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pfrduke
03-15-2015, 05:45 PM
Discuss here.

hurleyfor3
03-15-2015, 06:08 PM
Kentucky is the #1 seed and the overall #1. Regionals will be Thursday/Saturday at the Cavaliers' arena in Cleveland. Bobby Hurley's Buffalo team is the 12-seed.

Dukehky
03-15-2015, 06:09 PM
Can we open up chat too?

Disaster averted. The most we can hope for now is to not be in Arizona's bracket bc I feel we match up the worst with them. We'll see though.

UK walks to the Final Four though.

DU82
03-15-2015, 06:09 PM
Three Big Ten and three Big Twelve teams in this region? That's really odd, didn't think that was supposed to happen unless forced by having more than eight teams in the tournament.

gam7
03-15-2015, 06:10 PM
Kansas may be weakest 2, but they have Notre Dame and Maryland as the 4. A couple of bullets dodged as far as Duke is concerned. Wichita State as a 7 seems low.

weezie
03-15-2015, 06:10 PM
Yeah the att commercial with legends was fun!

hurleyfor3
03-15-2015, 06:12 PM
Yeah the att commercial with legends was fun!

I foresee an entire tournament of Christian Laettner commercials. Can't have the tournament without him, really.

flyingdutchdevil
03-15-2015, 06:13 PM
Kansas may be weakest 2, but they have Notre Dame and Maryland as the 4. A couple of bullets dodged as far as Duke is concerned. Wichita State as a 7 seems low.

Yeah. There goes two teams with amazing guards who can carve up backcourt Ds. Happy to see MD and ND away from Duke.

As expected and deserved, UK got the weakest 2 seed. That means that Wisconsin is definitely a 1 seed as well.

subzero02
03-15-2015, 06:17 PM
I hate this format... announce the 1 seeds then work your way down... come on CBS. With UVA a 2 we are likely a 1

davekay1971
03-15-2015, 06:18 PM
So, every once in a while a thread pops up mentioning a Duke fan dilemma. UNC playing team X in a situation where a UNC win would help Duke in some way. Of course, that's not a real dilemma. We never, ever cheer for UNC. Ever. If Duke is waiting to play the winner of UNC vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers for the national championship, we cheer for the Cavaliers and figure out how to beat Kyrie and LeBron later.

But here we have the possibility of KY vs. Maryland. Maryland is as odious of a program as you'll get...except maybe for any program Calamari is coaching. And then Duke's chances of a Natty go up if KY is out of the tournament. So, do you vote for the Terps to post a huge upset (complete with Terps Terping incessantly for all time), or do you just hope Kansas or ND is able to take out KY in the next round?

Wander
03-15-2015, 06:20 PM
But here we have the possibility of KY vs. Maryland. Maryland is as odious of a program as you'll get...except maybe for any program Calamari is coaching. And then Duke's chances of a Natty go up if KY is out of the tournament. So, do you vote for the Terps to post a huge upset (complete with Terps Terping incessantly for all time), or do you just hope Kansas or ND is able to take out KY in the next round?

Cheer for Maryland, easily. Rooting against them in every conceivable situation sort of lessens our "not our rivals" meme.

davekay1971
03-15-2015, 06:25 PM
Cheer for Maryland, easily. Rooting against them in every conceivable situation sort of lessens our "not our rivals" meme.

Not really. You can despise a vile fan base without elevating a program that hasn't consistently competed at Duke's level in a generation to rival status.

weezie
03-15-2015, 06:53 PM
As opposed to watching md lose like dogs? That sounds much more enjoyable. They won't get to ky.

Duke3517
03-15-2015, 07:23 PM
Kansas doesn't matchup with Kentucky at all.

Maryland is their toughest opponent because of the quickness of guards Tremble and Wells. The Harrison twins are not the greatest defenders. I think Maryland will do a good job spreading their defense out. But in the end Maryland just does not have enough talent.

CR9
03-15-2015, 07:49 PM
Hoping for a UT-UK match up in the Elite 8. Texas hasn't lived up to expectations this season but that matters not now. They have some size and some quickness at the guard position. Their lack of depth was found out against them in the first game when Ridley and Turner fouled out. Both played under 20 minutes in that game. I was shocked to see, at least on paper, how badly Texas beat UK on the glass last time. As cliche as it sounds, if they hit some 3's, they have enough athletes and bigs to hold their own.

brevity
03-15-2015, 07:52 PM
Here (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25109120/ncaa-tournament-selection-committee-releases-1-68-ranking) is the Selection Committee's 1-68 ranking. Midwest Regional teams in bold:

1. Kentucky
2. Villanova
3. Duke
4. Wisconsin

5. Virginia
6. Arizona
7. Gonzaga
8. Kansas

9. Iowa State
10. Baylor
11. Oklahoma
12. Notre Dame

13. North Carolina
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Georgetown

17. Utah
18. Arkansas
19. West Virginia
20. Northern Iowa

21. SMU
22. Providence
23. Butler
24. Xavier

25. Michigan State
26. Wichita State
27. Iowa
28. VCU

29. Cincinnati
30. Oregon
31. NC State
32. San Diego State

33. St. John's
34. Oklahoma State
35. LSU
36. Purdue

37. Indiana
38. Davidson
39. Ohio State
40. Georgia

41. Texas
42. UCLA
43. Ole Miss
44. BYU
45. Boise State
46. Dayton

47. Wyoming
48. Buffalo
49. Wofford
50. Stephen F. Austin

51. Valparaiso
52. Harvard
53. Eastern Washington
54. UC Irvine

55. Georgia State
56. Northeastern
57. UAB
58. Albany

59. New Mexico State
60. Belmont
61. Texas Southern
62. North Dakota State

63. Lafayette
64. Coastal Carolina
65. North Florida
66. Robert Morris
67. Manhattan
68. Hampton

rsvman
03-15-2015, 07:56 PM
Hampton is the "worst team" in the field according to all the metrics. Their record is 16-17. They played their way in by winning the MEAC tournament. Duke fans will remember that we played them in the first round back in 2011, the first game with Kyrie back. The game was played in Charlotte, and I was fortunate enough to be there.

gurufrisbee
03-15-2015, 07:57 PM
Kentucky, as an average, plays terrible every third game and gets away with by playing in a bad conference. They can still get away with it with this region. The committee worked hard with CBS to make sure the narrative of being undefeated would last til the Final Four.

wgl1228
03-15-2015, 08:06 PM
I'd love to see Kentucky play Notre Dame. Yes ND lacks size but they shoot so well it could keep them in the game.

FerryFor50
03-15-2015, 08:45 PM
Bobby Hurley-coached Buffalo gets a tough first round matchup with WVU. I don't see a 5/12 upset happening there...

Here's what games I'd say have the best chance for upsets:

Butler (6) vs Texas (11) - wouldn't be a huge upset, but just by seeding, I could see that happening.

Notre Dame (3) vs Northeastern (14) - I know we saw ND run roughshod over the ACC in the tournament, but they may fall victim to the overconfidence bug.

Wichita St (7) vs Indiana (10) - This is not last year's Shocker team. And Indiana has been playing much better lately. Not a huge upset, but...

FireOgilvie
03-15-2015, 09:02 PM
Prediction - Kentucky won't make it to the Elite Eight.

I think the SEC is the worst it has ever been (outside of UK), and they haven't played a good team in months.

rsvman
03-15-2015, 10:54 PM
Prediction - Kentucky won't make it to the Elite Eight.

I think the SEC is the worst it has ever been (outside of UK), and they haven't played a good team in months.
Wow. This is a pretty bold prediction.

gurufrisbee
03-15-2015, 11:45 PM
Prediction - Kentucky won't make it to the Elite Eight.

I think the SEC is the worst it has ever been (outside of UK), and they haven't played a good team in months.

I was all prepared to make a similar prediction for the same reasons, but they got an easy region and I don't see who in there would be able to do it.

dukelion
03-16-2015, 09:36 AM
Prediction - Kentucky won't make it to the Elite Eight.

I think the SEC is the worst it has ever been (outside of UK), and they haven't played a good team in months.

Actually I would say they haven't played a good team this year. Their last impressive win against a good team was Dec 27th at Louisville.

JasonEvans
03-16-2015, 10:39 AM
I think this is a very difficult draw for Kentucky. Either Maryland or West Virginia will have the athletes to stay on the floor with Kentucky and not be intimidated. both of those teams have the elements to give Kentucky trouble, especially Maryland who is playing really well right now.

And I have been salivating for weeks about the possibility of Notre Dame versus Kentucky. For a while, it has been obvious to me that Duke and Virginia were going to end up in the East and South, making the Midwest (which is their natural region anyway) the probable destination for Notre Dame. The Irish are darn close to the best offensive team in the land with a combination of great passing and outstanding outside shooting. Matching them up against a Kentucky team that is all about controlling the paint is such a fun contrast of styles. Notre Dame has found a way to rebound and compete inside even with undersized guys, will they be able to get away with that against Kentucky's mountain-sized team? Everyone knows the formula for beating Kentucky is to hit a lot of threes and not worry about scoring in the paint... that describes Notre Dame to a T.

This must happen!

-Jason "I really, really want to pick ND to win this game... but it feels like the ACC homer in me talking as I like Duke and Virginia to advance to the Final Four too" Evans

Kfanarmy
03-16-2015, 11:05 AM
So, every once in a while a thread pops up mentioning a Duke fan dilemma. UNC playing team X in a situation where a UNC win would help Duke in some way. Of course, that's not a real dilemma. We never, ever cheer for UNC. Ever. If Duke is waiting to play the winner of UNC vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers for the national championship, we cheer for the Cavaliers and figure out how to beat Kyrie and LeBron later.

But here we have the possibility of KY vs. Maryland. Maryland is as odious of a program as you'll get...except maybe for any program Calamari is coaching. And then Duke's chances of a Natty go up if KY is out of the tournament. So, do you vote for the Terps to post a huge upset (complete with Terps Terping incessantly for all time), or do you just hope Kansas or ND is able to take out KY in the next round?

UK went out and hired themselves a head coach with seasons vacated at two different schools. yes, you root for Maryland.

Wander
03-16-2015, 03:15 PM
I was all prepared to make a similar prediction for the same reasons, but they got an easy region and I don't see who in there would be able to do it.

Strongly agree. I was fully prepared to not pick UK to make the Final Four if they had a difficult bracket. But their 2 seed is a team they've already beaten by a million points. I actually sort of agree with JE that Notre Dame matches up decently with them (though not as well as Wisconsin), but Notre Dame looks to me to have the makings of a big upset victim and I don't think they'll get that far.

