Confidence in beating UT? (Without RT)

[Panthur]

We had them last year until PJ went out with cramps. This team is much better and already manhandled them.

Have some faith. Cayts by 90

I’m still cautiously optimistic (70%) for reasons CB3UK laid out.

But I was already on record before our first UT game as saying I wished the games could have happened in the other order, so the payback factor could have been in our favor (I just mean, play the second at our gym no matter who won the first and owed the payback). I said that with Travis and without him I feel it doubly.

But I’ll add one little wrinkle:

Can anyone believe (who even remembers) the team we were before Quade left and things first started to click for us?

Not wanting to throw shade on him, just saying: for whatever reason we are such an amazingly different team now, with even such a higher ceiling, that when I think of the difference I can’t put this at below 70% no matter how much I worry......or even give us really low odds in a Duke+ZW rematch if one should happen.

“RELEASE THE CATKEN!”

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

I want us to win this game badly, and we definitely can but we'll have to shoot very well, limit turnovers and defend the 3. That being said, I'm totally expecting a loss (like at Kansas 3 years ago) because Knoxville is a house of horrors for us through the years. I'd say 30%.

Yeah, I read we haven't won there since 2015. So Williams has never lost to us there. I didn't realize that.

 

[MegaBlue05]

Voted 40. Hope I’m wrong.

Knoxville is historically a rough place for us. It’s been tough on Cal too. UT is gonna be jacked. I’m hoping Uk wins comfortably. At a minimum i hope we can weather a couple storns and be within 2 possessions either way at the under 4 timeout.

Whistle will be unkind. Need to make 7-10 threes and control the boards.

 

[Bigkyfan88]

With RT I would say we have about a 45-50% to win. Without him I would say that we have about a 30-35% chance.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Reid really did take Williams out of his game. UT is very good and no doubt will be very motivated.

Gonna be tough to pull this one out with UK not a full strength. I expect them to come out like their hair is on fire.
I fully expect it to be 10-2 in favor of UT at the 1st TV timeout or worse. If UK can withstand the initial onslaught, then it becomes a game.

 

[Blue Decade]

We had them last year until PJ went out with cramps. This team is much better and already manhandled them.

Have some faith. Cayts by 90

"Cats by 90" cracked me up. But you make a good point about last year. We also manhandled them in Lexington a couple weeks ago. That was with RT, but it showed a blue print of what must be done tomorrow. My main concern in this game is foul trouble, especially PJ. But if we avoid that, it should go down to the wire. If UK's players really want a 1 seeding, this game is where it gets done.

 

[Hoskins91_rivals]

Don’t get blown out and it’ll be hard for me to be too upset, regardless of outcome.

 

[kevcat]

I'm close to you just on the other side at about 51% confidence the cats play their A game and sweep TN. I totally feel like we are the better team I just wish we have RT and I would be excited instead of nervous. It will for sure be a challenge without RT, but if we play as we can we can still take them down. Nick needs to be as good if not better than last game. At least we get him back soon.

I have to admit I’m letting the Arkansas game shake my confidence a bit. After watching sports for the last 45 years, I should no better then to let a bad performance influence my thought process.

The further away from that game Tuesday night, the more my confidence is coming back. By Saturday morning I’ll likely be predicting a UK win.

I’m not sure if I come across this way on this board, but I can be a bit emotional at times.

 

[jwheat]

I think we are the better team I voted 60

 

[School boy]

About 70%

 

[JayCatz44]

Is Jodie Meeks suiting up?

If not, I'll have to go with 40%. Tennessee will be jacked up to play us and UK will probably get raped by the refs.

 

[HenryMuto]

Probably wasn't a good idea to have been saying this after last game. No reason to give Tennessee bulletin board material.

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/spor...rnes-grant-williams-pj-washington/2943301002/

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

No doubt we are going to get their best shot. I feel like we are the better team, but without RT I worry a bit about Williams having a big game and of course the refs. It would be really nice win or lose to not have to even think about the refs.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

I know it's a tough game in a tough place to play and we don't know if we will have RT and if we do it will probably be limited. However too funny when you look at the names of the people giving us almost no chance in the voting.

 

[HenryMuto]

I know it's a tough game in a tough place to play and we don't know if we will have RT and if we do it will probably be limited. However too funny when you look at the names of the people giving us almost no chance in the voting.

