Impressed/Not impressed

[Jamal Mercer]

Impressed with:

1. team defense was unbelievable. Way better than I expected.
2. Free throw shooting from our 3 guards. 23-25
3. Not turning the ball over in the 2nd half.
4. Maxey is a stud.
5. sestina pulled it together after a slow start and made some huge plays.

Not impressed with:

1. Certain players not finishing at the rim.
2. Brooks and Whitney looked like freshmen. Whitney did hit a big 3 but other than that they were both extremely shaky.

 

[KA4Prez_rivals78700]

I'm not worried about Brooks. His role is going to come in spots, doing a little bit of everything. Whitney, as we saw in everything prior to last night, I'm just not sure what he does on the court to contribute. People picking him as a possible All-SEC, All-Freshman type player whiffed. He might not even be a top 6 player on Kentucky. Hopefully he settles into a niche and contributes in ways that are a positive.

 

[CELTICAT]

Agree with almost everything, but gotta disagree on Whitney. He and Sestina were our front court when we made our push in the final four minutes of the first half. He's a very good rebounder. His defense through the first 30 minutes or so of the game was lights out. He was great at recovering and challenging perimeter shots. I felt like I dragged him a bit pre-season, but he did all the little things, and maybe that's all he needs to do.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Agree with almost everything, but gotta disagree on Whitney. He and Sestina were our front court when we made our push in the final four minutes of the first half. He's a very good rebounder. His defense through the first 30 minutes or so of the game was lights out. He was great at recovering and challenging perimeter shots. I felt like I dragged him a bit pre-season, but he did all the little things, and maybe that's all he needs to do.

The defensive part of their games were kinda lost on me last night. I was constantly watching whoever was guarding Winston. But if they are really good defensively, that is fine by me.

 

[metrodayze]

Congrats on the win - again Maxey is the deal. No way MSU IS TOP 5 without players
Like Miami I expect them to be formidable by March

 

[Bigblueamyou]

Congrats on the win - again Maxey is the deal. No way MSU IS TOP 5 without players
Like Miami I expect them to be formidable by March

Ok lmao

 

[KA4Prez_rivals78700]

Agree with almost everything, but gotta disagree on Whitney. He and Sestina were our front court when we made our push in the final four minutes of the first half. He's a very good rebounder. His defense through the first 30 minutes or so of the game was lights out. He was great at recovering and challenging perimeter shots. I felt like I dragged him a bit pre-season, but he did all the little things, and maybe that's all he needs to do.

I don't disagree with this. There is a reason Whitney played so much. I was more just commenting about how he's behind almost everywhere else. He's gotta just go out there and compete with his physical ability and hope things slowly fall into place as the season continues. I wasn't dragging him but I had much higher expectations for him than Brooks for some reason.

 

[ScrooDook92]

Impressed:

Richard's speed in transition, and ability to rotate over

Maxey's energy and leadership. The kid is a star in the making

Hagan's defense on the perimeter, ability to get to the basket

Sestina does everything, love his rainbow shots

Based on just this game, the team defense is already better than last year's at the end. And it's not just close off everything like Virginia does, it's harassing, smothering, pressuring defense

Not Impressed:

Richard's positioning

Maxey's conduct when the outcome was certain. I think the dancing, gloating needs to be addressed

Hagan's inability to finish at the rim

 

[chroix]

Maxey’s conduct when the outcome was certain. I think the dancing, gloating needs to be addressed

GTFO with the Footloose BS. Kid was the hero against the number one team in the country in his first game in college the day after his birthday and you’re mad that he expressed happiness. Let him enjoy the moment. I did.

 

[flacat22]

Congrats on the win - again Maxey is the deal. No way MSU IS TOP 5 without players
Like Miami I expect them to be formidable by March

Like WHO?????? [roll][roll][roll]

 

[ryanbruner]

I'm not worried about Brooks. His role is going to come in spots, doing a little bit of everything. Whitney, as we saw in everything prior to last night, I'm just not sure what he does on the court to contribute. People picking him as a possible All-SEC, All-Freshman type player whiffed. He might not even be a top 6 player on Kentucky. Hopefully he settles into a niche and contributes in ways that are a positive.

He defends at a really high rate that is what he does...he will come into his own but Cal is going to have to create an offense based around the strengths of these guys.

