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They're definitely the favorites when you look at the ratings, but they could easily lose before the finals if they take their opponents lightly.

I keep seeing posts that claim teams intentionally slow the game down vs. Holmes because they can't run with them or they're afraid to run with them. So, my question is this. Would Holmes try to slow the tempo down vs. Elliott County, or would they be confident they could beat the Lions playing their game, which is fast and furious?

Dead Alive?

Seems like a lot of people want to discuss these two teams, so have at it. That way, we can keep the other threads open and on topic and keep people from breaking the rules. Enjoy.

With the way the draw ended up, I honestly think this tournament goes about 11 or 12 teams deep with teams that could win the whole thing. All of the highest rated teams sit in the bottom bracket, with the exception of Eastern and Corbin and only one of those two will be around for the second round. Anything can happen in the Sweet 16.

Reminder: We need to stick to the topic, which is Elliott County and Anderson County.

Delete

How does Shelby Valley compare to the Paintsville teams in the '90's? Those Paintsville teams had solid PG play with an explosive 2 Guard (Todd Tackett), an athletic big man (Ratliff, 6-8) and a dominant presence in the paint (J.R. Vanhoose, 6-9). Are there any similarities?

Probably not, but that's the way it goes when you have a high octane offensive team.

First Round 1 - Hazard 1 - Adair County 1 - Central 1 - Eastern 1 - Lexington Catholic 1 - Christian County 1 - Shelby Valley 1 - Elliott County Semi-Final Round 2 - Adair County 2 - Central 2 - Christian County 2 - Shelby Valley Championship Game 3 - Adair County 3 - Shelby Valley 2009 KHSAA Sweet 16 Champion 5 - Adair County TB - 114

With 5 guys capable of scoring, Elliott County should get enough offense to keep them within striking distance against anybody, IMO.

Just to add to that...are there teams that typically win when they shoot bad?

:laugh::laugh::thumb: Me too. Forget about the Sweet 16. I say we send this team to Tampa so the Wildcats can make the Big Dance. FWIW... Holmes split with Bryan Station. 72-86 L, 74-56 W Christian Co. lost to Bryan Station. 78-83 Holmes beat Henderson Co. 55-42 Christian Co. beat Henderson Co. twice. 76-62, 95-82 If they can work up the nerve to show up, I think they might force Holmes to break a sweat. I could be wrong though.

I'm beginning to wonder why anyone besides Holmes and Elliott County are making the trip to Lexington. From what I can gather, we have the unstoppable force (Elliott County) and the immovable object (Holmes). One cannot be stopped, running teams ragged and scoring at will. And the other, well, you're lucky if they let you breathe, much less score. I say we petition the KHSAA to go the BCS format, so we can get these two on the court to settle the matter and save the rest of the participants the embarassment of having to face them. Would it be too much for either side to concede that both are great teams that play contrasting styles and are capable of beating anyone they play? And, that there are a few other teams in the tournament that are capable of doing the same thing? Just wondering.:idunno:

Wow. Nice work. Did it take you long to compile those numbers? :sssh:

This thread is about Elliott County and Anderson County. Let's get back on the topic. If you want to discuss Holmes or a potential Holmes/Elliott matchup, this is the wrong thread. :thumb:

I wouldn't sell BG short. Catholic definitely should be the favorite, but the game isn't a gimme.

:thumb: Two legit title contenders facing off right off the bat. It will probably come down to which team can settle in and adjust to the big stage first.

I think Elliott County will win as long as they're focused on Anderson County and not looking ahead to a rematch with Shelby Valley or a showdown with Holmes or cutting the nets down on Saturday night. If they aren't focused, their dreams might get crushed early because they barely beat Anderson County on a neutral court the first time around.

