I go back and forth on Iowa State, because they do have the talent but they are inconsistent. As far as them being a M-2-M team, I would think Hoiberg would have the sense to adjust accordingly and play zone. I mean, Duke never plays zone but they zoned the hell out of Louisville all game, which was a very wise choice.

 

Definitely agree on the consistency point.

 

As far as the defenses go, I think that a match-up zone would be the most likely possibility and still don't know if I'd go as far as to say that he just chucks the man and goes straight zone, especially if it's a situation where there's a short turn-around (i.e., we're in the second game of the weekend when we met) given how much zone UK already sees.

 

I did look into it more and found a short clip of the 2012 NCAA Tournament matchup between Iowa St and Kentucky and it looked like they were playing kind of a match-up zone... it was definitely packed in and the idea was to give lots of help, but players had assignments and shifted accordingly, and when someone's man had the ball, that defender was a man going out man up on the ball with no one really looking to double or trap. Aside from the defender assigned to the ball handler, everyone else kind of laying off their men unless it was bumping a cutter a something.

 

Given that he's gotten more talent since 2012 and that I'm not really sure that I've ever seen him playing straight zone (I'm not sure right off if he even zones out of bounds plays), I'm not really sure that it will ever be Hoiberg's M.O. to play a straight zone and that the most you'll probably see is some zone principles incorporated into his man scheme.

After watching them play for about the 6th time this season, I don't see Virginia as a threat to Kentucky. I just don't see it.

 

Wisconsin couldn't guard if their life depended on it this season. Kentucky would maul them IMO.

 

Duke has the offense to beat them, their defense is very poor though. Think they have the best shot, and I'd love to see that game for the title.

 

Gonzaga intrigues me, as I think they are very good, and have solid players at all positions, but man, how would they guard Kentucky?

 

Arizona is the team I feel is able to match up with Kentucky the best. Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson are superb athletes and they have enough size down low to at least combat Kentucky's frontcourt a bit.

 

I guess in short, I see Arizona and Duke as the two teams with the best shot at beating Kentucky.

Didn't read most of the responses before I made my own lists so as to not influence my thoughts. Going back and reading what everyone else has said, I'm surprised more people aren't mentioning Notre Dame, Wichita State, and Louisville.

 

I know we beat Louisville, but it's not as if we just completely demolished them and/or that you think we took their best shot and that they probably couldn't play any better than they did.

 

I'm not a huge Notre Dame fan or anything like that, but having seen bits of their games at a few different points, I'll say that they aren't a chump team at all. Definitely a HUGE contrast in styles of play. Given the number of threes they put up and the %'s that they shoot regularly, I'd rather not see them as the #2 or #3 in our bracket. I'd give them a puncher's chance just because of how hot they can get. Notre Dame is so small that they don't look to post anyone as it is now, and their penetration is as much, if not more, about kicking out to an open shooter as it is finishing at the rim. That neutralizes our blocking shots at the rim. We may post them up and score every trip down, but we could be trading threes for twos and their defensive philosophy would probably be very similar to what Ole Miss had done against us with some success-- just swarming the bigs with guards, trying to trap and put lots of bodies in the middle for the bigs to maneuver around, and if they gave up deep position, fouling on the catch and making them earn it at the line.

After watching them play for about the 6th time this season, I don't see Virginia as a threat to Kentucky. I just don't see it.

 

Can't agree with this enough. I can see how Virginia would beat us because their defense had a hand in Kentucky having a bad shooting night, but at the same time, Virginia's hope is the same that you'd say for lots of teams: hoping that Kentucky has an off-shooting night.

 

Virginia just doesn't score enough to ever really put the game away, and against UK, that's a huge problem. You absolutely have to go on some big runs. Hoping that you'll be able to go toe-to-toe and trade punches back and forth for 40 minutes is not the answer.

 

Say Virginia comes out and holds UK to 18 points in the first half. Barring Kentucky completely imploding, that still means the score is probably 30-18, worst-case scenario for UK. You playing your absolute best and them playing close to their worst and you only taking a 12 point lead into the half is not really the most comfortable thought given the talent and depth UK has.

