How would you feel if we replaced the first game of the season (duke) with ABC University and Ky won by 15-20? Hypothetically of course. Would there still be the same doubt and worry?
Minus the duke loss
- Thread starter Bigblueduck
- Start date
Well yea, our nutjob fans would be crying cause we ONLY beat "abc university " by 15-20.
We needed that Duke loss to wake us up. Duke is the best team in the nation. Try to catch them and hope for a good draw. Gotta get a good seed this year.
Those freshman will start getting tired of college the closer March starts getting here, also not sure if i would call them the best team.. They sure have alot of holes for a team so unbeatable..
If Dook 2018 couldn’t win it all, Duke 2019 won’t.
Their inability to shoot the 3 consistently will sink them in March before the can win 6 straight on a neutral court.. Can't wait to see them go down.
This has been my thinking as well, Bagley and Carter is as good a frontcourt that Duke will ever see..
No, and for two reasons: Team wasn't nearly where it is today. One of the biggest team transitions in a month a half under Cal. And no Green. Hard to think that his departure hasn't been a net positive for this team.
Duke is still better, mainly because we're still not there yet. Duke's offensive minded freshman are harder to contain the earlier it is. Seems to me that as the year goes on for Coach K, teams begin to figure them out little by little. Early tournament losses.. only winning the ACCT once in the last 7 years..
So there are still some better teams, but I'm not sure it's much past 4 or 5. Kentucky was #2 pre-season for a reason and now most of our players are starting to play to their expectations
Uconn won the national title shooting 26% from 3, Shooting can be somewhat overrated at times, there is other parts to the game that is important as well and they have a Barrett, who is a Kemba Walker type impact player in his own right.. Duke is more than good enough to win 6 straight games, just do not think they will because of being so freshman dominate.. Jones will not have the luxury of playing beside a senior in the tournament like his brother, when the going gets rough, it usually does about that elite eight game..
I just predict that they will fall in love with shooting threes in one of the games, miss most of them and go down.
They are the best team, but they can’t have any injuries or foul trouble. Take Zion or Barrett off that team, and they become average. That combo alone gives them 45 points a game. Scoring only.
As of right now they’re definitely the (or one of) the best teams. I abhor duke with a passion but a spade is a spade.
The freshman will start getting tired of college the closer to March ? Our freshman never did that , so why them?
There is always going to be worry and wringing of hands by some fans. But Cal and players just have to own that **** sandwich that started the season. No way around it. It was a punch to the balls to the fanbase. Having said that, the last two weeks have been a vast improvement. Now let’s see if they can build on it this weekend.
I think we have to shoot 3's.. make 'em or not.. it opens up the game in the middle. If we need to take a loss or two now to get guys like Herro and IQ as many reps as possible, so be it.
The first game was an aberration, a convergence of individual components lining up in a rare way to create a unique outcome. You dismiss the margin because it wouldn’t be the norm in a series. It’s just one loss, unless you’re one of those UK fans obsessed with Duke because they beat a UK team featuring locals nearly 30 years ago.
Missing threes does not open up the middle. In fact it does the opposite, it packs the defense in. IQ and Herro do need to be fire from 3. KJ has shown he’s very capable, and Travis and PJ have proven you have to guard them out there.
IF they shoot poorly.. but we're not. We're what, 88th in the nation I think from 3pt? They are shooting better than the last two seasons and dead even to the Ulis/Murray year.. and we're only 1/3rd into the season.
That says to me that we need to keep shooting. Herro is just slumping, and IQ is more capable than this. Gotta shoot through it. If those two give up on the 3 (along with Hagans not being a shooter) then the defense WILL start to pack it in.
Obviously there wouldnt of been the same worry and doubt. We'd only have 1 loss and it wouldnt of been by 34 pts. Even if it was a loss to someone like Michigan State by 5 pts it wouldnt of been as bad.
for over a month that game even broke Cal.... never seen down on him self Cal until that game....
for over a month that game even broke Cal.... never seen down on him self Cal until that game....
I don't think Duke is a clear cut best team. Actually think Tennessee would give them a lot of problems with their frontcourt, and Duke vs. Michigan would also be a tossup.
Speaking for me, I drank the kool aid from the Bahamas trip and the way that Cal was talking about the team. That game just popped the balloon.
Plus the team did not look good against lesser competition. All of those things snowballed. Started to see flashes but didn't feel confident going into games.