NSDukeFan
03-16-2015, 08:24 PM
I think this is a very difficult draw for Kentucky. Either Maryland or West Virginia will have the athletes to stay on the floor with Kentucky and not be intimidated. both of those teams have the elements to give Kentucky trouble, especially Maryland who is playing really well right now.

And I have been salivating for weeks about the possibility of Notre Dame versus Kentucky. For a while, it has been obvious to me that Duke and Virginia were going to end up in the East and South, making the Midwest (which is their natural region anyway) the probable destination for Notre Dame. The Irish are darn close to the best offensive team in the land with a combination of great passing and outstanding outside shooting. Matching them up against a Kentucky team that is all about controlling the paint is such a fun contrast of styles. Notre Dame has found a way to rebound and compete inside even with undersized guys, will they be able to get away with that against Kentucky's mountain-sized team? Everyone knows the formula for beating Kentucky is to hit a lot of threes and not worry about scoring in the paint... that describes Notre Dame to a T.

This must happen!

-Jason "I really, really want to pick ND to win this game... but it feels like the ACC homer in me talking as I like Duke and Virginia to advance to the Final Four too" Evans

I agree Notre Dame has the patience, ball movement and athletic skill to score against UK. I wonder if they are big enough to stop UK inside and on the boards. This is all, of course, in the event they actually meet, which is probably about 35% likelihood?

Kfanarmy
03-17-2015, 05:04 PM
I agree Notre Dame has the patience, ball movement and athletic skill to score against UK. I wonder if they are big enough to stop UK inside and on the boards. This is all, of course, in the event they actually meet, which is probably about 35% likelihood?

OK, my cranial contained random team predictor told me to pick Maryland over UK It may have been infected by davekay1971's question yesterday, but I really wasn't thinking about it as I made my picks.

brevity
03-17-2015, 08:20 PM
Hampton and Manhattan playing each other close in a fairly entertaining game. Almost makes me forget that making automatic qualifiers play their way into the tournament is a crime against nature.

rocketeli
03-17-2015, 08:29 PM
Hampton and Manhattan playing each other close in a fairly entertaining game. Almost makes me forget that making automatic qualifiers play their way into the tournament is a crime against nature.

Yes, but they're both noticeably way below the top tier in talent, skill, athleticism and generally being able to play basketball. Almost shockingly so. If UK wanted it, neither of these teams would score more than 10 points the whole game with them. Makes you think maybe the tourney should be the 65 odd best teams and forget about the auto bids?

Troublemaker
03-17-2015, 08:53 PM
Yes, but they're both noticeably way below the top tier in talent, skill, athleticism and generally being able to play basketball. Almost shockingly so. If UK wanted it, neither of these teams would score more than 10 points the whole game with them. Makes you think maybe the tourney should be the 65 odd best teams and forget about the auto bids?

But when one of the autobids win, it's a great story and part of the charm of the tournament (as long as Duke isn't on the other end). I wouldn't have it any other way. We know it's not really the best 68 teams competing here, but the tournament would be worse off if it were.

Duvall
03-19-2015, 12:36 PM
Any time now, Domers.

subzero02
03-19-2015, 12:58 PM
Words really can't express how happy I am that we aren't the ones playing Northeastern right now. Unless Notre Dame gets a little warm from 3 in the second half, this will likely be a tight game until the end. Northeastern has some post scorers and Notre Dame is in early foul "concern"

dukelifer
03-19-2015, 02:14 PM
Words really can't express how happy I am that we aren't the ones playing Northeastern right now. Unless Notre Dame gets a little warm from 3 in the second half, this will likely be a tight game until the end. Northeastern has some post scorers and Notre Dame is in early foul "concern"

4 point game with a minute to go.

dukelifer
03-19-2015, 02:21 PM
ND dodged a big bullet. Almost threw the game away. Northeastern with a chance to tie or win and turned the ball over and then fouled with 1.9 sec to go

Dr. Rosenrosen
03-19-2015, 02:23 PM
OMG, NE blew it! No shot?

Wander
03-19-2015, 02:25 PM
OMG, NE blew it! No shot?

Northeastern was too obsessed with going for the 3 point shot win, and ND knew it.

Dr. Rosenrosen
03-19-2015, 02:30 PM
Northeastern was too obsessed with going for the 3 point shot win, and ND knew it.
Yep, they only needed two. Did they have any timeouts? Man, they lost composure. Anyway, survive and advance. Good for ACC.

Newton_14
03-19-2015, 08:41 PM
Anyone see the Ellis kid from Cincy get tossed for a Flagrant 2 elbow to the throat? And it was obviously intentional. Evidently the kid has a history of temper issues. That was a bonehead stupid play in a NCAA tourney game!

And I picked Cincy so go figure!

Newton_14
03-19-2015, 08:55 PM
Anyone see the Ellis kid from Cincy get tossed for a Flagrant 2 elbow to the throat? And it was obviously intentional. Evidently the kid has a history of temper issues. That was a bonehead stupid play in a NCAA tourney game!

And I picked Cincy so go figure!

And question to the board... the winner of this game gets UK obviously, so if Cincy wins does the Ellis kid have to sit the UK game due to the Flagrant 2, or by rule is he tossed for this game with Purdue only?

TNDukeFan
03-19-2015, 09:44 PM
Verne said at the time that there's no carryover. Ellis could play next game.

OldPhiKap
03-19-2015, 09:47 PM
And:

@NormanChad: Harvard-North Carolina: The smart kids who go to class versus the smart-enough-to-go-to-Chapel-Hill kids who go to phantom class.

brevity
03-19-2015, 09:52 PM
...if Cincy wins does the Ellis kid have to sit the UK game due to the Flagrant 2, or by rule is he tossed for this game with Purdue only?


Verne said at the time that there's no carryover. Ellis could play next game.

Cincinnati is going to need Ellis against Hampton on Saturday.

rsvman
03-19-2015, 10:19 PM
Brevity killing it in this thread!

dukelifer
03-19-2015, 11:02 PM
Kentucky is making Hampton look like a 16 seed with no size.

pfrduke
03-20-2015, 12:20 PM
So we're 2 minutes in to NMSU-KU and my biggest takeaway so far is how happy I am that Len Elmore won't be calling our game tonight. It's a Pavlovian reaction at this point - I hear his voice and I get angry, no matter what he's saying.

duke4ever19
03-20-2015, 03:25 PM
So Buffalo played the first half like a mama grizzly was hot on their heels. Straight up manic.

Hopefully they can chill the heck out and put something together. I've got 'em going a couple rounds.

jipops
03-20-2015, 04:58 PM
Impressive effort by Buffalo. Unfortunately a wvu kid who hit 5 three's all year drained a key 3pt fade away to ice the game. But despite the turnovers, this was a great effort vs. the vaunted full court wvu D. Bobby was on somebody's case toward's the end. I loved that. He has as much fight as anyone.

brevity
03-20-2015, 09:28 PM
Stay classy, Tom Crean.

Reports: Indiana coach Tom Crean said 'you suck' to ref after loss (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25116337/reports-indiana-coach-tom-crean-said-you-suck-to-ref-after-loss)

CDu
03-20-2015, 09:41 PM
Stay classy, Tom Crean.

Reports: Indiana coach Tom Crean said 'you suck' to ref after loss (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25116337/reports-indiana-coach-tom-crean-said-you-suck-to-ref-after-loss)

To be fair, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Coach K has said worse to a ref. He has certainly said worse to a player (I am remembering a BC game over a decade ago where he yelled "you're a f---ing a--hole" at a player. It was warranted, but still. I don't think we should throw stones at coaches' comments in the heat of the moment.

hurleyfor3
03-20-2015, 09:44 PM
He was channeling Matt Christensen.

brevity
03-21-2015, 12:26 AM
Midwest Regional games this weekend (all times Eastern).

Saturday

2:40pm, CBS: (8) Cincinnati vs. (1) Kentucky
9:40pm, TBS: (6) Butler vs. (3) Notre Dame

Sunday

5:15pm, CBS: (7) Wichita State vs. (2) Kansas
8:40pm, TNT: (5) West Virginia vs. (4) Maryland

Chances are pretty good Kentucky will not face a double-digit seed for the rest of the tournament.

dukelion
03-21-2015, 03:12 PM
Cincy might not win this game but they sure won't back down. Giving Kentucky a pretty physical game so far.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 03:29 PM
Cincy might not win this game but they sure won't back down. Giving Kentucky a pretty physical game so far.

They are playing hard. KY is so long. Cincy will need to make 3's to win

Wander
03-21-2015, 03:37 PM
Cincy's top scorer and rebounder gets dunked on so hard he has to go to the locker room. Blahhhh

Duvall
03-21-2015, 03:39 PM
Can't wait until Kentucky plays its first good opponent since...

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-21-2015, 03:45 PM
Cincy just played fifteen minutes of damn good ball. Unfortunately the margin of error is very slim.

mattman91
03-21-2015, 03:47 PM
Cincy just played fifteen minutes of damn good ball. Unfortunately the margin of error is very slim.

Looking good. The injury at the end may be a huge loss.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-21-2015, 03:50 PM
Looking good. The injury at the end may be a huge loss.

He just needs a Pisgah Pale. Think I will drink one for him.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-21-2015, 03:52 PM
Honestly, if UNC and UK advance... I will have a hard time rooting against UNC. Or against UK.

/brain 'splodes

Dev11
03-21-2015, 03:52 PM
Can't wait until Kentucky plays its first good opponent since...

Louisville, UNC, or Kansas, depending on how you feel about any of those teams. UNC and Kansas in particular have both evolved a fair amount since Kentucky beat the snot out of them back in December and November.

Duke95
03-21-2015, 03:56 PM
The only perfect bracket remaining on ESPN has Duke beating Kentucky 58-0 in the final. :D

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2015/en/entry?entryID=4932920

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-21-2015, 04:10 PM
Cincy not taking advantage of opportunities

Wander
03-21-2015, 04:13 PM
I've never seen anyone be as happy from an opponent's techincal foul as Octavius Ellis.

NYBri
03-21-2015, 04:16 PM
I have a distinct dislike for Coach Calipari.

mattman91
03-21-2015, 04:17 PM
He just needs a Pisgah Pale. Think I will drink one for him.

No, I need a Pisgah Pale. Bring one to work for me :)

mattman91
03-21-2015, 04:18 PM
Cincy not taking advantage of opportunities

They can't shoot worth $%7@ from what I've seen.

NYBri
03-21-2015, 04:29 PM
Kentucky is trying to give this game away, but Cincy won't take it.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 04:33 PM
The only perfect bracket remaining on ESPN has Duke beating Kentucky 58-0 in the final. :D

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2015/en/entry?entryID=4932920

Kansas

flyingdutchdevil
03-21-2015, 04:44 PM
Kentucky is just not a good offensive team.