^What makes you think the Shockers would have a chance? They've been fairly unimpressive this season IMO.

 

I agree with your point that Louisville didn't play their best and it was a solid game, but neither did Kentucky. I'm very confident if they match-up again the Cats would win again.

 

Notre Dame is interesting, but there's a big difference in making a bunch of open threes, and hitting a bunch of contested threes. I don't think they'd get near the looks they usually do against Kentucky. Would love to see them as the 2 or 3 in the Cats bracket, although I think they steal the last #1 seed based on their remaining schedule.

^What makes you think the Shockers would have a chance? They've been fairly unimpressive this season IMO.

 

I agree with your point that Louisville didn't play their best and it was a solid game, but neither did Kentucky. I'm very confident if they match-up again the Cats would win again.

 

Notre Dame is interesting, but there's a big difference in making a bunch of open threes, and hitting a bunch of contested threes. I don't think they'd get near the looks they usually do against Kentucky. Would love to see them as the 2 or 3 in the Cats bracket, although I think they steal the last #1 seed based on their remaining schedule.

 

 

Wichita State:

 

I could be dead wrong, but I'm thinking they've been banged up so far this season. Regardless, they seem to be getting on track now and at the very least, haven't peaked too early. Seem like they'd be comfortable playing zone against UK, they have good guard play, and if nothing else, you can at least see them being patient enough offensively to at least make the Cats work.

 

I just think that the revenge factor from last year, as well as the fact that UK goes into the game thinking, "we beat them last year, this will be easy" while forgetting how tough the game actually was. They return the same team as last season minus Cleanthony Early. I know that's a big blow, and that this Kentucky team is better than last year's, but everyone returning to Wichita State is also a year older as well.

 

Another thing that isn't huge but definitely doesn't hurt Wichita State is that their schedule means that they aren't really going to play as many teams that might expose some kind of weakness that they have, whereas a team in the Big XII is going to have more valuable film on them because they won't just outright overmatch as many teams.

Wichita State:

 

I could be dead wrong, but I'm thinking they've been banged up so far this season. Regardless, they seem to be getting on track now and at the very least, haven't peaked too early. Seem like they'd be comfortable playing zone against UK, they have good guard play, and if nothing else, you can at least see them being patient enough offensively to at least make the Cats work.

 

I just think that the revenge factor from last year, as well as the fact that UK goes into the game thinking, "we beat them last year, this will be easy" while forgetting how tough the game actually was. They return the same team as last season minus Cleanthony Early. I know that's a big blow, and that this Kentucky team is better than last year's, but everyone returning to Wichita State is also a year older as well.

 

Another thing that isn't huge but definitely doesn't hurt Wichita State is that their schedule means that they aren't really going to play as many teams that might expose some kind of weakness that they have, whereas a team in the Big XII is going to have more valuable film on them because they won't just outright overmatch as many teams.

 

Looks like they've also been drunk for a portion of the season:

 

@CBSSportsCBB

Wichita State guard Conner Frankamp arrested on suspicion of DUI. Wichita State G Conner Frankamp arrested on suspicion of DUI - CBSSports.com …

UKMustangFan, kind of more on Notre Dame.

 

 

Notre Dame:

 

Kind of like you said, I think they're more intriguing than anything. I do think we have serious trouble matching up with Jerian Grant though, and really don't know who we'd put on him.

 

What really scares me about them is that I just see Notre Dame as a more talented Ole Miss. If you say going into the game that we both play our the best offensive game of the season that we could practically play, then they are one of the few teams that you might say it's in the realm of possibility that they beat us, not because they're more talented, just because them playing their best means they're going to be dropping a ton of threes on you. All that said, I think if Kentucky and Notre Dame were to play, then the possibility that it's going to be a blowout, or at least comfortable, Kentucky win is just as good as a Kentucky win by 8 or fewer.

