Check out how not obsessed we are with Kentucky

[kAzE]

I'd love to see this UK team play against the 76ers. Not saying they would win, but there might actually be more NBA talent on UK's roster . . .

[slower]

Posts about fearing Calipari's Cosmic Superteam are, by contrast, incredibly timely.

Sure, but there's nothing at this point to suggest that Duke will "separate" themselves and head to the Final Four. Kentucky, OTOH, just made a pretty strong statement.

Granted, it's early.

[rifraf]

Right before the start of the game one of the announcers said that UK's team this year is taller than every single NBA team except for 1. I believe it's 10 players over 6'6". They looked every bit that tall on the court, and the platoon system meant they could play hard, fast, and frantic. Kansas looked shell shocked in 2 minutes and I believe Self was already down to 2 timeouts with 3 minutes left in the first half. Final stat that is the craziest to me:

Kansas: 11 made FG in the game.
Kentucky: 11 blocked shots in the game.

[MChambers]

Right before the start of the game one of the announcers said that UK's team this year is taller than every single NBA team except for 1. I believe it's 10 players over 6'6". They looked every bit that tall on the court, and the platoon system meant they could play hard, fast, and frantic. Kansas looked shell shocked in 2 minutes and I believe Self was already down to 2 timeouts with 3 minutes left in the first half. Final stat that is the craziest to me:

Kansas: 11 made FG in the game.
Kentucky: 11 blocked shots in the game.

Slight correction: Looking at the roster, it's 10 players 6'6" or taller.

Of course, height, while an advantage, isn't usually the only thing that matters, especially in college basketball.

[Kedsy]

Of course, height, while an advantage, isn't usually the only thing that matters, especially in college basketball.

And that's the thing about Kentucky. How good is their guard rotation, really?

[Des Esseintes]

Is this thread really happening? ONE GAME. Remember when Seattle was miles ahead of the NFL and on a recoronation tour after housing Green Bay to start the season? Of course you don't. You're posting in this thread. But it happened, and now Green Bay is dropping 50 on everything in its path, Percy Harvin has Rex Ryan to disappoint, and the Seahawks might not even make the playoffs. The idea based on one blowout that you have to play a perfect game to beat UK is ab-intercoursing-surd.

[kAzE]

And that's the thing about Kentucky. How good is their guard rotation, really?

We've already seen a year of the Harrisons, they are really big, which makes them hard to contain on offense, but aren't the quickest guys, which makes them somewhat easy to get by on defense. However, UK's size inside kind of negates that. On the "Blue Platoon," they have Devin Booker, who is a big, strong wing who can shoot from range (we were recruiting him with a high level of interest before Grayson committed), and my personal favorite, Tyler Ulis, who I think is their best (college) guard. He's an anomaly on this roster, standing at just 5'9", but he's extremely feisty, he's very quick, with good hands, can shoot from deep, and has a pass first mentality. I'd say their backcourt is pretty formidable, and their weaknesses are well covered by the rest of the roster.

[slower]

Is this thread really happening? ONE GAME. Remember when Seattle was miles ahead of the NFL and on a recoronation tour after housing Green Bay to start the season? Of course you don't. You're posting in this thread. But it happened, and now Green Bay is dropping 50 on everything in its path, Percy Harvin has Rex Ryan to disappoint, and the Seahawks might not even make the playoffs. The idea based on one blowout that you have to play a perfect game to beat UK is ab-intercoursing-surd.

True. But I'd still rather talk about UK than anything UNC-related.

[kAzE]

Is this thread really happening? ONE GAME. Remember when Seattle was miles ahead of the NFL and on a recoronation tour after housing Green Bay to start the season? Of course you don't. You're posting in this thread. But it happened, and now Green Bay is dropping 50 on everything in its path, Percy Harvin has Rex Ryan to disappoint, and the Seahawks might not even make the playoffs. The idea based on one blowout that you have to play a perfect game to beat UK is ab-intercoursing-surd.

Welcome to sports? Overreaction is pretty typical in the early going for every sport, every season. I'm not one of the people who thinks UK will go undefeated, but it's hard to not to be impressed (and a little bit terrified) by what UK did last night to a good team.

