I saw yet another's opinion on reasons why U.K. would not win the National Championship this season. My take on these type commentaries / articles is that ....Everyone Gives Reasons Why U.K. May Not / Will Not Win the Championship but So Far No One Has Beaten the Cats. :sssh:

Here are more reasons .....Thoughts ?

 

3 Reasons Why Kentucky Might Not Win The National Championship

If the porn star wears out the "twins" in March...could be a reason....

The odds are always against any single team winning. But somebody is going to. And to me, the question is, who would you pick over them? Not who could beat them, who would you pick if you could only pick one team to win it all?

And while it's a luxury for Calipari to substitute four or five guys at a time, he doesn't have a true go-to option on his team. Plenty are capable of being that guy, but we still don't know who is taking the final shot with the game on the line.

 

Aaron Harrison seemed to work out pretty well last year.

Even with the undefeated start, if you're a betting man/woman, you'd be dumb not to bet against the Cats to win it. Odds just aren't in their favor.

Kentucky has three high quality wins -- Kansas, North Carolina and Louisville -- where it out-classed teams with its superior size and athleticism. Even so, it will be very interesting to see how its youthful roster handles the immense pressure of the one-and-done format.

 

I guess perhaps maybe about the same way in which most of them handled it last year. Has the tournament format changed? While outside of Willie they might only be Freshman and Sophmores, collectively they have as much if not more NCAA tournament experience than any other team. Wisconsin is the only other highly ranked team this year with Final Four experience.

Even with the undefeated start, if you're a betting man/woman, you'd be dumb not to bet against the Cats to win it. Odds just aren't in their favor.

 

I agree from the standpoint that the odds for the Cats to win it are so high that the reward is not worth the risk as you would have to wager a large sum to win anything worth while, but if not UK who would you put your money on that would be a better bet. It's not like you could bet the field vs. UK.

...

 

I didn't read the article, but I'll give my two cents. First and foremost, they are MUCH the best and them not winning the tourney will be shocking. Shocking.

 

However, if they do get upset in March, I'd bet we can point back to one of these issues:

 

* UK is shooting the three very well in conference play, so if they have a game where they go ice cold from deep, they could be challenged.

* The popular sentiment is a team can get hot from the arc and that will be who beats them, however, I don't buy it. UK is #1 in the country in 3 pt FG % defense (26%). They are impossible to get good perimeter looks against. So....a team that can get a bunch of points in the paint against them could be their undoing. UT was successful last night, racking up a ton of points in the paint -- and their front-court isn't very good.

* A team that can keep UK to 33% or lower offensive rebound pct can give them troubles. Look for teams that are great defensive rebounders and you have a possibility.

* Lastly, UK wants to take the air out of the ball and limit possessions. If a team can turn them over a lot with ball pressure, they could have some troubles.

 

So with the above points as a guide, here are some teams that could challenge them in these areas:

 

* Great perimeter defenders: San Diego State, North Carolina, Baylor, and Louisville.

* Teams that score around the basket with efficiency: Gonzaga, Duke, Wisconsin, and Arizona.

* Elite defensive rebounding teams: Arizona, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Michigan State.

* Teams that can really turn you over: West Virginia, VCU, Ohio State, and Villanova.

 

In summary, I think UK wins it all and cuts down the nets. However, if they don't, I'd wager a lot that the team that beats them is listed above.

 

As a non-UK guy, I try to be as objective and open-minded as possible, so take that for what it is worth.

UK's defense is what can make them a transcendent team. In the close calls they've had this year, they've gone stretches where they've played lock-down D, but not for the majority of the game. If they are zeroed in on defense, I think Duke is the only team that can play with them. If they aren't zeroed in on defense, several teams can beat them.

 

Secondarily, UK's front court size also separates them from others. If the bigs don't show up & it's all on the guards, they are very beatable.

If the porn star wears out the "twins" in March...could be a reason....

 

I'll take one for the team and keep her occupied until April.

Go as cold as they did against WVU.

Heaven forbid somebody even suggest UK not winning it all... :ohbrother:

Anything can happen in the tournament. The best teams don't always and I will go as far to say, usually don't win the whole thing. You need to be good and have a little luck.

The biggest issue I've seen lately is their inability to defensive rebound the ball.

Cat's are winning games and sometimes it seems like they are sleep walking.

 

One thing this team can take to the bank is their defense. The statistical matrix I saw the other day with the teams comprehensive defensive statistics is impressive. Defensive again is something that is not a fabrication... We shall see. Hopefully we won't need much luck like last year.