bugatti

I get that, but I am not worried about UK scoring. I am worried about UK needing to get stops. Now maybe every other team is the same as UK (until Houston), but history shows if the game plan is to outscore everyone, they could just as easily go home in the next few days. Many are acting like this will be a waltz and we have no evidence of this.

And I am not saying Kentucky can't find its way through the bracket, but this team has given zero evidence it can manufacture enough stops. But it is the NCAA tournament, the most exciting tournament for all the wrong reasons, most notably the uncertainty of it all. Putting 18-20-year-old kids in weird arenas at weird times of the day, madness happens. In short, who knows?

Are you kidding? I'll give you a big reason: they are putrid on defense. UK's top two draft talents are their worst on-ball defenders and a 4 mph wind could knock their post-defenders off the block. It's been a literal expressway to the rim half the season. I am looking at the opposite from all these "UK should make a run or the Final Four" people. I believe the other (potential) opponents, beginning Thursday, genuinely believe this team can be had if you bring the physicality to UK and licking their chops for a chance to play them.

2014 UConn was 40th*. I couldn't find the others. I assume the other UConn team from 2011 and probably Syracuse from 2003? *I was looking at something different because 25th is later referenced.

Saw that. I wonder if it was partly due to his former employer bypassing the invite so it was his chance to fire back at them. It is easy to take shots from the cheap seats. I do not support it, but I get it because the transfer portal opens today and procuring talent for next year's squad is much more important than playing an NIT game.

Exactly. I am not saying I am happy with where things are with UK basketball, as a whole. But you would think the '23-'24 basketball team was a preseason top-5 squad the way some are acting. Based on pre-season rankings and national buzz, this team is about where we thought they would be if not a smidge better.

My phone was catching fire as I was typing that 🙂

Not sure how hot of take this is, but the women’s tournament is much more compelling than the men’s.

Oh wow. I just saw 20-1 on ESPN.

There is history for the West traditionally being the “easiest” of the regions. It’s normally the last #1 seed and the fact the committee does their best to keep teams geographic. There simply isn’t enough teams west of the Mississippi to draw from.

Yeah, I’m taking this one game at a time. Calipari returns to his hometown for the first weekend.

Again showing conference tournaments mean very little for seeding. I have no doubt had UK went 3-0 this weekend they would be in the same spot.

4 seems about right. That’s about where they were before the UT result. Had they won Friday, it probably would have clinched a 3 seed, regardless of a Saturday or Sunday result.

Like you, not sure why we didn’t get more Bradshaw minutes. I assure you, he would have fouled 🙂 At the least, he would have provided some energy.

They were both brutal. Sheppard was so bad it almost looked like he was intentionally funneling players to the rim. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis wasn’t protecting the paint.

Give A&M credit. That’s the type of team UK can’t deal with. In a 7 game series they would win it in 6.

When you got Sheppard and Dillingham guarding you out front, they teach a master class in how to be a matador.

Every single player had at least two “what in the hell are you thinking” plays in the ballgame.

I think it’s silly he’s had that attitude, but in fairness, we annually learn conference tournaments mean very little when it comes to seeding. So, I get it in that sense.

There is some truth to this. Coaches can be much more strategic in players they want to fit their system after seeing them in college for a year or two. But, it also depends on who the Freshmen are. Cooper Flagg as a senior in high school (who has reclassified) would easily be the top pick in this year's NBA draft. And it ain't close. Transformative talent will generally prevail, imo.

That's insane.

It has always been a source of frustration with me. I am cool with whatever the rule is, but make it consistent. I think of the Zion Williamson season. I will never forget the Blue Devils getting the benefit of the doubt and capturing a #1 seed because of Zion's absences. Cool. Then two minutes later UNC was awarded a #1 seed because of their run in the ACC and twice beating Duke (without Zion). So Duke's losses were discounted, but UNC's victories against a discounted team got rewarded. You can't have it both ways.

He needed another year or two. Or five.

Following up with this, on the Mismatch podcast yesterday, KOC was saying a comparison given to him about Sheppard was a better shooting Fred Van Fleet. I like that! Again, not generally a caliber player you would take at the top of a draft board, but the timing for Sheppard, et al. works out well. Tangent to this, you are going to see a lot of international players and several G-Leaguers drafted come June. We are getting lapped by other countries as far as talent entering the NBA now. I believe within the decade the NBA will be half foreign-born players if not more. We are about ready to hit six straight seasons of a foreign-born MVP.

I am still crossing my fingers with this team. Despite having a couple of lottery picks, you ain't going to win when it matters most unless you can get stops. UK is going with the, "well, you can't stop us" approach. Seriously, would it be a total shock if UK only had two games left this season?