But that is some of the best defense I've ever seen in college. My lord. It's intimidating.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 04:45 PM
Kentucky is trying to give this game away, but Cincy won't take it.

It will take a great offensive team having a great night from deep to beat KY. They are too big and deep and can play ugly ball with the best of them.

dukelion
03-21-2015, 04:48 PM
If Cincy could hit threes at a reasonable rate (i.e. 35%) I think they win this fairly comfortably.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 04:48 PM
Kentucky is just not a good offensive team.

But that is some of the best defense I've ever seen in college. My lord. It's intimidating.

Yep - just so long and too many big guys. This may end up being a team that goes undefeated with no player that is really memorable.

NYBri
03-21-2015, 04:51 PM
It will take a great offensive team having a great night from deep to beat KY. They are too big and deep and can play ugly ball with the best of them.

Cincy is not a great offensive team by any stretch.

flyingdutchdevil
03-21-2015, 04:54 PM
Yep - just so long and too many big guys. This may end up being a team that goes undefeated with no player that is really memorable.

They also play well defensively as a unit. When they rotate or provide help D, they recover.

Say what you want about Calipari, but the man can create a cohesive defensive team.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 05:09 PM
They also play well defensively as a unit. When they rotate or provide help D, they recover.

Say what you want about Calipari, but the man can create a cohesive defensive team.

Teams are lucky if they have one big man that is a future pro. KY has 4. That gives them so many options on D. I am pretty sure there are a few coaches that could make use of that kind of size and talent up front.

pfrduke
03-21-2015, 05:11 PM
It occurs to me that if anyone is going to beat Kentucky this year, they'll have to win a de facto road game. Not just because Big Blue Nation travels extremely well, which they certainly do, but because it will be so easy for them to do so. Cleveland is the farthest they have to go, and that's just a 5 hour drive away; Indianapolis is 3 hours.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 05:23 PM
It occurs to me that if anyone is going to beat Kentucky this year, they'll have to win a de facto road game. Not just because Big Blue Nation travels extremely well, which they certainly do, but because it will be so easy for them to do so. Cleveland is the farthest they have to go, and that's just a 5 hour drive away; Indianapolis is 3 hours.

It may be tad harder in Indy. The fans of the 3 other teams may have something to say as well.

pfrduke
03-21-2015, 05:33 PM
It may be tad harder in Indy. The fans of the 3 other teams may have something to say as well.

I mean, maybe. But let's assume, merely for sake of example, that all four 1 seeds get there - I would expect Kentucky to have as big of a presence, if not a bigger one, as Wisconsin, Villanova, and Duke combined. It's closer and their fans travel better.

flyingdutchdevil
03-21-2015, 05:50 PM
Teams are lucky if they have one big man that is a future pro. KY has 4. That gives them so many options on D. I am pretty sure there are a few coaches that could make use of that kind of size and talent up front.

Not sure I understand your point. Duke has the same number of McAAs as Kentucky, so does that mean that many coaches can achieve the same level of success as Coach K with that talent?

Talent is half the equation. Coaching is a big part of the other half. I don't think Calipari gets the deserved respect here as a Coach. As a person, that is a different story.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 06:02 PM
Not sure I understand your point. Duke has the same number of McAAs as Kentucky, so does that mean that many coaches can achieve the same level of success as Coach K with that talent?

Talent is half the equation. Coaching is a big part of the other half. I don't think Calipari gets the deserved respect here as a Coach. As a person, that is a different story.

They have 4 pro big men. That is a huge luxury.

dukelifer
03-21-2015, 07:13 PM
I mean, maybe. But let's assume, merely for sake of example, that all four 1 seeds get there - I would expect Kentucky to have as big of a presence, if not a bigger one, as Wisconsin, Villanova, and Duke combined. It's closer and their fans travel better.

Clearly in the final. KY fans will be buying every spare ticket

subzero02
03-21-2015, 11:31 PM
The Irish are on the ropes...

CR9
03-21-2015, 11:35 PM
The Irish are on the ropes...

Don't jinx it please.

subzero02
03-22-2015, 12:08 AM
Wow... Auguste, a point guard you are not

pfrduke
03-22-2015, 12:12 AM
Two huge defensive plays by Pat Connaughton. Let's do this in OT.

Newton_14
03-22-2015, 12:27 AM
Two huge defensive plays by Pat Connaughton. Let's do this in OT.

Let's do this indeed. Great win ND. Connaughton was huge in the final 2 of Regulation and all of OT. Great effort. ACC rolls on.

subzero02
03-22-2015, 12:27 AM
The ACC now represents 3/8 of the sweet 16. Hopefuly that ratio holds true after tomorrow night.

InSpades
03-22-2015, 12:58 AM
Wow. Mike Brey lost his mother this morning. Glad they pulled that one out for him.

brevity
03-22-2015, 01:27 AM
Wow. Mike Brey lost his mother this morning. Glad they pulled that one out for him.

An AP sportswriter in Pittsburgh with the unfortunate name of Will Graves (https://twitter.com/WillGravesAP) has a series of tweets about Coach Brey. Example:

Will Graves
@WillGravesAP

Mike Brey's mother Betty was on 1956 US Olympic team as a swimmer. Held world record in butterfly at one point.

9:58 PM - 21 Mar 2015

Didn't take long to find a picture. (Source (http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/763a4c46-0976-4af0-9ccd-c6a86e316b0c/1956TrialsResults.pdf).) Click to enlarge.

4899

As for the game, Notre Dame's win gave Mike Brey his first 30-win season, and first appearance in the Sweet 16 since the 2002-2003 season.

ETA: I'm almost right. This was Notre Dame's 31st win, continuing a career best season for Coach Brey.

Newton_14
03-22-2015, 02:10 AM
Wow. Mike Brey lost his mother this morning. Glad they pulled that one out for him.
Wow. That is awful. Prayers to Mike. That had to be tough to go out there tonight and coach em up with that on your shoulders!

Was pulling like heck for them and had no idea. Super glad they pulled out knowing that.

Newton_14
03-22-2015, 02:13 AM
They have 4 pro big men. That is a huge luxury.

Well, maybe. Cauley-Stein is not that great to be honest. Great college player but not much of a low post game. Towns will definitely be a long time outstanding NBA player, but not sure about the other 3. None are surefire long time NBA guys imo.

Duke3517
03-22-2015, 08:02 AM
Kentucky gave up 22 offensive rebounds yesterday, if Cincinnati was just a little bit of a better shooting team...

lotusland
03-22-2015, 08:10 AM
I'm prepared to enthusiastically join Turtle Nation if Maryland and Kentucky advance as expected.

dukelifer
03-22-2015, 08:41 AM
Well, maybe. Cauley-Stein is not that great to be honest. Great college player but not much of a low post game. Towns will definitely be a long time outstanding NBA player, but not sure about the other 3. None are surefire long time NBA guys imo.

Towns is a very good player and Lyles is underrated as he has not had as much opportunity to shine. I agree that Cauley Stein is the bigger NBA project but he will be drafted- likely in the first round. Dakari Johnson is not a first rounder now but certainly is big and could get there in time. That said there are at least 3 top notch bigs and that separates them from most teams in college ball. They make it very difficult to score the ball inside the paint. A great night from 3 will overcome that size particularly with big outside shooters. ND and Wisconsin have that kind of team.

hurleyfor3
03-22-2015, 05:19 PM
Two of the refs in the Kansas/Wichita State game are named Nixon and Kissinger (Greg Nixon and Kipp Kissinger). This amuses me.

dukelifer
03-22-2015, 06:53 PM
Shockers taking it to the Jayhawks right now. On a roll.

juise
03-22-2015, 06:57 PM
Shockers taking it to the Jayhawks right now. On a roll.

No wonder the Jayhawks won't schedule them. ;) This would be an appreciated bone thrown to my brackets since my East region is toast.

dukelifer
03-22-2015, 07:13 PM
No wonder the Jayhawks won't schedule them. ;) This would be an appreciated bone thrown to my brackets since my East region is toast.

They are still playing well but Kansas will not go quietly.

dukelifer
03-22-2015, 07:30 PM
They are still playing well but Kansas will not go quietly.

Kansas about to go home.

NYBri
03-22-2015, 07:38 PM
Down goes Frazier.

CR9
03-22-2015, 07:44 PM
Kansas about to go home.

They honestly went as quietly as you can imagine for a 2 seed. Another Elite 8 team gone for me. Been a bad day. Just like Thursday.

Tripping William
03-22-2015, 08:16 PM
Wichita St. v. Notre Dame is a fascinating matchup.

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2015, 08:26 PM
I thought the refs were letting Wichita get away with a ton for pushing, grabbing, shoving. There was one play where Wichita had their hands all over the Kansas ball handler and he bumps the Shocker defender and they called a charge.

bedeviled
03-22-2015, 08:39 PM
I thought the refs were letting Wichita get away with a ton for pushing, grabbing, shovingThere have been a number of games in which I thought the "pesky" or "scrappy" underdog was allowed to play in a chippy manner. From the very start, Notre Dame and Iowa State got in immediate foul trouble as they had to adjust to decreasing the 'power' basketball while the refs didn't whistle annoying stuff like grabbing and bumping cutters and pushing/pulling screens.

I was quite worried about how they'd officiate Duke, especially Okafor, but I didn't want to put that idea 'out there.' :)

JBDuke
03-22-2015, 10:27 PM
Man, Melo Trimble just got CLOBBERED on an illegal screen that wasn't called. Down and had to be helped off. Hope he can come back quickly. Yikes. And a dirty play, too, from what I could see - not that this is a surprise coming from a Huggins team.

devildeac
03-22-2015, 10:44 PM
Man, Melo Trimble just got CLOBBERED on an illegal screen that wasn't called. Down and had to be helped off. Hope he can come back quickly. Yikes. And a dirty play, too, from what I could see - not that this is a surprise coming from a Huggins team.

Did the WVU fans cheer/applaud like certain former (non) rival fans did when Nolan got laid out several years ago by the terp goon?:mad: Yea, I know we discussed that extensively but that one still frosts my posterior.

JBDuke
03-22-2015, 10:45 PM
Man, Melo Trimble just got CLOBBERED on an illegal screen that wasn't called. Down and had to be helped off. Hope he can come back quickly. Yikes. And a dirty play, too, from what I could see - not that this is a surprise coming from a Huggins team.

And now he gets kicked in the head by a teammate. Wow. Tough night to be Melo!

pfrduke
03-22-2015, 10:45 PM
Did the WVU fans cheer/applaud like certain former (non) rival fans did when Nolan got laid out several years ago by the terp goon?:mad: Yea, I know we discussed that extensively but that one still frosts my posterior.

