UK Starting Five: Champions classic vs Duke
- Thread starter Anon1633454190
- Start date
I think we have to start NR to keep the 1-2 punch of PJ and Travis fresh. When PJ comes out, Travis goes in so its 40 minutes straight of bully ball at the 4 on Williamson. Richards and Montgomery at the 5 to man Bolden and Delaurier.
I’d go;
Green - been under the lights and allows some young guys to watch and get comfortable with the stage.
KJ - He is going to have to play big minutes on defense and as a 3pt and slashing threat to keep Duke’s “defense” honest.
PJ - veteran leadership and will likely guard Zion.
I think those three are certain.
Then it will be either;
- Herro keeping the perimeter threat
Or
- Quickley for a second capable ball handler and facilitator
And finally one of;
- Richards for better rim protection
Or
- Travis for vet leadership and rebounding
My best guess would be;
- Green
- Herro
- KJ
- PJ
- Travis
Best line up to deal with any early season jitters and then sub as the game dictates.
Love Richards and Hagans coming in as energy guys.
Green - been under the lights and allows some young guys to watch and get comfortable with the stage.
KJ - He is going to have to play big minutes on defense and as a 3pt and slashing threat to keep Duke’s “defense” honest.
PJ - veteran leadership and will likely guard Zion.
I think those three are certain.
Then it will be either;
- Herro keeping the perimeter threat
Or
- Quickley for a second capable ball handler and facilitator
And finally one of;
- Richards for better rim protection
Or
- Travis for vet leadership and rebounding
My best guess would be;
- Green
- Herro
- KJ
- PJ
- Travis
Best line up to deal with any early season jitters and then sub as the game dictates.
Love Richards and Hagans coming in as energy guys.
I like the Quicklely, Green, Johnson, Washington, and Richards lineup.
Cal needs to start Richards, it's good for his confidence and gives us a rim protector.
Cal needs to start Richards, it's good for his confidence and gives us a rim protector.
Quickley
Herro
Johnson
Washington
Travis
IMHO, Herro, Johnson and Washington are locks to start
Herro
Johnson
Washington
Travis
IMHO, Herro, Johnson and Washington are locks to start
This should be it. Won't be, but should be.
First round of subs are Johnson, Quickley, and Montgomery.
Maybe because he'll most likely be matched up with Barrett or Reddish.
I don't think you can just compare the starting lineups because Duke's appears significantly better. I'm not sure how UK's depth will make a big difference so I guess we'll see.
Call me crazy i think we see some zone tomorrow
Lets see duke make those shots
Pj might not be able to guard zion tbh. I hope so cause that would raise his nba stock big time.
Richards
Pj
Reid
Green
Herro
Not that the starting 5 matters. Then i think KJ starts and guards rj.
Reid takes reddish
Yup pj zion.
Wont matter duke is running that golden state offense so plenty of switches. Except rat face never got the memo that ncaa allows zone. So unless duke is hitting 40% from 3 they will have problems.
I expect hagans to play most mins simply because he will disrupt their rhythm. Then full court press their *** and they wont set up nada. Speed them up and watch them make mistakes.
But zone them . prove they can make shots. If they cant that golden state offense will be super fun to watch
Lets see duke make those shots
Pj might not be able to guard zion tbh. I hope so cause that would raise his nba stock big time.
Richards
Pj
Reid
Green
Herro
Not that the starting 5 matters. Then i think KJ starts and guards rj.
Reid takes reddish
Yup pj zion.
Wont matter duke is running that golden state offense so plenty of switches. Except rat face never got the memo that ncaa allows zone. So unless duke is hitting 40% from 3 they will have problems.
I expect hagans to play most mins simply because he will disrupt their rhythm. Then full court press their *** and they wont set up nada. Speed them up and watch them make mistakes.
But zone them . prove they can make shots. If they cant that golden state offense will be super fun to watch
Yep I hope it's this lineup. It gives UK ball handlers that can score and get there own shot. Then there is experience/rebounding in the front court so you're not crazy.
Green
Herro
PJ
Travis
Richards
I think you go Quickley, Herro, KJ, Reid/PJ, Richards. Then you can bring Hagans in if we need more D, Green for O and EJ and whichever of PJ/Reid don't start.
Hagans
Herro
KJ
PJ
Travis
Plus would love to see Herro run the point some. Amazing vision and passer.
Herro
KJ
PJ
Travis
Plus would love to see Herro run the point some. Amazing vision and passer.
I think cal starts the best defensive matchups he feels comfortable with. I don’t think herro is in the starting lineup. If cal feels like he wants a rim protector he ll start Richards otherwise I think Travis will start. Also I expect cal to show some zone tomorrow. I know most will disagree but I think cal is going to do what it takes to win each game:
IQ
Green
Johnson
Richards
Washington
Need your experienced players in the game and like bucsrule noted, Richards is the best rim protector. Don’t let ZW get the ball in the post. The guy’s a one man dunking machine. Barrett and Reddish will be the toughest to guard - could be a long day if they get going.
GBB!
Green
Johnson
Richards
Washington
Need your experienced players in the game and like bucsrule noted, Richards is the best rim protector. Don’t let ZW get the ball in the post. The guy’s a one man dunking machine. Barrett and Reddish will be the toughest to guard - could be a long day if they get going.
GBB!
It's all about team defense when it comes to stopping Duke.
If you let these guys play one on one, they will exploit mismatches and kill you. This is where help defense becomes critical. And when teams help it will open up things for the rest of the team. A critical part of Barrett's development is becoming a more willing passer. He starts finding open guys and this Duke team could be deadly.
Now I don't see Duke winning the title this year. Five brand new starters, four Freshmen starters, and no returning minutes to speak of, is not a recipe for championships at the college level. I don't think a team has ever lost their entire starting five from the year before and won the whole thing. Might happen, but history is against them.
Still, Duke is going to be a tough out in March. I will not want to see them in our bracket.
As for tonight, I am hoping experience gets us the win. Freshmen in their first games on both side. They will make mistakes. Some will falter under the spotlight. I am hoping Green, Washington, Travis, and Richards will step up since they have played in big games like this before. Duke really has no one who has played a significant role in a big game that can step in and be a calming force on the floor. Maybe Bolden or DeLaurier or even O'Connell can be that guy, but what experience can they draw on? They haven't really been called on to do that in their time at Duke. It's likely Duke is led by their Freshmen.
I think UK wins a close one with our veterans stepping up late in the game and delivering 2-3 critical plays that push us over the top. Travis will get a key rebound, Green will hit a timely 3, or Washington will draw a critical foul, etc. to put us in the winner's circle.
But I wouldn't be surprised if Duke wins it. They have the three most talented players on the floor.
The only result that would truly surprise me would be if either team wins by 20+.
Start whoever you don't mind sitting for the first half 'cause we'll have 3-4 guys with 2 fouls early. They will drive, drive, drive and get the calls. It's the pUKe way.
I think it's nice that we have a basketball first world problem in who to start. We have the luxury to start outstanding players throughout our top nine. I'm inclined to personally lean towards starting those who have danced in the spotlight of a nationally televised big time atmosphere game. Let as many of the youngsters get the sense of the climate before injecting them into the game.
Here’s the thing. We know Dukes starting 5. Nobody, including Duke, knows ours. It is much harder to prepare for us than it is them. I think that gives us an advantage. Will it equate to us winning the game? I don’t know. I think the key is to limit Dukes big three to under 20 points each. We do that and they don’t have enough options to make up another 20-25 points.
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