[tommy]

We've already seen a year of the Harrisons, they are really big, which makes them hard to contain on offense, but aren't the quickest guys, which makes them somewhat easy to get by on defense. However, UK's size inside kind of negates that. On the "Blue Platoon," they have Devin Booker, who is a big, strong wing who can shoot from range (we were recruiting him with a high level of interest before Grayson committed), and my personal favorite, Tyler Ulis, who I think is their best (college) guard. He's an anomaly on this roster, standing at just 5'9", but he's extremely feisty, he's very quick, with good hands, can shoot from deep, and has a pass first mentality. I'd say their backcourt is pretty formidable, and their weaknesses are well covered by the rest of the roster.

I agree with you. I'm not saying Duke would, but I think almost every team in the nation, if they could, would trade their backcourt rotation for Kentucky's.

[Bluegrassdevil1]

I was fortunate to go up to Circle City with some colleagues of mine last night, two of which are ardent UK fans, and I must say, UK is stunning in person. My friends are rationale UK fans, and even they are giddy about what could occur this season.

Most importantly, let me say that Cook and Jones were TOUGH last night. I have never been a Cook fan, but that was a full grown man leading his team last night. And any questions regarding Sheed's illness are misplaced; the kid was clearly, undoubtedly, and unquestionably under the weather.

Being a Kentucky native, and having family with season tickets to UK games since roughly 1975, I have seen UK more times than I can count, and though I do not think this group is bell to bell as good as the 96 Cats, I do not think college basketball is as good as it was in 1996.

Davis on the 2012 team was almost unfair to other teams, and though this UK team does have anyone near Davis' level, they do have a staggering amount of length that as a unit could cause Davis-like levels on the interior.

No one in college basketball is going to beat them inside or out rebound them, but the problem with perimeter shooting is that they have length that can step outside on defense as well.

Regarding UK going undefeated:

UK plays a tough non-conference slate that includes KU, U of L, Texas, and UNC, but Texas is the only team I could see beating them, with the caveat that Barnes should never be counted on.

U of L has only beaten UK once since Calipari arrived, and that was their national title team in the Yum, against a UK squad that lost in the first round of the NIT, and U of L barely pulled it off. I would be floored if U of L wins in the Yum, but a win by the Cards would be great for the ACC.

Carolina is playing in Rupp, and I think that environment, coupled with UNC not being extremely strong from the perimeter, will lead to UK winning the game.

No one in the SEC is going to give UK a fight, not even Florida; however, it is that two and a half run of weak competition in the SEC that could lead to UK being 34-0 going into the tournament, but being tripped up in a game against a team that hangs with them, withstands the platoon system, and with two minutes left, finds UK off balance when having to go toe-to-toe with an unkillable opponent.

Wisconsin could beat UK, especially with the revenge factor from the 2014 Final Four coming into play.

Arizona could beat UK; I think Arizona has the best starting line-up in the country.

Texas could beat UK; knowing what is coming, having sufficient length.

Duke could do it, but I am unsure about the height issues with Cook and Jones, and Jefferson playing his typical game would be pummeled by UK.

Gonzaga or Oklahoma tend to play the three ball a great deal, and chucking and ducking could lead to something surprising.

I would love to see Wichita State play UK in the tournament; the Shockers are good, tough-minded, and swapping their only loss for UK's only loss would be a great motivator for them. I think UK would likely destroy the Shockers, but a part of me thinks something magical could happen in that match-up.

Until a team does it, I cannot see any group ever going 40-0, but this UK squad is stunning to watch in the layup line, and once they start to play, it is tough to rationalize how any team could take them out this season.

[kAzE]

I was fortunate to go up to Circle City with some colleagues of mine last night, two of which are ardent UK fans, and I must say, UK is stunning in person. My friends are rationale UK fans, and even they are giddy about what could occur this season.

Most importantly, let me say that Cook and Jones were TOUGH last night. I have never been a Cook fan, but that was a full grown man leading his team last night. And any questions regarding Sheed's illness are misplaced; the kid was clearly, undoubtedly, and unquestionably under the weather.