Dave Neal. And Gerald's dunk in response was one of the 2-3 best things he did in a Duke uniform.

bedeviled
03-22-2015, 10:46 PM
I wonder if they'll do a concussion test this time. #PlausibleDeniability

Philadukie
03-22-2015, 10:55 PM
Kentucky might have their hands full with this WVU team. I'm not sure they've seen a defense like this yet. Question will be whether WVU can score against the Kentucky defense.

JBDuke
03-22-2015, 10:58 PM
Melo out for the rest of the game. Maryland staff not allowing him back in. Probably seals the deal for WVU tonight.

Wander
03-22-2015, 10:59 PM
I will repeat my earlier assertion that Wichita State might have the best backcourt in the country - only Duke, Kentucky, and Oklahoma can contend with them (UVA too when they were healthy). They played 4 guards for most of the game - the Notre Dam/WSU game will have a ton of small ball.

gumbomoop
03-22-2015, 11:01 PM
Man, Melo Trimble just got CLOBBERED on an illegal screen that wasn't called. Down and had to be helped off. Hope he can come back quickly. Yikes. And a dirty play, too, from what I could see - not that this is a surprise coming from a Huggins team.

Hard to see how all 3 refs missed that one, especially as moving picks are regularly monitored and called. That one was so obvious. No ref conspiracy, but really irritating when all 3 refs blow it. And they did blow it.

Trimble won't return after the second blow some minutes later, and Terps have no backup PG.

JBDuke
03-22-2015, 11:09 PM
Layman with a SERIOUS jam - and the foul!

FerryFor50
03-22-2015, 11:11 PM
And Maryland just got hosed again on a foul call.

If it was any team other than the Terps or Holes, I might feel bad for them.

g-money
03-22-2015, 11:18 PM
And Maryland just got hosed again on a foul call.

If it was any team other than the Terps or Holes, I might feel bad for them.

Yeah, as much as I love to see the Terps go home, the zebras didn't exactly do them any favors tonight. There were a lot of blown calls and most of them hurt MD, IMO. But hey, that's why it's the NCAA tournament and not the NBA.

Anyway, see ya, MD.

Kfanarmy
03-23-2015, 12:26 PM
Kentucky might have their hands full with this WVU team. I'm not sure they've seen a defense like this yet. Question will be whether WVU can score against the Kentucky defense. I thought MD might beat Kentucky. Because of Calipari, I've been inclined to root against them no matter who they play, but I've found an exception. I think WVU has become a dirty team. Love the frenetic pace their D plays with, but they are holding, elbowing, shoving their way through the tournament. All three of their games that I've seen have been the same. Huggins has apparently decided that the officials won't call a foul on every defensive trip, so it is to his advantage to rough house the opposition in hopes of wearing them down (or hurting them). I don't consider that BB, so I'm officially rooting for UK against them.

Mal
03-23-2015, 01:40 PM
I thought MD might beat Kentucky. Because of Calipari, I've been inclined to root against them no matter who they play, but I've found an exception. I think WVU has become a dirty team. Love the frenetic pace their D plays with, but they are holding, elbowing, shoving their way through the tournament. All three of their games that I've seen have been the same. Huggins has apparently decided that the officials won't call a foul on every defensive trip, so it is to his advantage to rough house the opposition in hopes of wearing them down (or hurting them). I don't consider that BB, so I'm officially rooting for UK against them.

Thanks for that insight - I didn't catch that game and haven't seen WV. A part of me is OK with UK winning three more times. Can't actually state the real reason why out loud, but I think we can all guess. But I was having a hard time figuring out how to work up a healthy enough distaste for the Mountaineers, based only on their association with Huggy Bear, to be OK with not being disappointed if Kentucky beats them. I like that I can now cloak it in "WVU's dirty and coached by Huggins (redundant)." The road of loathing doesn't peter out for me if Kentucky then were to face Notre Dame and either Wisconsin or UNC. I irrationally hate all three of them as much as, if not more than, UK, anyway.

Kathy S
03-23-2015, 02:06 PM
Thanks for that insight - I didn't catch that game and haven't seen WV. A part of me is OK with UK winning three more times. Can't actually state the real reason why out loud, but I think we can all guess. But I was having a hard time figuring out how to work up a healthy enough distaste for the Mountaineers, based only on their association with Huggy Bear, to be OK with not being disappointed if Kentucky beats them. I like that I can now cloak it in "WVU's dirty and coached by Huggins (redundant)." The road of loathing doesn't peter out for me if Kentucky then were to face Notre Dame and either Wisconsin or UNC. I irrationally hate all three of them as much as, if not more than, UK, anyway.

This may help you rationalize wanting to root for UK. Huggins' daughters (one of whom apparently works for WVU in some official capacity) were on Twitter last night calling out Dez Wells as a rapist. Link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/03/23/bob-hugginss-daughters-make-rape-jokes-about-marylands-dez-wells/

Wander
03-23-2015, 02:18 PM
I thought MD might beat Kentucky. Because of Calipari, I've been inclined to root against them no matter who they play, but I've found an exception. I think WVU has become a dirty team. Love the frenetic pace their D plays with, but they are holding, elbowing, shoving their way through the tournament. All three of their games that I've seen have been the same. Huggins has apparently decided that the officials won't call a foul on every defensive trip, so it is to his advantage to rough house the opposition in hopes of wearing them down (or hurting them). I don't consider that BB, so I'm officially rooting for UK against them.

There are 351 division 1 teams, so it's obviously very rare to actually be the absolute single best or single worst at something. WVU forces the most turnovers out of all 351 teams, and allows the most free throws out of all 351 teams. One of the most amazing stats I've seen this year. So yeah, I think describing their strategy as just hacking away until they get a steal or a foul is pretty fair.

FerryFor50
03-23-2015, 02:21 PM
There are 351 division 1 teams, so it's obviously very rare to actually be the absolute single best or single worst at something. WVU forces the most turnovers out of all 351 teams, and allows the most free throws out of all 351 teams. One of the most amazing stats I've seen this year. So yeah, I think describing their strategy as just hacking away until they get a steal or a foul is pretty fair.

They also lead NCAA men's basketball in solo tackles and forced fumbles.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-23-2015, 02:22 PM
I dislike Maryland as much as anyone but how that Pick play was not called a foul is beyond me, I hate when a play like that has an impact on the game. WVU is one of the teams that try to make those plays and then capitalize off of them.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-23-2015, 02:23 PM
This may help you rationalize wanting to root for UK. Huggins' daughters (one of whom apparently works for WVU in some official capacity) were on Twitter last night calling out Dez Wells as a rapist. Link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/03/23/bob-hugginss-daughters-make-rape-jokes-about-marylands-dez-wells/

If there's a spitting contest between WVU and Maryland, we are the winners. Couldn't happen to two more amazing programs.

Mal
03-23-2015, 03:15 PM
This may help you rationalize wanting to root for UK. Huggins' daughters (one of whom apparently works for WVU in some official capacity) were on Twitter last night calling out Dez Wells as a rapist. Link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/03/23/bob-hugginss-daughters-make-rape-jokes-about-marylands-dez-wells/

Oh, my. Apples, trees, gravity and such.

OldPhiKap
03-23-2015, 03:29 PM
If there's a spitting contest between WVU and Maryland, we are the winners. Couldn't happen to two more amazing programs.

Maryland just does not play well with other children. This is why they can't have nice things.


I don't know anything about Dez Wells personally, but admired his game.

NYBri
03-23-2015, 03:34 PM
Maryland just does not play well with other children. This is why they can't have nice things.


They tend to break all the toys.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-23-2015, 03:55 PM
Maryland just does not play well with other children. This is why they can't have nice things.


I don't know anything about Dez Wells personally, but admired his game.

Huggy Bear still makes me a little nauseated as well.

rthomas
03-23-2015, 04:07 PM
I envision a 2010 rematch. And if both WVU and Duke get to Indianapolis I will be there too to see it.

Kfanarmy
03-23-2015, 04:16 PM
There are 351 division 1 teams, so it's obviously very rare to actually be the absolute single best or single worst at something. WVU forces the most turnovers out of all 351 teams, and allows the most free throws out of all 351 teams. One of the most amazing stats I've seen this year. So yeah, I think describing their strategy as just hacking away until they get a steal or a foul is pretty fair. Wow. Attrition should not be a BB strategy.

FerryFor50
03-23-2015, 04:17 PM
I envision a 2010 rematch. And if both WVU and Duke get to Indianapolis I will be there too to see it.

Which would be hilarious, as it would be twice that WVU takes care of a heavily favored Kentucky team before Duke has to face them.

Tripping William
03-23-2015, 04:19 PM
I envision a 2010 rematch. And if both WVU and Duke get to Indianapolis I will be there too to see it.


Which would be hilarious, as it would be twice that WVU takes care of a heavily favored Kentucky team before Duke has to face them.

And both would come In The Annapolis. I'm down with this, as long as we beat the 'Eers by 21 again.

devildeac
03-23-2015, 05:24 PM
Dave Neal. And Gerald's dunk in response was one of the 2-3 best things he did in a Duke uniform.

Best 2-3 things...

Heh-heh.

hurleyfor3
03-23-2015, 07:05 PM
Exactly whom do we root for on that side of the bracket? Wichita, right? Unless we are certain to win the national championship; then I'd want it to be against unc.

Wander
03-23-2015, 07:10 PM
Exactly whom do we root for on that side of the bracket? Wichita, right? Unless we are certain to win the national championship; then I'd want it to be against unc.

Obviously, Wichita ruining Kentucky's undefeated season would be the perfect inverse of last year. But while their backcourt can match up or maybe even exceed Kentucky's, I don't think they have the inside guys to do it.

If you mean that entire HALF of the bracket, Wisconsin winning it all is realistic and wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Tripping William
03-23-2015, 07:17 PM
Obviously, Wichita ruining Kentucky's undefeated season would be the perfect inverse of last year. But while their backcourt can match up or maybe even exceed Kentucky's, I don't think they have the inside guys to do it.

If you mean that entire HALF of the bracket, Wisconsin winning it all is realistic and wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Why not Notre Dame and its (grieving) former-Duke-assistant head coach?

CDu
03-23-2015, 07:59 PM
Why not Notre Dame and its (grieving) former-Duke-assistant head coach?

Yeah, Notre Dame and Wisconsin top my list on that half of the bracket.

hurleyfor3
03-23-2015, 08:17 PM
ND's not a bad choice once (if) Duke is knocked out. I don't particularly want to play a team for the national championship who has beaten us twice, however.