 

[flacat22]

[/QUOTE]

Maxey's conduct when the outcome was certain. I think the dancing, gloating needs to be addressed

Your posting needs to be addressed. The kid and his team just beat the #1 team in the nation on the biggest stage in college basketball and you're worried about dancing? Dancing (cue Iverson practice video)? All of the long hours in the gym and the weight room over the summer and you're "not impressed" by his dancing? You do realize he is 19, right? How about the dagger at 58 seconds? His defense on Winston? Yes, lets pick "dancing" to ***** about. [roll]

 

[UKcatXXXL]

Maxey has the IT factor. He's the type who will show up when it's all on the line in the tournament and get it done for us.

 

[On-On-UK_rivals45415]

I'll take the dancing over flexing and posing for the tv cameras while your man beats you back down the floor for a layup.

 

[Mike-D]

Congrats on the win - again Maxey is the deal. No way MSU IS TOP 5 without players
Like Miami I expect them to be formidable by March

Lmao, okay they lost by 13 at home to UofL. The same UofL team that beat Bellarmine by 10 at home. Now go trim up your line beard.

 

[kyjeff1]

Impressed:
-overall team defense
-overall team offense (first game against a stud defensive team with a bunch of young guys)
-rebounding
-free throw shooting
-toughness
-Nick Richards turned a bit of a corner
-Hagans' all around game
-Sestina - his touness in the paint was impressive. He manned up
-the 3 guard lineup + Richards and Sestina. Oh yeah, that is tough to guard
-Whitney's defense
-coaching. A+ from Cal and all the way down to the towel boys/girls
-Maxey - Good God this kid is a star, I just hope he continues to be the player he was today all season
-lastly, this wasca November 5th game, first game of the season, we looked better than we typically do at this point. I really like the makeup of this team and where it's at.

Not impressed:
-EJ. It's like he took the summer off. I doubt that's the case, but he bricked his free throws, bricked all of his over the shoulder shots in the paint, badly missed his long jumpers and seemed to rush his shots out of fear. He did get a couple tough rebounds, but he needs to find his game.

-Whitney's free throw shooting. He's a key piece of the puzzle and he's going to get fouled a lit, especially now that everyone knows he struggles at the line. We don't need poor free throw shooting to derail these guys for the 3rd year in a row.

-Quickley missing wide open three pointers as MSU was charging. He's too good of a shooter for that. You have to make those. I was worried that he might be a driving range hero, he scorched the nets from 3 point range in exhibitions and practice, but now that it counts, he choked. Hopefully it was just the moment that got him, but one of those was a cinder block.

One thing I'm trying to keep in mind though, is we were playing tge #1 team.in the country, a Tom Izzo team with a bunch of veterans. Sure, they were missing Langford, but they had all their bigs and we manned up. Our guards stepped up to the challenge and won. This is a great win. Now we have dome cupcakes to munch on for a while.

I love it. Uk is the new #1 team in the country and will be for a long time.

 

[kyjeff1]

Not impressed

Maxey's conduct when the outcome was certain. I think the dancing, gloating needs to be addressed

This comment is very "GET OFF MY LAWN" ish.
Come on man, dudes have done that to us on our home floor.
The kid just had an epic game in his college debut…… . at the Garden and you're mad because he was gloating???
Come oooooon man.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Mods - please finally do the right thing and ban @ScrooDook92.

it’s long overdue. It’s just disgusting.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Like WHO?????? [roll][roll][roll]

He meant to say Jacksonville.

 

[KYFOSSIL]

I was impressed with Maxey gets in the game walks up and nails at three from New Jersey!

 

[jmw23712]

I loved Maxey’s attitude. I feel like that type of personality keeps the team loose and play better. He stepped up when it mattered most because he wasn’t nervous or afraid of the spotlight. Wall was that type of guy too. I love seeing our guys having fun and smiling their way to wins. The kid has a contagious smile and the teams that have fun on the court and good chemistry together have always been my favorites to watch.

 

[JBHolmesfan]

Maxey's conduct when the outcome was certain. I think the dancing, gloating needs to be addressed

Agreed. Our guys shouldn’t be allowed to have fun and celebrate with their teammates like that. Especially after having a 26 point night in a win over the #1 team in the country. How dare he enjoy himself!?

