bugatti

I get this is a big game for UK, but it is equally, if not more big of a game for UT. They've already won the SEC regular season title, which probably wraps up at least a #2 seed. A win gives them an argument for a #1 seed.

It's not about the ppg, it's about the durability and longevity of it all which will put it way out of reach when you consider 1) players do not play the number of games each year as they used to; 2) LeBron is still playing at a high level setting the bar even higher.

Saying this award is longevity based is not a slight against LeBron. It’s a testament to the kind of physical freak he is and his commitment to the craft and taking care of his body. The only parallel we have to playing at this high of level for this long is Brady.

I just looked it up and the tiebreakers work like this: 1) Head-to-head 2) Best winning % versus the highest seeded common opponent 3) Coin flip Three-team (or more) tiebreaker 1) Best winning % of games played among the three teams 2) Best winning % of the tied teams vs. the highest seeded common opponent 3) Coin flip 4) Blind draw If I am looking at it correctly, not one team has a top-four seed locked up. The path for UK to get a top 4 seed looks challenging. That LSU loss is going to come back to bite them. You can say the same about the Florida loss, but they stole the game in Gainsville, so I am treating that as a wash.

Off by about 16 ppg. UK is averaging just under 90 points per contest.

Maybe the most anticlimactic record breaking moment ever. Congrats!

It’s horrifying how easy teams can get to the rim.

That entire late game surge came without Reeves playing a single minute. Cal found some action he liked with the middle screen and they wore it out. Edwards had three steals in a short span to effectively close the door on the Razorbacks.

That would be about right. A few years later he ended up on UK's bench.

Maybe.... I would like to see it. The grind of college seems so much worse for me than the NBA. The college game is cratering with diminishing prestige for coaches. It ain't the same college landscape he was once coaching in.

It's crazy, but Billy Donovan has been in our lives as a coach now for 30 years (going back to Marshall) and he is still just 58. 10 years have been in the NBA. Normally, once these guys get out of the college coaching game and in the NBA mix, they remain there. Given the hand he has been dealt, he has proven to be a solid NBA coach.

Players make boneheaded plays when the action is tight. The clock in their head moves faster and they sometimes lose their minds. Chris Weber, Bill Buckner, Dak Prescott in the playoffs, etc.

I'm fine with it as long as UT is not playing at home. Then it's obnoxious.

Yep. UT losing gave UK an outside shot of still winning the SEC regular season title, but Auburn losing was more advantagous from a double-bye standpoint.

He is horrendous on defense. A match made in heaven!

The Hump seems like a dump, but also a cool venue to play a game.

He had another one early on. He was near the top of the key and tried to hit Reeves in the corner. Only problem is there were two guys within five feet of Reeves and it was easily intercepted... my only guess is he thought those were holograms of Mississippi State players. The good part about Sheppard is he has a knack for making up for his mistakes almost instantaneously.

Fair. But my point remains. No matter the starting lineups (offensively dynamic or not), it has looked rough. And to zag with all this, I do not see UK's slow starts having to do with a lack of offensive firepower. It is because they can't guard a cardboard cutout of their opponents. The problem is not who starts in the backcourt, it is the Center position being downright putrid in most games at deterring any action toward the rim and getting pushed off the block which leads to putbacks, layups, or open jumpers. Last night being a great example.

Again, when Sheppard was starting they were still coming out as dysfunctional and a lot of those losses are with him starting. I also think the "starting poorly without Sheppard" is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. If they start well, it is not exactly the first thing people come on here praising.

Does anyone put up a quieter 20+ ppg consistently more than Reeves?

One game to mess with everyone I hope Calipari starts Sheppard, plays him the first 38 minutes, and has him sit to finish the game.

UK's worst stretch. On balance, DJ was not there to back up Sheppard.

It was obvious from day one that the players Calipari likes/trusts most are Sheppard and Reeves. They will be playing the bulk of the minutes and in the ball game when it matters most. There are hundreds of examples of this throughout basketball history. I'm thinking of Bruce Brown for the Nuggets last year. Manu Ginobili his entire career. Mike Dunleavy at Duke. Hell, the "original sixth man" Frank Ramsey (UK grad) made a HOF career of it. And so on. People view starting as a status symbol. And in fairness, it is to a degree. In this case, the decision not to start Sheppard is strictly about chemistry and messing up juju. No different than the guy who must put on a certain sock before the other or his entire day is ruined. The irony in it all is that the first person to say they do not start would probably be Reed Sheppard.

Obviously, Reed Sheppard. But hats off for the continual in game adjustments. UK always seemed one step ahead of the Bulldogs tonight. All credit goes to the players for that and of course to Calipari for properly rolling out the ball.

And to paint the full picture, that was against Alaska-Anchorage. This was against one of the better defenses in the country.