FerryFor50
03-23-2015, 08:20 PM
ND's not a bad choice once (if) Duke is knocked out. I don't particularly want to play for the national championship who has beaten us twice, however.

What's Duke's record on return-return-return games?

Duvall
03-23-2015, 08:21 PM
What's Duke's record on return-return-return games?

In the Final Four? Pretty good.

OldPhiKap
03-23-2015, 08:26 PM
In the Final Four? Pretty good.

Yeah, but I can't handle going down by 17 or so first this time please.

Mal
03-24-2015, 11:49 AM
Wisconsin winning it all...wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

For me personally, it would be right up there with the Heels winning, frankly. Maybe not the worst thing in the world, but a close second.

Hurleyfor3, I'd be psyched to meet ND in the championship regardless of the two losses to them. A rematch, where our focus is guaranteed, against a team that we've beaten by 30 before, sounds like a recipe for success to me.

nmduke2001
03-24-2015, 12:01 PM
I really think that WVU can and will take down Kentucky. Huggins has Cal's number (8-2 against him). If Kentucky has a weakness, it's the Harrison brothers ability to play as true point guards. I think the WVU press is going to cause a ton of turnovers. In addition, WVU is really deep. I don't think they will get worn down by Kentucky like so many others have. I could see frustration mount and Kentucky folding.

If Kentucky survives WVU, the physical nature of that game will surely take a toll and they would be vulnerable after a short turnaround. Unfortunately, that next game wouldn't be against a team like Wisconsin or Arizona but maybe ND can pull it off.

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2015, 12:03 PM
I really think that WVU can and will take down Kentucky. Huggins has Cal's number (8-2 against him). If Kentucky has a weakness, it's the Harrison brothers ability to play as true point guards. I think the WVU press is going to cause a ton of turnovers. In addition, WVU is really deep. I don't think they will get worn down by Kentucky like so many others have. I could see frustration mount and Kentucky folding.

If Kentucky survives WVU, the physical nature of that game will surely take a toll and they would be vulnerable after a short turnaround. Unfortunately, that next game wouldn't be against a team like Wisconsin or Arizona but maybe ND can pull it off.

If the refs are allowing them to play I could see it happening but I have a feeling the game will be tightly officiated

Kfanarmy
03-24-2015, 01:30 PM
If the refs are allowing them to play I could see it happening but I have a feeling the game will be tightly officiated

Agree, although not calling fouls on WVU is a lot more than "allowing them to play," I would expect a much tighter called game than the terps got...in the same way UCLA was protected in round 1. This may be one time where the NCAAs desire to protect a cash cow coincides with my desire to see a team bumped out for playing rugby on the BB court.

Philadukie
03-24-2015, 03:08 PM
Agree, although not calling fouls on WVU is a lot more than "allowing them to play," I would expect a much tighter called game than the terps got...in the same way UCLA was protected in round 1. This may be one time where the NCAAs desire to protect a cash cow coincides with my desire to see a team bumped out for playing rugby on the BB court.

No offense, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim that NCAA executives are telling the officials to "protect" a big name school because they're a "cash cow." That's a bit too conspiracy theory-ish for my taste and leads down the same path taken by the folks who claim that the NCAA does this for Duke too ("Duke gets all the calls..."). Regardless of what you may think of the NCAA on many issues, it's highly unlikely that they're so unethical as to direct officials how to call games to "protect" big-name schools and the money they bring in -- unless you harbor thoughts of caricatures running the NCAA rather than real people. This game might be called tight, but I highly doubt there's any conspiracy behind it.

Anyway, more to this game in particular, I do think WVU has a chance to win this (I picked them to win this in the Elite 8 Poll) IF they can continue to force turnovers AND score on those turnovers at the same rate they have been. They key stat here is that WVU generates 28% of their points off turnovers -- tops among big conference schools. The challenge with Kentucky is that it's so difficult to score on them in the half-court due to their size. But a team that can create lots of turnovers in the open court can generate points by beating Kentucky's size to the basket with quick 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 breakaways. This also can lead to more "and-1" situations due to late trailing/recovering players, like we saw against MD.

FerryFor50
03-24-2015, 03:42 PM
No offense, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim that NCAA executives are telling the officials to "protect" a big name school because they're a "cash cow." That's a bit too conspiracy theory-ish for my taste and leads down the same path taken by the folks who claim that the NCAA does this for Duke too ("Duke gets all the calls..."). Regardless of what you may think of the NCAA on many issues, it's highly unlikely that they're so unethical as to direct officials how to call games to "protect" big-name schools and the money they bring in -- unless you harbor thoughts of caricatures running the NCAA rather than real people. This game might be called tight, but I highly doubt there's any conspiracy behind it.

Anyway, more to this game in particular, I do think WVU has a chance to win this (I picked them to win this in the Elite 8 Poll) IF they can continue to force turnovers AND score on those turnovers at the same rate they have been. They key stat here is that WVU generates 28% of their points off turnovers -- tops among big conference schools. The challenge with Kentucky is that it's so difficult to score on them in the half-court due to their size. But a team that can create lots of turnovers in the open court can generate points by beating Kentucky's size to the basket with quick 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 breakaways. This also can lead to more "and-1" situations due to late trailing/recovering players, like we saw against MD.

Agree. I think it has a lot more to do with what crew is officiating. Some officials come from conferences more likely to swallow the whistle on contact than others.

The officiating crew for the MD/WVU game was Terry Wymer, Tom Eades and Terry Oglesby.

All three officials called fewer fouls this year than ACC fan favorite Jamie Luckie. Former favorite Ted Valentine was on par:

http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/compare?s=valentine&r1=terry-wymer&r1_season=2014&r2=jamie-luckie&r2_season=2014&r3=tom-eades&r3_season=2014&r4=terry-oglesby&r4_season=2014

All three officiate Big 10 games, which, in my opinion, are always overly physical.

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2015, 04:21 PM
What draws the worst reaction from the UK fan base? Losing or winning it all? If a fan base could withstand the fights that are bound to happen if UK loses in the Sweet 16 it is West Virginia's.

flyingdutchdevil
03-24-2015, 04:44 PM
What draws the worst reaction from the UK fan base? Losing or winning it all? If a fan base could withstand the fights that are bound to happen if UK loses in the Sweet 16 it is West Virginia's.

If Kentucky loses, they burn Lexington to the ground (depression + bourbon = lack of mobility). If Kentucky wins, they burn Louisville to the ground (ecstasy + bourbon = drunk driving).

Neals384
03-25-2015, 09:49 PM
In our 2010 title run, it was WV that took down KY. Can they do it again? All the talk back then was that Duke would have no chance against KY in the FF.

FerryFor50
03-25-2015, 10:53 PM
WVU freshman Daxter Miles has guaranteed victory against Kentucky (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/west-virginia-freshman-daxter-miles-guarantees-win-over-kentucky-202550929.html).

Really not sure why players say this sort of stuff. It doesn't buy you a mental edge. In fact, it often does the opposite.

Even harder to understand it when it's a freshman role player.

Newton_14
03-25-2015, 11:01 PM
In our 2010 title run, it was WV that took down KY. Can they do it again? All the talk back then was that Duke would have no chance against KY in the FF. I don't know but I will say this: They are beatable (and not in the sense that "everybody is beatable"). Unlike other past great teams, this UK team does not come out and just run you out of the gym early. I do agree with Luke Wynn that to beat them you will most likely have to hit a lot of 3's but many teams are capable of "hitting a lot of 3's", Duke included. A team that is disciplined, uses a lot of shot/pump/ball fakes, and shoots it well from deep can beat them. They very well may finish the 40-0 season, but I don't feel as though it is going to be a cakewalk.

The WVU game will be very interesting. WVU is going to press them full court for 40 minutes, foul a lot, and hopefully turn UK over a lot, and could potentially cause UK to lose their heads and get caught up in chippiness. I would love to see how UK reacts if they are tied or down with like less than 2-3 mins to go. One of the tv experts over the weekend opined that people were wrong about the pressure being on UK. He said it was the opposite and the pressure is actually on the teams playing UK. I totally and adamantly disagree with that notion. The whole world is expecting UK to win so the opponent goes in playing with nothing to lose. They are supposed to lose and no one expects them to win. I feel all the pressure is fully on the side of UK. They are supposed to win and if they don't it will all have been for naught.

If nothing else, maybe WVU beats the crap out of them physically and UK leaves that game bruised and battered heading into the Regional Final.

weezie
03-26-2015, 08:43 PM
I wonder if Greg Marshall stepped outside at the half to take that AL call.

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 09:02 PM
There was nothing dishonorable in losing to ND twice, was there.

dukelifer
03-26-2015, 09:02 PM
I don't know but I will say this: They are beatable (and not in the sense that "everybody is beatable"). Unlike other past great teams, this UK team does not come out and just run you out of the gym early. I do agree with Luke Wynn that to beat them you will most likely have to hit a lot of 3's but many teams are capable of "hitting a lot of 3's", Duke included. A team that is disciplined, uses a lot of shot/pump/ball fakes, and shoots it well from deep can beat them. They very well may finish the 40-0 season, but I don't feel as though it is going to be a cakewalk.

The WVU game will be very interesting. WVU is going to press them full court for 40 minutes, foul a lot, and hopefully turn UK over a lot, and could potentially cause UK to lose their heads and get caught up in chippiness. I would love to see how UK reacts if they are tied or down with like less than 2-3 mins to go. One of the tv experts over the weekend opined that people were wrong about the pressure being on UK. He said it was the opposite and the pressure is actually on the teams playing UK. I totally and adamantly disagree with that notion. The whole world is expecting UK to win so the opponent goes in playing with nothing to lose. They are supposed to lose and no one expects them to win. I feel all the pressure is fully on the side of UK. They are supposed to win and if they don't it will all have been for naught.

If nothing else, maybe WVU beats the crap out of them physically and UK leaves that game bruised and battered heading into the Regional Final.

You don't want to play your best game before the elite 8. Notre Dame is on fire from deep in this game - but that is the way to beat KY. We will see if Notre Dame can repeat this kind of performance. History says no.

Furniture
03-26-2015, 09:03 PM
Twice?

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 09:07 PM
Twice?

They're a very good team that just might do our dirty work of knocking out Kentucky. Time to acknowledge that.

pfrduke
03-26-2015, 09:19 PM
Notre Dame's offense is so pretty to watch when it's humming. Precision cuts, excellent ball movement, and lots of wide open looks. I'm not sure if it will work against Kentucky, but tonight they looked like they could beat almost anyone.

NSDukeFan
03-26-2015, 09:25 PM
Notre Dame's offense is so pretty to watch when it's humming. Precision cuts, excellent ball movement, and lots of wide open looks. I'm not sure if it will work against Kentucky, but tonight they looked like they could beat almost anyone.