 

[BlueCat43]

Agree with almost everything, but gotta disagree on Whitney. He and Sestina were our front court when we made our push in the final four minutes of the first half. He's a very good rebounder. His defense through the first 30 minutes or so of the game was lights out. He was great at recovering and challenging perimeter shots. I felt like I dragged him a bit pre-season, but he did all the little things, and maybe that's all he needs to do.

I agree. Whitney is still very raw offensively and has a way to go, but his defense was outstanding. Finally saw the MKG comparison a little that I had heard before. I was very impressed last night. I know that Brooks and Whitney will come along. Hagans hits a few more shots, IQ does what we know he can, Richards continues his step forward, and we are going to be VERY tough to beat by March. Our defense was already in February-March form.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Impressed with:

1. team defense was unbelievable. Way better than I expected.
2. Free throw shooting from our 3 guards. 23-25
3. Not turning the ball over in the 2nd half.
4. Maxey is a stud.
5. sestina pulled it together after a slow start and made some huge plays.

Not impressed with:

1. Certain players not finishing at the rim.
2. Brooks and Whitney looked like freshmen. Whitney did hit a big 3 but other than that they were both extremely shaky.

I thought Whitney was good...just didn't score much and we will need him to ultimately.

 

[DelkBowl]

Mods - please finally do the right thing and ban @ScrooDook92.

it’s long overdue. It’s just disgusting.

Bump

 

[ORCAT]

GTFO with the Footloose BS. Kid was the hero against the number one team in the country in his first game in college the day after his birthday and you’re mad that he expressed happiness. Let him enjoy the moment. I did.

Absolutely right! I'm no kid myself and I was all smiles and laughing when Maxey was having fun, dancing, smiling broadly and just being a very happy kid who just helped beat the #1 team on Nov 5. I loved all of it and how can anyone not love this kid and his his infectious smile and positive attitude. Nothing about what he did needs to be addressed at all. Hope he keeps doing it all year.

 

[TTTblue24]

Ej is playing his way to being a junior, I know it’s first game but he hasn’t looked good in either of the exhibition games as well. Young man needs to find his niche & go at it, thought the Nick& sestina played well with each other.

 

[DelkBowl]

Ej is playing his way to being a junior, I know it’s first game but he hasn’t looked good in either of the exhibition games as well. Young man needs to find his niche & go at it, thought the Nicks played well with each other.

I'm fine with that. Hope he becomes a senior also.

 

[KA4Prez_rivals78700]

Not comparable games exactly, but Maxey has some Malik Monk to him.

 

[akaukswoosh]

Brooks and Whitney looked like freshmen.

How dare two freshmen look like two freshmen in the first game of the season. Faar Cal.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

Impressed:
1) Obviously Maxey. What an outstanding first game.
2) Not turning it over. Usually Cal's teams have turnover issues at the beginning of the year and the fact we only turned it over 10 times this game was a big reason why we won.
3) Getting to the line/free throw shooting. Been a stable of our teams since Cal has been here. If you get to the line 32 times and make 78% of them, that's a significant advantage.
4) Rebounding on the defensive end. Did well to keep MSU to just 7 offensive boards.

Not Impressed:
1) Finishing at the rim. Have to do a better job. Hagans got into the paint but just couldn't convert enough times and he has to finish plays. EJ and Nick as well got good looks and just couldn't convert.
2) Interior defense. They shot 57% from 2. Not in 19, but in both 17 and 18, we had issues in this regard and I hope that isn't the problem with this team.
3) Lack of offensive rebounding. Probably just a byproduct of playing Michigan St, but I'd still like to see us grab more than 5 offensive boards.

All in all a bit fortunate in the fact they only shot 19% from 3. They were having success on the inside but still ended up taking 26 threes in that game. The 3 point shot is way more random than the 2.

That being said, you cannot help but be impressed. They were facing an extremely talented team in a close game at the end of made plays to win the game. You don't want to take anything for granted but looking at our schedule we should remain number 1 until late December at the very least.

 

[WeWant9_rivals]

I was super happy that we played with the lead, basically, the whole game. Mich St made some runs, but we took the punches and kept going. Maxeys drive and long three were daggers. I think some previous teams would have not handled Mich St’s late game run like we did last night.

I’m really rooting and pulling for EJ. He has the tools, it’s just can he mentally put it all together. Hopefully he gets a rhythm and some confidence going in the upcoming games.