Being a Kentucky native, and having family with season tickets to UK games since roughly 1975, I have seen UK more times than I can count, and though I do not think this group is bell to bell as good as the 96 Cats, I do not think college basketball is as good as it was in 1996.

Davis on the 2012 team was almost unfair to other teams, and though this UK team does have anyone near Davis' level, they do have a staggering amount of length that as a unit could cause Davis-like levels on the interior.

No one in college basketball is going to beat them inside or out rebound them, but the problem with perimeter shooting is that they have length that can step outside on defense as well.

Regarding UK going undefeated:

UK plays a tough non-conference slate that includes KU, U of L, Texas, and UNC, but Texas is the only team I could see beating them, with the caveat that Barnes should never be counted on.

U of L has only beaten UK once since Calipari arrived, and that was their national title team in the Yum, against a UK squad that lost in the first round of the NIT, and U of L barely pulled it off. I would be floored if U of L wins in the Yum, but a win by the Cards would be great for the ACC.

Carolina is playing in Rupp, and I think that environment, coupled with UNC not being extremely strong from the perimeter, will lead to UK winning the game.

No one in the SEC is going to give UK a fight, not even Florida; however, it is that two and a half run of weak competition in the SEC that could lead to UK being 34-0 going into the tournament, but being tripped up in a game against a team that hangs with them, withstands the platoon system, and with two minutes left, finds UK off balance when having to go toe-to-toe with an unkillable opponent.

Wisconsin could beat UK, especially with the revenge factor from the 2014 Final Four coming into play.

Arizona could beat UK; I think Arizona has the best starting line-up in the country.

Texas could beat UK; knowing what is coming, having sufficient length.

Duke could do it, but I am unsure about the height issues with Cook and Jones, and Jefferson playing his typical game would be pummeled by UK.

Gonzaga or Oklahoma tend to play the three ball a great deal, and chucking and ducking could lead to something surprising.

I would love to see Wichita State play UK in the tournament; the Shockers are good, tough-minded, and swapping their only loss for UK's only loss would be a great motivator for them. I think UK would likely destroy the Shockers, but a part of me thinks something magical could happen in that match-up.

Until a team does it, I cannot see any group ever going 40-0, but this UK squad is stunning to watch in the layup line, and once they start to play, it is tough to rationalize how any team could take them out this season.

I think Louisville plays the type of style that could beat UK. They have an extremely mobile forward in Harrell, and are the type of run and gun offense that could beat UK down the floor, and Pitino's full court press could give UK's guards some trouble. However, with the platoon system, I don't see UK's players getting too fatigued, which is what Pitino's typical gameplan tries to exploit. UK should still be heavily favored, but I think Pitino's style is what theoretically should be the best approach.

[Tripping William]

I know we have an Anti-Jinx thread going (prompted by a UK first half), so I really hope this is the Pro-Jinx thread. Everyone please feel free to discuss, at great length, how inevitable it is that the Kats will go unbeaten.

[jacone21]

Regarding worrying about playing UK...

Like Ol' Jed Clampett used to say, "I'll jump that crick when I come to it."

[dukelifer]

They may go undefeated given the SEC conference- but they will get challenged in a few games. It just takes one night where a team shoots great or a KY center misses a bunch of free throws to get it close at the end. A team will have to play excellent team ball and use passing to open up opportunities. Still it is okay for them to have all the pressure. Last year - folks wrote them off and they made a run at the end. Hopefully this year they start to feel the pressure of expectations. Should be interesting to watch.

[Mal]

Their offensive capabilities are limited enough that they can be got. I don't care if they go undefeated until the finals, but if they met Duke there... In K we trust. He's done it once, he can do it again.

I know, I know UNLV was the Semi's

Not only was it the semi's, but we had a very experienced team that had faced that same UNLV team a year earlier and wanted revenge after being embarrassed. Tark's guys were more experienced than this UK team, too, of course, but I don't really think these are analogous circumstances to a Duke squad that was in its 5th Final Four in 6 years taking down a juggernaut. We're heavily reliant on a bunch of freshmen and some guys who've had no tourney success outside of a final 8 run two years ago.