Somewhat San Antonioesque. I was so impressed with Connaughton in that game. Can he make good contributions against Cauley-Stein?

gocanes0506
03-26-2015, 09:25 PM
well thats atleast 2 ACC teams in the elite eight.

Duvall
03-26-2015, 09:58 PM
Hey, thanks for showing up West Virginia. Collect your free T-shirts at the information desk.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:02 PM
Hey, thanks for showing up West Virginia. Collect your free T-shirts at the information desk.

Why does this game seem over before it starts?

Duke95
03-26-2015, 10:05 PM
Why does this game seem over before it starts?

Kentucky looks ready to put this game away in the first 10 minutes.

duke96
03-26-2015, 10:05 PM
Shane might be wrong about this one

weezie
03-26-2015, 10:05 PM
Why does this game seem over before it starts?

Bloodbath in progress. Heaven help the mountaineers.

Duvall
03-26-2015, 10:07 PM
Why does this game seem over before it starts?

Size matters. West Virginia can't shoot well enough to be this small.

moonpie23
03-26-2015, 10:08 PM
wv trying too hard to out-muscle the cats.....won't happen....the cats are BIG.....and STRONG....

huggie better come up with some shooting...

rsvman
03-26-2015, 10:08 PM
Um.........this is embarrassing. Looks like the parents against the kids at the end of the rec league season for 8-year-olds.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:08 PM
Bloodbath in progress. Heaven help the mountaineers.

Who was the bonehead WV Frosh who ran his stupid mouth? Bet he feels pretty stupid at the moment.

gocanes0506
03-26-2015, 10:08 PM
Size matters. West Virginia can't shoot well enough to be this small.

doesnt help everything is a foul. Refs wont let WVU play their game. Man where were these refs in the 2013 game against Louisville?

brevity
03-26-2015, 10:09 PM
And now the main event: Ashley Judd vs. Jennifer Garner*.

* Despite being an avowed fan, growing up there, and having the code name Mountaineer on ALIAS, she did not attend West Virginia.

jacone21
03-26-2015, 10:10 PM
I think I've had my fill of "disgusted Huggy" tight closeup shots. The only thing worse is the Elmore/Webber combo. Time to catch up on some Walking Dead.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:11 PM
I think I've had my fill of "disgusted Huggy" tight closeup shots. The only thing worse is the Elmore/Webber combo. Time to catch up on some Walking Dead.

Walking Dead is the Mountaineers.

dukelifer
03-26-2015, 10:11 PM
Walking Dead is the Mountaineers.
That was fast

Duvall
03-26-2015, 10:12 PM
doesnt help everything is a foul. Refs wont let WVU play their game. Man where were these refs in the 2013 game against Louisville?

Pretty dumb of West Virginia to openly talk all week about how they were going to foul Kentucky all night.

lotusland
03-26-2015, 10:13 PM
Had a substitute teacher in 6th grade who would look down and say "I'm not going to look up, I'm afraid I'll be disappointed." That's how I felt watching this game so I turned it off.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:14 PM
That was fast

Am I wrong? :-)

Danke Shane
03-26-2015, 10:16 PM
doesnt help everything is a foul. Refs wont let WVU play their game. Man where were these refs in the 2013 game against Louisville?

Yeah, it's blatantly obvious that after WVa roughed up MD, the NCAA wasn't going to let them get away with roughing up UK.

OldPhiKap
03-26-2015, 10:16 PM
They're a very good team that just might do our dirty work of knocking out Kentucky. Time to acknowledge that.

Hoping to make it to .500 in the Final.

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 10:16 PM
And now the main event: Ashley Judd vs. Jennifer Garner*.

Not close, JGarn all the way. I mean, Ben Affleck cooties vs. Dick Vitale cooties.

Kentucky, the state, is like a fake West Virginia, the way Tennessee is to NC.

dukelifer
03-26-2015, 10:20 PM
Am I wrong? :-)

no- the demise of the WV was fast. KY decided to make a statement for the last time they met. This could be an historic butt kicking

NSDukeFan
03-26-2015, 10:24 PM
Maybe the Big 12 wasn't the best conference?

turnandburn55
03-26-2015, 10:30 PM
Looks like the pre-game "They're going to be 36-1" was a good call.

subzero02
03-26-2015, 10:31 PM
Charbroiled mountaineers...

OldPhiKap
03-26-2015, 10:31 PM
Maybe the Big 12 wasn't the best conference?

But I heard that it was all year. Go figure.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:33 PM
Charbroiled mountaineers...

Dressing a deer in the field is less savage than this game.

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 10:33 PM
Reminds me of 1990 unlv-loyola marymount.

rsvman
03-26-2015, 10:34 PM
Maybe the Big 12 wasn't the best conference?

Understatement of the year. I think this year the media could not have been more wrong in their assessments of the conference's strength.

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 10:36 PM
Maybe playing Lando Calrissian will help.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 10:36 PM
Reminds me of 1990 unlv-loyola marymount.

Or what they did to us in 1990.

hurleyfor3
03-26-2015, 10:37 PM
Or what they did to us in 1990.

We didn't try to run with them tho. Loyola challenged them to.

duke4ever19
03-26-2015, 10:38 PM
Kentucky will beat WVU, but neither team will beat the referees.

moonpie23
03-26-2015, 10:40 PM
when the refs remember what "over the back" means, uk will lose.....hard to block shots when you're on the bench...

BigZ
03-26-2015, 10:50 PM
Notre Dame is just too damn small for Kentucky. UK on way to Indy

dukelion
03-26-2015, 11:00 PM
I still say that Kentucky hasn't played a truly good team since the Louisville game in December.

That will change with Notre Dame but they should have some pretty overwhelming match-ups size wise in that game.

NYBri
03-26-2015, 11:10 PM
Will WV Score 40 vigil.

rsvman
03-26-2015, 11:29 PM
This is pretty harsh. I hope it makes KY complacent going forward, but it's not likely.

dukelifer
03-26-2015, 11:30 PM
Notre Dame is just too damn small for Kentucky. UK on way to Indy
If they shoot lights out from 3- they have a fighters chance.

FerryFor50
03-26-2015, 11:31 PM
Karl Towns has 4 fouls and 0 points. Yet Kentucky is still up by 35.

davekay1971
03-26-2015, 11:35 PM
Ned Beatty from Deliverance thinks what Kentucky is doing to West Virginia is painful...

davekay1971
03-26-2015, 11:36 PM
Will WV Score 40 vigil.

You hit the 4 key when you meant to hit the 3 key. And no, WVU is not going to score 30.

Troublemaker
03-26-2015, 11:39 PM
Notre Dame will be the first top 10 team Kentucky has played this season.

Don't give up hope yet.

MaxAMillion
03-26-2015, 11:48 PM
Maybe the Big 12 wasn't the best conference?

Maybe UK is the best team in the country and some people just don't want to admit it.

gofurman
03-27-2015, 12:13 AM
Real question here. I was too young to study bball when we beat UNLV etc. I watched but didn't really understand much. I knew they were undefeated and had killed us the year before. Etc etc. but I couldn't have named five teams in their conference. My point is this - does UK look better than what UNLV was doing in 90-91 era? I would have to think the sec, despite being bad, is better than the competition UNLV played. The sec has several nba players - LSU, Arkansas etc. we will know more on Saturday as we know what Notre dame is worth (top 15 squad that is small but crafty, well coached, and can shoot ). But at this point, would you say that UK now or the ol UNLV of 90-91 was better?

davekay1971
03-27-2015, 12:25 AM
Real question here. I was too young to study bball when we beat UNLV etc. I watched but didn't really understand much. I knew they were undefeated and had killed us the year before. Etc etc. but I couldn't have named five teams in their conference. My point is this - does UK look better than what UNLV was doing in 90-91 era? I would have to think the sec, despite being bad, is better than the competition UNLV played. The sec has several nba players - LSU, Arkansas etc. we will know more on Saturday as we know what Notre dame is worth (top 15 squad that is small but crafty, well coached, and can shoot ). But at this point, would you say that UK now or the ol UNLV of 90-91 was better?

UNLV was better, although that doesn't mean KY isn't a pretty awesome team. UNLV had NBA talent at multiple positions, but they also had more experience playing together, and they were grown men (I think their starters were mostly about 22 years old). They handled an Arkansas team that year, easily, that was better than anything KY has faced this season. Otherwise their competition stunk, which was why they choked when Duke refused to go away and then took a late lead. But they were better going into the 1991 tournament than KY is going into this tournament. 10 years from now, we may look at what the players on the KY team have accomplished in the NBA and be awed at the collection of talent on one college team...but that's a different question than which is a better team at the moment of the tournament in which they played/are playing.

At the same time, Duke 1991 was better than the Duke team we have now. But again, this Duke team is pretty awesome. If we get to play Kentucky in the national championship game, I hope everyone thinks it's just a coronation of KY. I'd like to see our guys playing with the chip on their shoulders of being disrespected underdogs. I'd like that a lot.

NashvilleDevil
03-27-2015, 12:38 AM
Maybe UK is the best team in the country and some people just don't want to admit it.

I've come to grips with that.

brevity
03-27-2015, 01:05 AM
Patrick Stevens (https://twitter.com/D1scourse/status/581307116574662656) reports via Twitter:

Saturday tip for Kentucky-Notre Dame is 8:49pm on TBS.

burnspbesq
03-27-2015, 01:11 AM
UNLV was better, although that doesn't mean KY isn't a pretty awesome team. UNLV had NBA talent at multiple positions, but they also had more experience playing together, and they were grown men (I think their starters were mostly about 22 years old). They handled an Arkansas team that year, easily, that was better than anything KY has faced this season. Otherwise their competition stunk, which was why they choked when Duke refused to go away and then took a late lead. But they were better going into the 1991 tournament than KY is going into this tournament. 10 years from now, we may look at what the players on the KY team have accomplished in the NBA and be awed at the collection of talent on one college team...but that's a different question than which is a better team at the moment of the tournament in which they played/are playing.

At the same time, Duke 1991 was better than the Duke team we have now. But again, this Duke team is pretty awesome. If we get to play Kentucky in the national championship game, I hope everyone thinks it's just a coronation of KY. I'd like to see our guys playing with the chip on their shoulders of being disrespected underdogs. I'd like that a lot.

"Stunk" is an overstatement. The Big West got an at-large bid (New Mexico State) in 1991. Fresno State and Utah State were decent. That was my last year as a UC Irvine season ticket holder, so i got to see the entire league.