The UNC game kind of refreshed me and probably a lot of BBN. UNC throttled Gonzaga and were looking pretty good. If UK beats UofL I think it starts to give them and us fans more confidence.
Plus the team did not look good against lesser competition. All of those things snowballed. Started to see flashes but didn't feel confident going into games.
The UNC game kind of refreshed me and probably a lot of BBN. UNC throttled Gonzaga and were looking pretty good. If UK beats UofL I think it starts to give them and us fans more confidence.
They have the 2 best players in the nation. You can’t dismiss it. They’ve probably got the first 2 picks, and then another top 5 to top 8 dude in Reddish. I would love to see them paired up with Tennessee in the tournament, however. Won’t happen. Will be on opposite sides of the bracket, fully protected. Bank on it. UT is a terrible matchup for Duke.
This. It was a hugely publicized game and the first game of the year, so it was really, really visible, but I wouldn’t expect that outcome again if Duke and UK played ten more times.
I think a handful of teams can beat Duke. It's going to take at least one high-level post player to provide consistent rebounding, two athletic forwards that can defend, and quick guards that can knock down perimeter shots. It's also going to take some mistakes and less-than-perfect performances on Duke's part.
Defensively, you have to make Duke shoot it. Teams like Virginia that have good talent and play a defense that clogs the post and passing lanes, which forces opponents to shoot the ball.
Tennessee (they have the athleticism and balance that I mentioned above), Virginia (they don't have a great post presence but their defense is remarkable), and Gonzaga (obviously) I think will be the biggest roadblocks in terms of matchups that can give Duke fits.
Frankly, I think we can give Duke a game in March. We flatout laid an egg in Indy but if we play smart and can hit perimeter shots like we are capable of we can compete with anybody because our front court is so special. The way we rebound and score in the paint cannot be understated. As Ashton continues to get better, our frontcourt will continue to shine brighter and brighter.
As much as we all hate Duke, they have a really really good basketball team. Only a fool can deny it. But perfect, they are not.
Defensively, you have to make Duke shoot it. Teams like Virginia that have good talent and play a defense that clogs the post and passing lanes, which forces opponents to shoot the ball.
Tennessee (they have the athleticism and balance that I mentioned above), Virginia (they don't have a great post presence but their defense is remarkable), and Gonzaga (obviously) I think will be the biggest roadblocks in terms of matchups that can give Duke fits.
Frankly, I think we can give Duke a game in March. We flatout laid an egg in Indy but if we play smart and can hit perimeter shots like we are capable of we can compete with anybody because our front court is so special. The way we rebound and score in the paint cannot be understated. As Ashton continues to get better, our frontcourt will continue to shine brighter and brighter.
As much as we all hate Duke, they have a really really good basketball team. Only a fool can deny it. But perfect, they are not.
You got that right, they are. I think Admiral would give Zion absolute fits. They just matchup really well with duke.
Exactly. It hurt our pride, but may be what this team needed in the long run. I would rather have that game and get exposed the first game of the year instead of the last when something important is on the line. I hate dook more than anyone, but let them have it as long as we get to where we belong. Maybe we get extra lucky and a Lehigh or Mercer gets them in the first game to really send their fan base into a downward spiral of hating the OAD. Also maybe if that can happen or at least we have a better season we can stop hearing how rat boy is doing OAD better.
Doesn't matter. The somewhat underwhelming (from a sheer talent level) 1998 UK team won a title and the overwhelmingly talent 2010 team didn't. The tournament is a funny thing.
They do and I didn’t say they didn’t, I said ignore the margin. Unless you think they are that much better.
I abhor Duke as well, and now I really abhor them for being sanctified for not ruining college basketball by embracing the "one and done", to taking the top spot on the tree and being sanctified for "changing"and adopting the one and done. I believe and always will that Nike and PK is the driving force behind it. Having said all that Zion Williamson is head and shoulders above any college player in the land, his only close rivals are RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish with the seeding they will get and they will be focused they will be as difficult a out as any team ever has, unless maybe some of the UCLA teams.
True, but that 1998 Kentucky team is underrated talent wise. They had a clutch and experienced PG, 3 big men who played a good amount in the NBA, and a couple of wings who at least got some professional experience. I imagine that team would be a favorite to win a championship in today's climate.
2012 Kentucky would handle this Duke team, and I think 2015 would beat them too. Not to mention the 1996 team, who would probably beat them by 20 points. They have a few really talented players, but a weakness in the frontcourt that will be exploited.
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