I agree with others that this UK team is somewhat unique, and looks from a very limited sample size (last night) to be a monster, but also agree with others that a lot of crazy stuff can and usually does go wrong to derail perfect seasons.

In this case, one injury alone could greatly upset the balance of the platoon thing, especially toward the end of the season. Either the 11th guy, who's played 12 minutes all year, would be asked to join the second group and someone move from that group into the first group, or Calipari will scrap the platoons altogether. Either of those things could greatly screw with chemistry, both interplatoon and intraplatoon. And what if one player on platoon 1 is consistently underperforming? Do you swap them out? At some point, someone on platoon 2 is going to go off for a couple games and think to themselves "Yeah, it's nice destroying Auburn and all, but if it weren't for this platoon thing I'd deserve to be in the starting lineup and getting 30 mpg instead of 15. I'm gonna sulk now." The best players on platoon 1 may come to resent platoon 2 getting those 15 mpg. There's a lot that could go wrong when trying to get 8-10 future first round picks happy in a 40 minute game environment.

Wisconsin might be a good team to challenge this squad. They can slow it down and keep the score low, they don't turn the ball over, and if they start popping 3's well (and do so while having Kaminsky dragging the best of the long defensive wingspans outside), that could be a recipe for success. I also think a team with good penetrating guards will eventually figure out how to make the additional pass to avoid what happened to Kansas last night. KU just couldn't get over the fact they weren't athletically even, much less superior, so they kept going to what will work in every other situation for them instead of slowing the game down in the paint and using their bodies to draw fouls rather than allow blocks and altered shots. Self's not a tactical genius, but I bet if they played again late in the season they'd scheme something different to use Kentucky's size and defensive aggression against it. They also wouldn't get as shellshocked and frustrated, and they'll have gelled to a much greater degree - keep in mind this is a team that's trying to replace 2 top 5 draft picks.

[weezie]

Arizona could beat UK; I think Arizona has the best starting line-up in the country.

Me, too. Plus, they have a coach who def knows how to beat K, unfortunately.

[rsvman]

It's a pretty impressive team, to be sure. I think their second team could win the SEC without any problems whatsoever. In fact, their second team could potentially be an Elite 8 team or maybe even a Final Four team.

The platoon system keeps everybody fresh enough to really keep up the pressure and intensity, too.

So, yeah, they'll be a tough out for anybody.




I seem to remember that they had a really, really good team back in 2009-2010, too, though, with John Wall and company, who were supposedly going to run through the NCAA tournament like it was a walk in the park. But then a funny thing happened. They lost to a West Virginia team that, while talented, somehow managed to lose to an upstart team from some small academic school from the state of North Carolina (the name of the team escapes me) by 20-some-odd points.

Strange.

[Kedsy]

Not only was it the semi's, but we had a very experienced team that had faced that same UNLV team a year earlier and wanted revenge after being embarrassed. Tark's guys were more experienced than this UK team, too, of course, but I don't really think these are analogous circumstances to a Duke squad that was in its 5th Final Four in 6 years taking down a juggernaut. We're heavily reliant on a bunch of freshmen and some guys who've had no tourney success outside of a final 8 run two years ago.

Were you there? Duke may have wanted revenge, but UNLV was that good. If we played them 10 times we might have won once or twice. We just got lucky the one win came first.

Plus, the 1991 Duke team was very young for the time. Our top six guys were a freshman, three sophomores and two juniors. And Brian Davis hardly played as a freshman, so it wasn't really a Duke squad "in it's 5th Final Four in 6 years," because other than Christian Laettner, the rest of our top six really had only one previous season of NCAA tournament experience (and granted, that experience was a trip to the finals where they got absolutely skunked by pretty much the same UNLV team). UNLV's top six were four seniors and two juniors.

In my opinion, this Duke team can't play anyone against whom we'd be a bigger underdog than the 1991 Duke team was against UNLV.

[tommy]

I'm impressed, very impressed by the play of Tyler Ullis. He was Kentucky's backup plan to Tyus Jones. It really goes to show the power of the Kentucky brand and of Calipari's recruiting machine that a player as good as Ullis was willing to wait, knowing he was not the top choice, just for the chance to be part of what is going on at Kentucky. Wow.