Kedsy
03-27-2015, 01:20 AM
Real question here. I was too young to study bball when we beat UNLV etc. I watched but didn't really understand much. I knew they were undefeated and had killed us the year before. Etc etc. but I couldn't have named five teams in their conference. My point is this - does UK look better than what UNLV was doing in 90-91 era? I would have to think the sec, despite being bad, is better than the competition UNLV played. The sec has several nba players - LSU, Arkansas etc. we will know more on Saturday as we know what Notre dame is worth (top 15 squad that is small but crafty, well coached, and can shoot ). But at this point, would you say that UK now or the ol UNLV of 90-91 was better?

I agree that 1991 UNLV was better than 2015 UK. But college basketball was different then, so it's hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

I also think that this UK team could end up with a similar fate to the 1991 Runnin' Rebels. Based on their body of work, they are clearly beatable. Whether being beatable leads to getting beaten is another story altogether.

I occasionally watch a replay of the 1991 national semifinal game between Duke and UNLV. Every time I still kinda think Duke's gonna lose.

Oriole Way
03-27-2015, 02:20 AM
Notre Dame will be the first top 10 team Kentucky has played this season.

Don't give up hope yet.

Huh? Kentucky beat Kansas in November when Kansas was ranked #5. They also beat #4 (at the time) Louisville in December.

camion
03-27-2015, 06:39 AM
Huh? Kentucky beat Kansas in November when Kansas was ranked #5. They also beat #4 (at the time) Louisville in December.

I remember when Harrison Barnes was a preseason first team All-American. Doesn't mean the ranking was deserved.

Kfanarmy
03-27-2015, 08:52 AM
No offense, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim that NCAA executives are telling the officials to "protect" a big name school because they're a "cash cow." That's a bit too conspiracy theory-ish for my taste and leads down the same path taken by the folks who claim that the NCAA does this for Duke too ("Duke gets all the calls..."). Regardless of what you may think of the NCAA on many issues, it's highly unlikely that they're so unethical as to direct officials how to call games to "protect" big-name schools and the money they bring in -- unless you harbor thoughts of caricatures running the NCAA rather than real people. This game might be called tight, but I highly doubt there's any conspiracy behind it.

Anyway, more to this game in particular, I do think WVU has a chance to win this (I picked them to win this in the Elite 8 Poll) IF they can continue to force turnovers AND score on those turnovers at the same rate they have been. They key stat here is that WVU generates 28% of their points off turnovers -- tops among big conference schools. The challenge with Kentucky is that it's so difficult to score on them in the half-court due to their size. But a team that can create lots of turnovers in the open court can generate points by beating Kentucky's size to the basket with quick 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 breakaways. This also can lead to more "and-1" situations due to late trailing/recovering players, like we saw against MD.

What say you now? 5 fouls on WVU before the first break. I know they commit a lot of fouls and, as I said upthread, that ain't basketball, but most of those simply aren't called in the NCAA tourney against any other opponent. WVU was far more physical with Md. The early foul calls clearly took them out of their "defense." Yes, I do believe there was probably a discussion with the officials before the game.

RepoMan
03-27-2015, 09:10 AM
UNLV was better, although that doesn't mean KY isn't a pretty awesome team. UNLV had NBA talent at multiple positions, but they also had more experience playing together, and they were grown men (I think their starters were mostly about 22 years old). They handled an Arkansas team that year, easily, that was better than anything KY has faced this season. Otherwise their competition stunk, which was why they choked when Duke refused to go away and then took a late lead. But they were better going into the 1991 tournament than KY is going into this tournament. 10 years from now, we may look at what the players on the KY team have accomplished in the NBA and be awed at the collection of talent on one college team...but that's a different question than which is a better team at the moment of the tournament in which they played/are playing.

At the same time, Duke 1991 was better than the Duke team we have now. But again, this Duke team is pretty awesome. If we get to play Kentucky in the national championship game, I hope everyone thinks it's just a coronation of KY. I'd like to see our guys playing with the chip on their shoulders of being disrespected underdogs. I'd like that a lot.

This is exactly right. For those too young to remember, UNLV was much more intimidating than this Kentucky team. They were men who had played together for more than one season. They had won the National Title the year before in epic fashion, crushing a super talented Duke team.

But I do think the comparison is apt. And, I do think that if a team can keep it close, their complete absence of experience in a tight situation in a one-and-done game with the weight of history on their young shoulders will be their demise. The trick is keeping it close until the end.

Troublemaker
03-27-2015, 09:16 AM
Huh? Kentucky beat Kansas in November when Kansas was ranked #5. They also beat #4 (at the time) Louisville in December.

Obviously, I meant top 10 right now, either by human polls or by computers.


I remember when Harrison Barnes was a preseason first team All-American. Doesn't mean the ranking was deserved.

Thank you

Troublemaker
03-27-2015, 09:26 AM
This is exactly right. For those too young to remember, UNLV was much more intimidating than this Kentucky team. They were men who had played together for more than one season. They had won the National Title the year before in epic fashion, crushing a super talented Duke team.


That's exactly right. Much older team, and already a championship under their belt.

Dukehky
03-27-2015, 10:16 AM
That's exactly right. Much older team, and already a championship under their belt.

Greg Anthony would make the Harrisons, Ulis, and Booker poopie in their draws.

I actually think our 2010 team would beat this UK team at least 5 out of 10 times. This is not an all time great team, but they are by far the best team in the country this year. Doesn't mean they won't lose, but at this point, I'd be surprised if they did. When they are dialed in... no fun.

Channing
03-27-2015, 10:26 AM
What say you now? 5 fouls on WVU before the first break. I know they commit a lot of fouls and, as I said upthread, that ain't basketball, but most of those simply aren't called in the NCAA tourney against any other opponent. WVU was far more physical with Md. The early foul calls clearly took them out of their "defense." Yes, I do believe there was probably a discussion with the officials before the game.

I don't know ... this is pretty far fetched. If this ever came out it would be the end of the NCAA; and you can never control what someone will say. I can't lend credence to the NCAA protecting any team in any respect whatsoever with favorable officiating.

Now, it is possible that the refs heard all week how WVU was going to play physical and they let that creep into their mindset and had a quick whistle, but I can't believe anybody said anything at all.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-27-2015, 10:27 AM
Greg Anthony would make the Harrisons, Ulis, and Booker poopie in their draws.

I actually think our 2010 team would beat this UK team at least 5 out of 10 times. This is not an all time great team, but they are by far the best team in the country this year. Doesn't mean they won't lose, but at this point, I'd be surprised if they did. When they are dialed in... no fun.


I agree with this, but I wonder is Duke playing at its best say like against ND in Cameron or NC State in Greensboro, is that Duke as good as Kentucky? Were going to have to get by Utah, Gonz/UCLA and the East regional champion to find out. But I really hope we get a chance to see that game. I would be so pumped at the chance to take on an undefeated Kentucky team for the championship game. They hype surrounding the game and the lead up to the game would be unimaginable and I think it would go a long way to keeping college hoops relevant. It won't be super bowl big but it would be HUGE!!!!! Plus, what if we were to win?!?

FerryFor50
03-27-2015, 10:30 AM
I don't know ... this is pretty far fetched. If this ever came out it would be the end of the NCAA; and you can never control what someone will say. I can't lend credence to the NCAA protecting any team in any respect whatsoever with favorable officiating.

Now, it is possible that the refs heard all week how WVU was going to play physical and they let that creep into their mindset and had a quick whistle, but I can't believe anybody said anything at all.

I don't think he was saying the NCAA was protecting Kentucky.

I think he was saying that the NCAA noticed that WVU plays dirty and told the officials to not allow the game to get dirty. For either team. Pretty sure Kentucky has guys who are big enough to dole out their own punishment. Better to nip it in the bud.

yancem
03-27-2015, 10:56 AM
Maybe UK is the best team in the country and some people just don't want to admit it.

I don't think that UK being the best team in the country and the Big 12 not being the best conference is mutually exclusive. UK has played brilliantly at times this year and has been able to avoid any upsets. They deserve the number 1 ranking and top seed. Similarly, the Big 12 has been pretty bad in this tournament and I don't believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that they had many impressive out of conference victories. They were considered the best conference coming into the season and then beat each other up so everyone thought they must all be good. Results in a one and done tournament are far from conclusive but they sure seem to be damming.

Tripping William
03-27-2015, 10:57 AM
Greg Anthony would make the Harrisons, Ulis, and Booker poopie in their draws.


Until he fouled out . . . .

Kedsy
03-27-2015, 10:57 AM
But I do think the comparison is apt. And, I do think that if a team can keep it close, their complete absence of experience in a tight situation in a one-and-done game with the weight of history on their young shoulders will be their demise. The trick is keeping it close until the end.

Except this Kentucky game doesn't have a complete absence of such experience. They've played two overtime games among their six single-digit margin games. That's way more tight games than 1991 UNLV played (which I believe was one (1) before they played Duke).

hurleyfor3
03-27-2015, 11:03 AM
That's way more tight games than 1991 UNLV played (which I believe was one (1) before they played Duke).

Zero before they played Duke. Arkansas was never close, final score made it look that way. At NM state never got closer than eight in the second half IIRC. Georgetown was a steady six to eight points in the closing minutes, and that team didn't shoot 3s.

The 1990 team had a few close games (and losses).

The closest comparison to 2015 Kentucky might be 1999 Duke, especially if you pretend the Cincy loss never happened.

MChambers
03-27-2015, 11:04 AM
Except this Kentucky game doesn't have a complete absence of such experience. They've played two overtime games among their six single-digit margin games. That's way more tight games than 1991 UNLV played (which I believe was one (1) before they played Duke).
I don't even remember a single close game. UNLV won by 7 at Arkansas, but it wasn't really that close. Beat Georgetown by 8 in the round of 32, but I don't remember that game as ever really being in doubt:

http://www.bbstate.com/teams/UNLV/schedule/91

subzero02
03-27-2015, 11:26 AM
Kentucky is an 11 favorite over Notre Dame. I really think the Irish will push Kentucky to the brink. Hopefully their shots are falling from outside.

cato
03-27-2015, 11:33 AM
I don't think he was saying the NCAA was protecting Kentucky.

That is exactly what he was saying.


Agree, although not calling fouls on WVU is a lot more than "allowing them to play," I would expect a much tighter called game than the terps got...in the same way UCLA was protected in round 1. This may be one time where the NCAAs desire to protect a cash cow coincides with my desire to see a team bumped out for playing rugby on the BB court.

InSpades
03-27-2015, 11:43 AM
I really like this Notre Dame team... which is odd as I generally have a strong dislike for all non-Duke ACC teams. Connaughton is fun to wach, being an athletic undersized 4. Grant is obviously fantastic and a great distributor. Vasturia always seems to come up w/ a big play. Just hard to dislike this team. If Duke doesn't win it all then I hope they do.

