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Olympic Fan
02-05-2012, 12:34 PM
The article on the front page, wondering "who can keep up" to the mighty Wildcats is IMHO a bit overdone.

Kentucky is a very talented young team and probably deserves to be ranked No. 1 at the moment with a 23-1 record.

But ... let's not make them out to be more than they are.

Kentucky's glittering record is built on one of the worst schedules that any top-ranked team has played. The 'Cats schedule is ranked No. 87 by Pomeroy and No. 88 by RPI.

And most of the strength of the schedule is up front. They got Kansas (at a neutral location) on Nov. 15 and UNC (in Lexington) on Dec. 3. They played at Indiana (their first road game) on Dec. 10 and lost.

Since that defeat, they've played one top 25 (in the RPI) team -- Dec. 31 against Louisville in Lexington and just four in the top 100 (threel at home ... at LSU is their only road top 100 opponent in that stretch). 11 of their last 13 games (and 17 overall) have been against teams that aren't in the top 100.

That hasn't stopped them from getting a test from No. 141 Tennessee in Knoxville (a 3-point win). And when they do play quality teams, it's not always easy -- even at home, where they have a one-point victory over No. 8 UNC, a 6-point win over No. 35 Alabama and a 7-point win over No. 25 Louisville.

For the record, Kentucky is 3-1 against the top 25 (by contrast, Duke is 4-3) and 7-1 against the top 100.

Again, I'm not saying that Kentucky is not a very talented team and a threat in postseason. But they're hardly a team that has put up the kind of record that should have us wondering who can stay with them ... well, Tennessee can (at least in Knoxville).

Chicken Little
02-05-2012, 01:06 PM
I agree that they are a little overhyped, but like you said, I can't see any reason they shouldn't occupy the number 1 spot in both polls. They fit the mold of the Kentucky teams that we have seen and will see as long as Calipari is there; lots of NBA talent that will have to play together to win anything significant.

I'll be more intimidated later in the year if all this talent gels and is able to put together cohesive efforts. Until Cal is able to take one home, I'll continue to assume the 19-year olds will crumble in tournament time, being too busy counting the dollars they're guaranteed in the upcoming draft.

(That said, they're about the last team I want to see in the NCAAs this year)

theAlaskanBear
02-05-2012, 01:50 PM
The one thing I fear about this UK team is Anthony Davis. Dude is going to smash Shaq's SEC block record and is averaging almost 5 blocks a game. I sure hope he goes pro (is there any doubt?).

#1Duke
02-05-2012, 05:20 PM
You can analyze all you want, EVERYBODY should fear Kentucky..... everybody.

RockyMtDevil
02-05-2012, 06:19 PM
Duke shouldn't even be talking about a team that is so far superior than we are. We fear BC, Wake, State, Miami, MD, FSU, etc..

We aren't even in the same conversation as kentucky, it isn't a thing of fearing them it's knowing that if we played them we would look like a jv team.

IBleedBlue
02-05-2012, 06:31 PM
I watched the UK vs SC game yesterday. With the kind of defense UK is playing, I don't think Duke is a team that could beat them. The front page article is a little biased towards us.

Greg_Newton
02-05-2012, 07:00 PM
Maybe UK's record isn't that intimidating, but their team sure is. I mean, Anthony Davis is the best player in the country and a bigger defensive game changer than Henson (has 15-20 more blocks than our entire team), Terrence Jones is one of the more dominant forwards in the country, Gilchrist is a top 5 pick in June's draft, Lamb is a great SG, Miller is a solid all-around wing... Teague is the only question mark in my mind, and even he's a projected lottery pick in three months.

That's pretty scary to me.

JNort
02-05-2012, 11:20 PM
Kentucky is really the only team I do fear tbh. UNC does not scare me a bit, Syracuse ehh they are good but I have not seen enough, Ohio State I really want another chance at.

dynastydefender
02-06-2012, 09:50 PM
Murray State.........ranked higher than Duke in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. That is surreal.....sadistically gratifying...but surreal nonetheless.

Billy Dat
02-08-2012, 01:53 PM
Kentucky is really tough. As Teague continues to improve, they continue to improve. As many have pointed out, Anthony Davis is making a case for an incredible collection of trophies...Player of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All American, etc. When you add Kidd-Gilchrest, Lamb, Jones, Teague and Miller...there aren't many holes. Obviously, anything can happen in the one and done format and there is a lot of regular season left to play, but they are very very tough and seem to be good kids.

MulletMan
02-08-2012, 02:17 PM
I think that the most impressive part of the game for Kentucky last night against (#7) Florida was the fact that Boynton and Walker couldn't get inside the three point line in the half court set. The perimeter D for Kentucky was astoundingly good preventing both penetration and any kind of reasonable entry pass. If that team play defense that well, I think they walk to the title. I don't care who they've played, or been tested by. Wins are wins, and the only game they've lost was on a miracle shot on the road.

They just DISMANTLED a top 10 team. They're scary good. I know anyone can get beat on any given night, but if you can't see how good the top 6 are for UK, you're blind. (Depth might be an issue, but I don't know...)

MCFinARL
02-08-2012, 04:28 PM
You can analyze all you want, EVERYBODY should fear Kentucky..... everybody.

This seems indisputable after seeing how they handled Florida. Calipari may have finally found the group of super individual talents who can really jell as a team.

Dr. Rosenrosen
02-08-2012, 04:57 PM
I seem to recall a lot of similar chatter about a certain team from las vegas back in 1991. Unstoppable. Too over-powering. Etc. Etc. We know how that turned out.

I'm not buying the hype yet. Yes, they are talented. But they're not the team of the century or anything like that.

roywhite
02-08-2012, 06:34 PM
I seem to recall a lot of similar chatter about a certain team from las vegas back in 1991. Unstoppable. Too over-powering. Etc. Etc. We know how that turned out.

I'm not buying the hype yet. Yes, they are talented. But they're not the team of the century or anything like that.

More recent and more relevant is the example of Kentucky itself, this time in the 2009-10 season.

They were 32-2 in the regular season, ranked #1 for a time, and had several 1st round NBA draft picks:
John Wall chosen #1
DeMarcus Cousins #5
Patrick Patterson #14
Eric Bledsoe #18
Daniel Orton #29

Yet, they didn't reach the Final Four after going stone-cold against a good WVa team.

Is this Kentucky team better than that team?
Perhaps, but beatable?
Probably so.

moonpie23
02-08-2012, 10:16 PM
yeah, but that team was too busy counting their NBA money.....this kentucky team is playing on a mission...