 

[Cats192]

Impressed:

1. Maxey. Obviously. We haven't had that star in a minute.
2. Richards: He played amazing defense last night. He used to always get lost, now he's switching and switching back.
3. Defense. Defense. Defense. When you can't score, defense keeps you in it and we slowed down the best team in the land.
4. Rebounding. We honestly rebounded terribly. But you look at up and both teams had 30 rebounds. We'll do better going forward.

Not impressed

1. EJ. Can't give me 2 rebounds anymore man.
2. Brooks and that damn jump shot. He loves to let it fly. And that late 3 point air ball made me cringe.

 

[BlueCat43]

Impressed:
1) Obviously Maxey. What an outstanding first game.
2) Not turning it over. Usually Cal's teams have turnover issues at the beginning of the year and the fact we only turned it over 10 times this game was a big reason why we won.
3) Getting to the line/free throw shooting. Been a stable of our teams since Cal has been here. If you get to the line 32 times and make 78% of them, that's a significant advantage.
4) Rebounding on the defensive end. Did well to keep MSU to just 7 offensive boards.

Not Impressed:
1) Finishing at the rim. Have to do a better job. Hagans got into the paint but just couldn't convert enough times and he has to finish plays. EJ and Nick as well got good looks and just couldn't convert.
2) Interior defense. They shot 57% from 2. Not in 19, but in both 17 and 18, we had issues in this regard and I hope that isn't the problem with this team.
3) Lack of offensive rebounding. Probably just a byproduct of playing Michigan St, but I'd still like to see us grab more than 5 offensive boards.

All in all a bit fortunate in the fact they only shot 19% from 3. They were having success on the inside but still ended up taking 26 threes in that game. The 3 point shot is way more random than the 2.

That being said, you cannot help but be impressed. They were facing an extremely talented team in a close game at the end of made plays to win the game. You don't want to take anything for granted but looking at our schedule we should remain number 1 until late December at the very least.

I thought the 19% from three, at least in part, was due to really good perimeter defense.

 

[Stenchymouse]

Impressed - Our defense on Nov 5th with a bunch of young players

We beat the number 1 team in the country.

Not impressed - Yeah, hard to find a lot of fault in this game, especially since Cal hasn't worked on our offense yet.

 

[Cats_2010]

I'm not worried about Brooks. His role is going to come in spots, doing a little bit of everything. Whitney, as we saw in everything prior to last night, I'm just not sure what he does on the court to contribute. People picking him as a possible All-SEC, All-Freshman type player whiffed. He might not even be a top 6 player on Kentucky. Hopefully he settles into a niche and contributes in ways that are a positive.

I came away the opposite last night. Thought Whitney definitely added a presence on the floor specifically defensively and his offensive game is certainly there and will come around as the season progresses. I can see brooks role diminishing as the season moves forward unless he makes big strides over the course of the next 6 weeks. Hopefully he does as I have serious doubts EJ has the IT factor we need for him to have.

 

[GonzoCat90]

Mods - please finally do the right thing and ban @ScrooDook92.

it’s long overdue. It’s just disgusting.

If y'all havent ignored him yet, that's on you.

 

[CatsIndy2010]

We kept the game close and won! You cant get any better than that really.

I still dont like being ranked #1 though, it puts a lot of stress on our players and our opponents will be playing like its the superbowl.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

I thought the 19% from three, at least in part, was due to really good perimeter defense.

No doubt our length played somewhat of a role in that.

But to put things into perspective, Michigan St went the entire season last year and didn't shoot 19% from 3 in any game. Had a couple games (4) below 25%.

I'm just thinking in terms of if we faced them down the road, you probably would expect them to shoot better from 3. I mean it's like the opposite of when some no name team comes into Rupp and goes bonkers from 3. Offenses have more control over 3 point FG% than defenses do.

The best way to play defense against the three........is to force them into taking twos.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

We kept the game close and won! You cant get any better than that really.

I still dont like being ranked #1 though, it puts a lot of stress on our players and our opponents will be playing like its the superbowl.

I don't know. I think it gets overblown. Don't our opponents already play us like it's their super bowl? lol isn't that what Cal always says.

If these kids make a decision to go to a basketball fan crazy school like UK, they already have that stress.

To me it's not even about the 1 tho. It's about what really matters in March. A win of a Michigan St team that isn't going to lose many games this season can only be a huge plus.