That being said... they basically start 4 guards. Connaughton is 6'5" playing the 4 spot. I guess he's not much smaller than Winslow but he doesn't seem like a "big". How are they going to defend and rebound with Kentucky? I think offensively they will be able to spread Kentucky out and get some points. Defensively... it will be interesting. Do they pressure Kentucky? Can they pack it in and force Kentucky to beat them from outside? How will they keep them off the glass?

It will be an interesting window into how the Duke-Kentucky matchup might go. Obviously Notre Dame doesn't have an Okafor like presence in the middle but there are a lot of similarities between Duke and Notre Dame. Both elite offensive teams. Both good from 3. Both playing small at the 4. Hope the Irish can pull this one out on Saturday!

OldPhiKap
03-27-2015, 11:44 AM
The problem wasn't that they called the game tight last night for some nefarious reason. The problem was that the refs didn't call the game against Md nearly as tightly as they should have. THAT was the anomaly, not last night.

After everyone commented on the mugging of Maryland for a week, there was no way it was going to happen a second time. Didn't matter who WVa was playing.

Kfanarmy
03-27-2015, 11:45 AM
That is exactly what he was saying.

More or less...The NCAA was not going to let UK get rough housed off the court...most anybody else, OK , but the huge audience that UKs drive toward an undefeated season has garnered was not going to be witness to a physical mauling by WVU. I can't imagine that there wasn't a pre-game conference with officials calling for them to maintain control of the game from the outset, read call em if you see em. Just as they made darn sure UCLA got a fair shake in the first round.

I'm not saying that I disagree with any foul call in that game, just that a vastly different standard was applied for much of the Maryland game, and having seen the first, I knew it would not be allowed to happen against UK. UK is playing Maryland last night, if that standard had been applied last weekend.

I mean seriously, does anyone really not understand that UCLA was picked over several other schools because of their viewing audience, rather than the "eye test" of the past couple of games. There is a lot of great competition in the NCAA tourney, but don't imagine that everyone is playing by the same rules in these Hunger Games.

OldPhiKap
03-27-2015, 11:47 AM
I mean seriously, does anyone really not understand that UCLA was picked over several other schools because of their viewing audience, rather than the "eye test" of the past couple of games.

There is a big difference (it seems to me) between saying that the NCAA chooses revenue teams to get in the tournament, and saying that the NCAA tries to fix or influence the outcome of games.

Billy Dat
03-27-2015, 12:01 PM
Kentucky has an enormous depth advantage and are an elite defensive team, but ND's offense is a thing of beauty. When we lost to ND in the ACC tournament, my eyes were opened to the solid play of ND point guard Demetrious Jackson. That kid is a baller and a fantastic leader for this crew. If they can stay out of foul trouble and use the many TV timeouts to stay fresh and keep their main 5 on the floor, they can get this done.

If Kentucky is going to make history, let's hope that they'll at least have to pass 3 major tests to get there. ND is one. Wisconsin/Arizona is another. Let's hope we'd be the third, and that we'd be the ones making history. But, if they run that 3 team gauntlet, tip the cap.

COYS
03-27-2015, 12:06 PM
It will be an interesting window into how the Duke-Kentucky matchup might go. Obviously Notre Dame doesn't have an Okafor like presence in the middle but there are a lot of similarities between Duke and Notre Dame. Both elite offensive teams. Both good from 3. Both playing small at the 4. Hope the Irish can pull this one out on Saturday!

There's no doubt that being a good three point shooting team plus having some guys like Grant who can break down a defense is probably a necessary recipe for beating UK. However, I think you hit the nail on the head with being skeptical as to how the small ND lineup will fare against the trees of UK. If UK were more inept on offense, I might be more optimistic about the chances for the Irish, but UK has enough weapons that I think they can also feast on ND's weak defense, even if it's just off of offensive boards. ND has a shot, but they will have to be scorching hot from three point range while also pulling down a few extra defensive boards.

NSDukeFan
03-27-2015, 12:52 PM
Kentucky has an enormous depth advantage and are an elite defensive team, but ND's offense is a thing of beauty. When we lost to ND in the ACC tournament, my eyes were opened to the solid play of ND point guard Demetrious Jackson. That kid is a baller and a fantastic leader for this crew. If they can stay out of foul trouble and use the many TV timeouts to stay fresh and keep their main 5 on the floor, they can get this done.

If Kentucky is going to make history, let's hope that they'll at least have to pass 3 major tests to get there. ND is one. Wisconsin/Arizona is another. Let's hope we'd be the third, and that we'd be the ones making history. But, if they run that 3 team gauntlet, tip the cap.


There's no doubt that being a good three point shooting team plus having some guys like Grant who can break down a defense is probably a necessary recipe for beating UK. However, I think you hit the nail on the head with being skeptical as to how the small ND lineup will fare against the trees of UK. If UK were more inept on offense, I might be more optimistic about the chances for the Irish, but UK has enough weapons that I think they can also feast on ND's weak defense, even if it's just off of offensive boards. ND has a shot, but they will have to be scorching hot from three point range while also pulling down a few extra defensive boards.

I'm excited for this matchup. I have been very impressed with Auguste and Connaughton in the tournament. The problem is that Cauley-Stein moves very well defensively and Connaughton may have trouble creating against him. He still may be able to get free because of Notre Dame's Spurs like or lite offense. I don't expect UK's guards to be able to keep Notre Dame's out of the paint. The issue will be how well do they have the floor spread to pull one of UK's bigs out so Grant and Jackson can score, find Auguste or Connaughton inside or the shooters outside. I think it will be fun, with hopefully the luck of the Irish prevailing.

Kfanarmy
03-27-2015, 12:59 PM
There is a big difference (it seems to me) between saying that the NCAA chooses revenue teams to get in the tournament, and saying that the NCAA tries to fix or influence the outcome of games.


I wouldn't go so far as to say fix. Influence on the other hand...

It's not a far step from picking team A over more deserving team B for purely monetary reasons
to paying special attention to every aspect of team A's participation for purely monetary reasons...fixed may not be as good a description as feathered.

RepoMan
03-27-2015, 01:28 PM
Except this Kentucky game doesn't have a complete absence of such experience. They've played two overtime games among their six single-digit margin games. That's way more tight games than 1991 UNLV played (which I believe was one (1) before they played Duke).

You focused on only a portion of what I said -- the full statement was "complete absence of experience in a tight situation in a one-and-done game." That is where you feel the real pressure -- not a couple of early January games against unranked and crappy Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

kybluedevil
03-27-2015, 03:34 PM
UK is far from a perfect team. But it's time to begrudgingly accept that they will cut down nets in Indy. Even Nate Silver has conceded.
Only silver lining is that Coach Cal bolts for NBA.

Hope I'm wrong.

OldPhiKap
03-27-2015, 03:36 PM
UK is far from a perfect team. But it's time to begrudgingly accept that they will cut down nets in Indy. Even Nate Silver has conceded.
Only silver lining is that Coach Cal bolts for NBA.

Hope I'm wrong.

Well, that sure frees up my weekend.

Karl Beem
03-27-2015, 03:37 PM
UK is far from a perfect team. But it's time to begrudgingly accept that they will cut down nets in Indy. Even Nate Silver has conceded.
Only silver lining is that Coach Cal bolts for NBA.

Hope I'm wrong.

Ok then. Now I can get to bed early tonight.

yancem
03-27-2015, 03:38 PM
I really thought that at some point KY would either overlook/under estimate an opponent (didn't happen during the regular season) or once the tournament started have a game where the pressure/magnitude of what they are on the verge of accomplishing would catch up to them. After watching them since the Georgia game, I'm starting to think the latter isn't going to happen either. That doesn't guarantee that they will go undefeated and win the NC but I no longer feel like the pressure is going to get to them and that they will beat themselves. They have an air about them which defies their age and experience. I can only conclude that Cal has been pulling all of the right psychological strings. They are confident, but not overly so, and seem to be really enjoying playing together. I am also having to rethink my opinion of the Harrison twins. I really thought that they would try too hard to showcase their skills and treat the season as an audition for the draft but they haven't at all. They have split time with Ulis and Booker without complaint.

As much as I can't stand Cal, he has done an amazing coaching job this season and has a team that is fun to watch. I still think there are a couple of teams (Duke, Wisconsin, Arizona and possibly ND if they get truly hot from outside and rebound well) capable of beating KY but they will have to play at the top of their games to do so because I don't think KY is going to collapse under pressure.

DoubleDuke Dad
03-27-2015, 03:42 PM
UK is far from a perfect team. But it's time to begrudgingly accept that they will cut down nets in Indy. Even Nate Silver has conceded.
Only silver lining is that Coach Cal bolts for NBA.

Hope I'm wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI

Tripping William
03-27-2015, 03:43 PM
Well, that sure frees up my next two weekends.

Fixed it for you.

CameronBornAndBred
03-27-2015, 03:45 PM
Reminds me of the time that UNLV team that everyone said was unbeatable blew us out in '91.
Oh...wait.

FerryFor50
03-27-2015, 03:45 PM
Aw man. SPOILERS!

But I think I know who kybluedevil *really* is....

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17fy5na0ckoc5jpg/original.jpg

jacone21
03-27-2015, 03:45 PM
UK is far from a perfect team. But it's time to begrudgingly accept that they will cut down nets in Indy. Even Nate Silver has conceded.
Only silver lining is that Coach Cal bolts for NBA.

Hope I'm wrong.

I think you may have been looking for the "I'm not going to jinx it" thread; or perhaps the "Check out how not obsessed we are" thread.

FerryFor50
03-27-2015, 03:47 PM
Who changed the title of the thread and removed Saarlac pit???

Lame.

Henderson
03-27-2015, 03:48 PM
moonpie is always about 20 seconds ahead during game chats. Now we have someone who is two weeks ahead?

I gotta upgrade my equipment.

hudlow
03-27-2015, 03:50 PM
It must be true...

http://www.theonion.com/articles/kentucky-cancels-practice-for-nba-draft-suit-fitti,38323/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview:1:Default

rifraf
03-27-2015, 03:53 PM
Who changed the title of the thread and removed Saarlac pit???

Lame.

I don't understand why thread titles change so much. This is the only forum community I've been a part of or even lurked on where the thread titles change as often and as snarkily (Check out how not obsessed we are with Kentucky). Makes it kind of difficult to follow threads, especially when they're also moved and merged as often as they are.

elvis14
03-27-2015, 03:56 PM
Can we get this moved to the Midwest Regional Discussion Thread so that UK talk is contained and we don't have extra UK threads on the front page?