 

If we both play at our best, then they are forcing guys like Ulis, Booker, Lyles, and even Andrew Harrison to fight through a lot of screens, bumping lots of cutters, all that. If nothing else, it's a problem given Ulis' size and Booker and Lyles' footspeed. They're also having guys like Towns and Dakari further away from the goal than we'd like them. I'm not really sure that we just show up and contest their looks as soon as they get off the bus. Definitely a lot of ball screens, dribble hand-offs, and the like to get their guys open.

 

I'm fine with how WCS would play against them, and the same goes for Aaron Harrison, but it's still just one of those awkward matchups. I know they have to match up with UK too, but trading threes for twos and just looking to work the ball around and feed the post while they run help at you and gamble for steals and/or relying on your big's free throw % (which also stops the game and lets them rest), then that isn't exactly UK's ideal game plan.

 

I think UK is better and would beat them way more times than not, but with the way they stretch the floor and what it could do in terms of negating some of our length, I'd rather see a Gonzaga or Villanova.

 

Kind of looking waaaay into it, but someone earlier brought up Kentucky being really "up" for Duke. I think Notre Dame is the perfect mix of having the kind of talent that you'll need versus not being so talented that it puts the target on you in the way we've seen Kentucky be up for a Kansas or Louisville.

^:lol2: Really? If they played, and both teams played at their best, Kentucky would blow them out by halftime. Kentucky could put any of about 4-5 guys on Grant and have them do a serviceable job. He can get his, the other guys would struggle mightily to even sniff an open look. They lack athleticism and size.

^:lol2: Really? If they played, and both teams played at their best, Kentucky would blow them out by halftime. Kentucky could put any of about 4-5 guys on Grant and have them do a serviceable job. He can get his, the other guys would struggle mightily to even sniff an open look. They lack athleticism and size.

 

I only said the best game that they could practically play offensively. Obviously, if Kentucky plays their best game defensively, then they're going to run away with it. I'm just not as convinced that there's no possibility that the UK team we saw at home against Ole Miss has absolutely no chance of showing up again, because Notre Dame is a more talented Ole Miss. If nothing else, it's not as if they've been playing nobodies and have just been shooting wide open shots now that they're in their ACC schedule. You have to give them a little credit for currently being #1 in the nation in adjusted offense (124 points per 100 possessions), shooting over 40% from 3 as a team, and having the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation.

 

We're big, but that size trades off a bit of footspeed in some areas, as least in terms of what they'd have to do when we're asking a Lyles, Towns, or Dakari to chase some guys around screens and/or to get up and force the action against dribble hand-offs. Booker isn't the quickest guy, Andrew seems to struggle defensively against really quick players, and Ulis isn't really a guy you want to see fighting through screens (though his quickness and awareness means that he's not constantly having to do so).

 

I think it's a long shot that they beat UK, and maybe I've just seen Notre Dame playing when they've been on fire (i.e., parts of the Michigan State, Virginia, and North Carolina games), but I don't think it's a stretch to say that if we're both on fire offensively that they can at least match up with us in that regard. Also keep in mind that they've just gotten one starter (their "5", who is actually a big 3/small 4) back after he'd missed a few games.

Arkansas

Arkansas

 

The Arkansas I've seen squeak by Missouri and get beat at Tennessee did not strike fear in my heart. They come to Rupp and if they try to press and just run with us the way they have when I've caught them on, then I'm thinking it's going to be a very long night for them.

Arkansas

 

Arkansas is a bad matchup for the Cats, they just don't have enough talent IMO, especially away from Bud Walton.

Duke and Notre Dame play tonight at Notre Dame. Hopefully Notre Dame shows they're able to hang after I've hyped them up. Not really a big Duke guy so I'll be for them tonight, but may just turn off the TV when I remember I hate Digger Phelps.

Duke and Notre Dame play tonight at Notre Dame. Hopefully Notre Dame shows they're able to hang after I've hyped them up. Not really a big Duke guy so I'll be for them tonight' date=' but may just turn off the TV when I remember I hate Digger Phelps.[/quote']

 

ND has become the surprise of the season in my mind. They play with a ton of heart, no quit in that group. I expect they will get the win tonight.