Depends on which team can impose their will and dictate tempo. Besides that, this game would take place on Saturday morning. Both of these teams will have to win two tough games because the bottom bracket is loaded. Elliott would have to beat Anderson County and Shelby Valley/Mason County. FWIW, during the season Elliott played all three of those teams. The handled Mason County pretty easily at home (86-71). However, the other two were on neutral courts, and they only beat Anderson County by 4 and they lost to Shelby Valley. The Lions better worry about Anderson County and then their next opponent or the only look they'll get at Holmes will be with the rest of the spectators. Same goes for Holmes...Christian County is a tough opener and then they get the LexCath/Bowling Green winner.

:thumb: I'm with you. Central started 0-8 in the month of December. Both they and Hazard, IMO, have played much better as the season progressed and the football players transitioned to hoops. I doubt either can cut the nets down, but they're capable of beating some good teams and making some noise if they play their best. I think this tournament goes pretty deep with potential winners, especially considering how the brackets ended up. Most of the favorites are in the bottom half.

Elliott County averages 85.8 points per game. The only team in the Sweet 16 that is within 10 points of that is Christian County at 76.6 (-9.2). Their average margin of 26.5 ppg is tops among the field as well. Personally, I think Eastern, Elliott, Holmes and Shelby Valley are the top four teams. I wouldn't argue the order because a case can be made for all of them, as long as those 4 are your top 4. That said, I think there a several other teams with a realistic chance to cut the nets down.

On paper, this looks like it has the potential to be one of the best Sweet 16's we've ever seen. It seems as wide open as I can remember. If I had to rank them... 1. Shelby Valley (30-4) - Average 74 ppg and win by 22+ on average. Only one in-state loss (vs. Knott Central on 12/21). 1-0 vs. the field (55-52 over Elliott Co.). 2. Elliott County (30-2) - They average almost 86 ppg and they're winning by 26+ on average. 2-1 vs. the field. What scares me? On neutral courts they lost to Shelby Valley (52-55) and squeaked by Anderson Co. (76-72). 3. Holmes (32-2) - Last year's state runner-up, they allow 46 ppg and are winning by almost 14. They've avenged both of their losses. 1-0 vs. the field 4. Eastern (30-2) - Average 70 ppg, win by 16 per game. 1-0 vs. the field 5. Lexington Catholic (25-7) - Average 71 ppg, win by 9 per game. 1-2 vs. the field (all games on the road). 6. Corbin (29-3) - Average 74 ppg, win by 22+. 1-0 vs. the field 7. Christian County (21-6) - Average 76+ ppg and win by 11 per. Haven't played anyone in the Sweet 16. 8. Mason County (24-6) - Allowing under 49 ppg and win by 17 per game. 0-2 vs. the field (vs. Lex. Cath, @ Elliott Co.) 9. Anderson County (24-5) - Allowing under 49 ppg and win by almost 14 per game. 0-1 vs. the field (neutral court loss to Elliot Co., 72-76) 10. Bowling Green (26-6) - 63+ ppg. 1-0 vs. the field (Grayson Co.) 11. West Jessamine (26-8) - 67 ppg. 1-0 vs. the field (Lex. Cath.) 12. Adair County (26-7) - Allow just under 51 ppg. 1-0 vs. the field (Central) 13. Hazard (26-8) - Allow under 47 ppg and win by 14+ per game. 20-4 in 2009. 0-1 vs. the field (@ Holmes) 14. Central (16-14) - Lost their first 8 games. 16-6 in 2009. 0-2 vs. the field (Eastern, Adair Co.) 15. Grayson County (25-6) - Allowing under 50 ppg and win by 13 per game. 0-1 vs. the field (Bowling Green, 59-72) 16. Graves County (23-9) - Allow 50 ppg. No games vs. Sweet 16 participants.

Rule 13 still applies guys.

They're always evenly matched and when that's the case, its hard to win twice within a week. Plus, Hazard actually benefitted from losing the district this time because they got an easier draw by avoiding Knott Central. Nothing against Letcher Central, because they were capable of playing with these teams, but overall, they were a notch below the top three teams. Hazard, PCC and KCC were a toss-up and the Bulldogs benefitted from avoiding KCC during the post-season.