With Travis it was going to be a hard game to win so without him ?

Tennessee is considered a #2 seed right now (and a #1 seed and the #1 team in the nation before we crushed them earlier).

To beat a #2 seed on the road is harder than winning an elite 8 game (since that is a neutral site game) so to win this game no matter how good your team is even if at full strength was going to be hard (not impossible but hard).

I don't think we can "expect" to win but we can be "hopeful" but you have to be honest and say you just might lose right ? Even the homer of homers have to admit you might lose right ? I know some crazies on this board try to shame anyone who says that you think Kentucky might lose a game I mean what insanity and what a "loser" you are if you even suggest that you think Kentucky might lose. I guess everyone should predict Kentucky to go 40-0 every season.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

With Travis it was going to be a hard game to win so without him ?

Tennessee is considered a #2 seed right now (and a #1 seed and the #1 team in the nation before we crushed them earlier).

To beat a #2 seed on the road is harder than winning an elite 8 game (since that is a neutral site game) so to win this game no matter how good your team is even if at full strength was going to be hard (not impossible but hard).

I don't think we can "expect" to win but we can be "hopeful" but you have to be honest and say you just might lose right ? Even the homer of homers have to admit you might lose right ? I know some crazies on this board try to shame anyone who says that you think Kentucky might lose a game I mean what insanity and what a "loser" you are if you even suggest that you think Kentucky might lose. I guess everyone should predict Kentucky to go 40-0 every season.

I get it I really do, but I would think by now this team has shown enough for any UK fan to give them a 50/50 shot against a team they beat by 17 points a few weeks ago I'm just saying some people really think we only have a 10-20% chance of winning? I think I was reasonable with 51%. Looking at the season as a whole I believe we are the better team. This team has done some pretty incredible things and I think deserves the faith of the Big Blue Nation to at the very least give them a 40-50% chance to pull it out. I'm not trying to shame anyone I'm just really surprised after some of the same picked us to lose the first matchup and what we did.

We had them beat down there last year until PJ cramped up and missed almost the entire 2nd half. Not saying they wouldn't have made a run, but the game looked dramatically different after he left and when we met them in the Tourney after we handled them. I do agree it will be probably the 2nd-3rd hardest game of the year.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

I guess the Vols fans learned their lesson last time and are a bit nervous to come on here and talk smack like they did last time. Was just a few weeks ago there was like 8 on here at once telling us what they were going to do to us. Maybe not as confident as we think they should be or maybe just still embarrassed from the spanking last time. I figured with tomorrow more than likely being a war they would be crawling all over tonight. Maybe they have started to focus on FB LOL.

 

[ukhemingway]

I love that UK is playing this game without RT...EJ and Nick need valuable minutes in huge games for UK to win it all. This will feel just like that. And if UK finds a way to win, which is very possible, it will just instill confidence. If not, those guys learn and get better. We need them to get better to cut down the nets. That's the only goal at UK. Cats find a way because they are just a better team than Tenn, Cats 77-72

 

[Bluegrassking]

Pretty solidly so. 72% without Reid and about 81% with him.

I like us again oer ewetee by 8.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

Hope you guys are right and we put the squeeze on the orange tomorrow.

 

[minjo]

We had them last year until PJ went out with cramps. This team is much better and already manhandled them.

Have some faith. Cayts by 90

I think Cats can handle them much better than Cayts. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

 

[CB3UK]

I think Cats can handle them much better than Cayts. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Cayts by 90

 

[CatsIndy2010]

I chose 70% because there is a chance that we play like we did against arkansas..........

If we do that, it will be close. I feel tn isnt playing the best right now, its not quite tourney time...so we will see.

 

[HenryMuto]

10% refs and tn beat a depleted uk

oh so the guy who called me a loser because I predicted Kentucky to lose at Miss State gives the Cats 10%. So why was I a "loser" for predicting a loss at Miss State but its ok for you to give us 10% ?

This is what pisses me off about you guys here once Kentucky beat Miss State this guy came right at me "you loser".

What a joke.

 

[TomTraubertsBlues]

Without him today, given the stakes, the revenge factor, the bulletin board material, and the venue, I am not confident in a win today. Would love to be wrong.

 

[jameslee32]

I think they were looking ahead on Tuesday and will come out ready to play. The 2nd half defense will be the key to just about every game we play from here on out.