Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Full 2013-14 Schedule - Kentucky Wildcats Basketball - Nation of Blue - The Home to UK Fans Worldwide - Nation of Blue

I predict a 29-2 regular season record.

I predict a 29-2 regular season record.

 

Both losses coming to SEC teams?

What does NKU have coming back?

The schedule continues to get weaker. I understand with the freshman focus the need to tone the schedule down, but it is getting too weak IMO. Last season, it was ranked 70. This season it may be even worse. If they want a top seed in the tourney, they better go 29-2.

Both losses coming to SEC teams?

 

No. I'm not sure which games, but I would only have them losing 1 at most in the SEC (at Florida). I think there are about five games on the schedule where I would not be at all surprised if they lost. I would rank those games like this:

 

1) Michigan State

2) at Florida

3) Louisville

4) at North Carolina

5) at LSU or other Florida game

 

If you had to nail me down to the two losses, I say Michigan State & Florida.

If I'm ranking the potential for losses, I'm gonna say:

 

1. vs. Louisville (12/28)

 

2. @ Florida (3/8)

2a. vs. Michigan State (11/12):

Michigan State returns a nice mix of talent and experience, and get us early in the year in an environment that will probably favor them. I'm a big fan of Gary Harris and Adrien Payne. Izzo coached teams are always tough and aren't the types to beat themselves, especially when they have such a solid core returning (though I will say Izzo's teams sometimes start slow).

 

3. @ North Carolina (12/14)

 

 

4. vs. Boise State (12/10):

trap game at home... have Providence @ the Barclay's Center in NY on 12/1 in a night game, then have Baylor @ Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on 12/6 in a game that would tip at 11 pm ET, and a date with North Carolina in Chapel Hill four days later. Could be caught looking ahead around the time the semester is ending and everyone is going home and/or worn out from ramping up practices.

 

 

 

5. @ Louisiana State (12/28):

Could be a surprise team. Johnny O'Bryant and company played UK close last year, and if they get some of their better recruits eligible, this one could be a good one. The crowd should be nice for a Tuesday night home game.

The schedule continues to get weaker. I understand with the freshman focus the need to tone the schedule down, but it is getting too weak IMO. Last season, it was ranked 70. This season it may be even worse. If they want a top seed in the tourney, they better go 29-2.

 

UK has 7 "gimme" type games. Remember, Boise State will be around the top 25 all season. Belmont is no slouch but I put them in the win category. UL, Michigan State, and UNC are top 10 with top 5 potential (UL and MSU may be the two best teams). Baylor is a top 20 team. You will find it difficult to find many teams playing 5-6 pre-season top 25 teams before conference play.

UK has 7 "gimme" type games. Remember, Boise State will be around the top 25 all season. Belmont is no slouch but I put them in the win category. UL, Michigan State, and UNC are top 10 with top 5 potential (UL and MSU may be the two best teams). Baylor is a top 20 team. You will find it difficult to find many teams playing 5-6 pre-season top 25 teams before conference play.

 

:thumb:

What does NKU have coming back?

 

They lose 3 seniors, one being their leading scorer that did just about everything for them (Eshaunte Jones), and bring in 5 new players (6 if you count Giesler being eligible now.) They will definitely be young, but I think Coach Bezold likes his team.

UK has 7 "gimme" type games. Remember, Boise State will be around the top 25 all season. Belmont is no slouch but I put them in the win category. UL, Michigan State, and UNC are top 10 with top 5 potential (UL and MSU may be the two best teams). Baylor is a top 20 team. You will find it difficult to find many teams playing 5-6 pre-season top 25 teams before conference play.

 

Agree!!!!

Getting weaker all the time.

Reading some of the comments and reactions about our schedule (not necessarily saying those expressed here, just generally speaking), I don't think that some people realize Boise State was a tournament team last year and has been on the bubble the past few years.

 

Neutral site games with Michigan State and Baylor are somewhat misleading given the proximity of the schools to those locations. The Baylor game in Dallas will probably be a 50/50 split of UK fans to Baylor fans, best case scenario for UK.

 

Road games with North Carolina, Florida, LSU, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss. A home game with Louisville. Another neutral site game with Providence.

 

Those are ten quality games/teams, some of which we play twice. The only one of the aforementioned teams whose ability to make the NCAA tournament I might question would be Providence.

 

Is it the strongest schedule in the nation? No. The SEC isn't known as a basketball conference. Did we "schedule down", etc.? I don't really think so considering the youth of the team, etc. I don't really think there are many teams, even those in weaker basketball conferences whose top four out of conference slate would match ours (1. Louisville, 2. North Carolina, 3. Baylor, 4. Boise State).

 

According to what other schools do, I could see this team having 4 losses but still getting the final #1 seed. (If those four were something like: Louisville, North Carolina/Michigan State, Baylor/Boise State, then getting on a roll in conference play and only losing one game to a team like LSU; that scenario would still leave wins two wins over Florida, a win over either North Carolina on the road/Michigan State at a neutral site, a win over either Baylor (defacto road game)/Boise State at home, LSU, Ole Miss, Belmont, Providence, etc.... obviously this scenario would depend on how close the losses and how convincing the wins were though, as well as whether or not we won the SEC tournament and got more quality wins along the way).

Edited August 21, 201313 yr by JokersWild24

Reading some of the comments and reactions about our schedule (not necessarily saying those expressed here, just generally speaking), I don't think that some people realize Boise State was a tournament team last year and has been on the bubble the past few years.

 

Neutral site games with Michigan State and Baylor are somewhat misleading given the proximity of the schools to those locations. The Baylor game in Dallas will probably be a 50/50 split of UK fans to Baylor fans, best case scenario for UK.

 

Road games with North Carolina, Florida, LSU, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss. A home game with Louisville. Another neutral site game with Providence.

 

Those are ten quality games/teams, some of which we play twice. The only one of the aforementioned teams whose ability to make the NCAA tournament I might question would be Providence.

 

Is it the strongest schedule in the nation? No. The SEC isn't known as a basketball conference. Did we "schedule down", etc.? I don't really think so considering the youth of the team, etc. I don't really think there are many teams, even those in weaker basketball conferences whose top four out of conference slate would match ours (1. Louisville, 2. North Carolina, 3. Baylor, 4. Boise State).

 

According to what other schools do, I could see this team having 4 losses but still getting the final #1 seed. (If those four were something like: Louisville, North Carolina/Michigan State, Baylor/Boise State, then getting on a roll in conference play and only losing one game to a team like LSU; that scenario would still leave wins two wins over Florida, a win over either North Carolina on the road/Michigan State at a neutral site, a win over either Baylor (defacto road game)/Boise State at home, LSU, Ole Miss, Belmont, Providence, etc.... obviously this scenario would depend on how close the losses and how convincing the wins were though, as well as whether or not we won the SEC tournament and got more quality wins along the way).

I would say OOC it may be the most difficult. Or at least up there with the toughest.

I would say OOC it may be the most difficult. Or at least up there with the toughest.

 

Agree!!!