another reason to dislike Calipari". They say the reason is because Calipari said that Duke "will not play us". And then the next line is "well, yes and no". Ummm...if it's yes at all, then he is only stating a fact. Hard to hold a grudge against someone for stating the truth.
The article is right about one thing, there are plenty of reasons to dislike John Calipari.

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I think the correct analogy might be Maryland. Would we want to play Maryland at the Comcast Center if the ACC did not require the visit?

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Originally Posted by JG Nothing

I think the correct analogy might be Maryland. Would we want to play Maryland at the Comcast Center if the ACC did not require the visit?

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I had the same thought and the answer is undoubtedly NO! Not after Mrs. Boozer got hit with the water bottle and the administration did nothing to correct the situation, or even give the appearance of caring.

Personally I'd love to see us play Kentucky home and home in basketball for a few years. And it has nothing to do with "toughening" our away schedule. I'd just love to see the game in Cameron every couple of years!

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Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE

I had the same thought and the answer is undoubtedly NO! Not after Mrs. Boozer got hit with the water bottle and the administration did nothing to correct the situation, or even give the appearance of caring.

Personally I'd love to see us play Kentucky home and home in basketball for a few years. And it has nothing to do with "toughening" our away schedule. I'd just love to see the game in Cameron every couple of years!

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And we also know what to expect from Maryland. We have no idea what to expect from Kentucky fans because we don't have the experience to back it up. And I'm with both of you, the twerps would be out; they have proven themselves to not only be bad fans, but to be dangerous ones.

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Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred

And we also know what to expect from Maryland. We have no idea what to expect from Kentucky fans because we don't have the experience to back it up.

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The 1998 South Subregional and 2002 South Regional suggest otherwise.

This whole issue is a lot more complex than people have suggested.

In the first place, Duke and Kentucky HAVE scheduled each other in the post-Laettner era. On Dec. 22, 1998, No. 2 Duke played No. 3 Kentucky in the Meadowlands. It was the game where K benched Elton Brand early in the season -- Brand came off the bench, played great and led Duke to a 71-60 victory.

On Dec. 18, 2001, No. 1 Duke played No. 7 Kentucky, again in the Meadowlands. It was a game where Duke fell far behind and K benched his starters. After the scrubs held their own for several minutes, he re-inserted his starters. Jason Williams led a furious comeback and Duke won 95-92 in overtime.

I've been told that Duke has since tried to schedule Kentucky for its pre-Christmas game in the New York area), but that the Wildcats have refused -- they only want to play a home-and-home series. K doesn't want to go to Lexington. Not sure if they ever discussed a Louisville/Greensboro series.

And I'm also not sure if Duke is still willing to play Kentucky in a true neutral court setting. I'm not saying they aren't, but it's possible there is some bad blood with Calipari.

As for the Lexington thing, just a couple of observations:

(1) We know that K does not like to play non-conference games on the opposing team's home court (we've discussed this a million times ... no need to rehash it).

(2) Even if we did play on the road OOC, I wouldn't want to go to Lexington. Duke's post-Laettner visits there for the NCAA (in 1998 and 2002) have been bad experiences -- especially the way the team was treated. If you are a terrible host, don't be surprised when a guest refuses to visit.

(3) It's nice historical payback. Adolph Rupp, upset after a loss at Duke, vowed never to play in Durham again. Kentucky hasn't played at Duke since 1958.

As for the current story, I don't know whether Calipari is lying (in the past, Duke HAS been willing to play Kentucky, just not in Lexington or maybe Louisville) or if circumstances have changed (and Duke doesn't want to play a Calipari-coached team).

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Originally Posted by Olympic Fan

As for the current story, I don't know whether Calipari is lying (in the past, Duke HAS been willing to play Kentucky, just not in Lexington or maybe Louisville) or if circumstances have changed (and Duke doesn't want to play a Calipari-coached team).

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It's Calipari, so you know the safe way to bet.

I have no problem with Duke playing Kentucky in Catlanta or any other venue outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Despite Cal's remarks, we ARE going to play them in 2012 as part of the new Champions Classic. According to the original press release, the exact date of the game is Nov. 13, 2012, in the Georgia Dome.

(edited) ^^^^^...what Duvall just said.

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Originally Posted by Olympic Fan

(3) It's nice historical payback. Adolph Rupp, upset after a loss at Duke, vowed never to play in Durham again. Kentucky hasn't played at Duke since 1958.

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That's a trip, I did not know that. It would have been funny if he had actually taken the Duke job he was offered in the early 70's ('73 I think). If it had not been for his farm manager dying, he possibly would have.* He would have had to play in Durham then!

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*Rupp reluctantly was forced to give up his coaching duties after the 1972 season after turning 70, the mandatory retirement age in Kentucky. There was talk that he might resurface at Duke, but he turned down a coaching offer when the manager of one of his cattle-raising farms died. http://bigbluefans4uk.com/BBF4UKPage...RINGRUPP-X.htm

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I believe we ARE playing Kentucky in the Georgia Dome in November 2012 as part of the _champions Classic.

I thought this was going to be about BBQ :(

During the first weekend of the 1998 NCAAs, the atmosphere in Rupp was pretty bad and we weren't even playing UK. I can only imagine the vitrol if the two meet in Lexington.

I can not see anything good coming out of a home and home with them. A game on a neutral site many be beneficial.

I was in Rupp for the Duke - Kentucky in March of 1980. I was vocally supporting Duke and, outside of some ribbing, I was well treated. I did get a few angry looks after we won the game - but nothing untoward or unacceptable. Of course, that was pre-1992!