Watching Auburn/Alabama

[Catfan2226]

I like Cal and am glad we have him but nothing wrong with saying another coach from another school is getting it done.Pearl is a good coach and plays a style that his kids love.Hes got a good team.
As for the cheating,I'm not gonna judge look at what has happened at UNC,Kansas,LSU and some others and absolutely nothing done about it.If Auburn is happy with him then so be it.I just know when we go down there to play we better bring our A game or it could get ugly and then rafters will erupt

 

[Untouchables22]

If you have 16 teams and play 18 games that is 15 opponents. If they keep the 3 permanent rivals, that is 2 against TN, 2 against FL and 2 against VU annually for UK and that leaves 12 games for the remaining 12 opponents. Now they could "rig" it so we have a tough road slate every other year, but that means the next year we would have an easier road slate.

I agree, in the current scheduling climate it will never happen but expansion gives me hope.

It is my understanding they have abandoned the permanent rivals philosophy and they basically ask ESPN & CBS who they want the extra games to be (after everybody in the league plays once). And predictably ESPN/CBS wants UK to play the other projected best teams in the league in pre-season each year which is how we got: Alabama, LSU, & TENN this year twice. I guess we got lucky on Florida over Auburn. I get what you're saying about expansion but sadly I think that will just reduce our "double dip" opponents by two instead of an entire scheduling overhaul like what is likely in football. But you never know if the SEC goes to POD system of 4 groups of 4 what could happen???

 

[Catfan2226]

It is my understanding they have abandoned the permanent rivals philosophy and they basically ask ESPN & CBS who they want the extra games to be (after everybody in the league plays once). And predictably ESPN/CBS wants UK to play the other projected best teams in the league in pre-season each year which is how we got: Alabama, LSU, & TENN this year twice. I guess we got lucky on Florida over Auburn. I get what you're saying about expansion but sadly I think that will just reduce our "double dip" opponents by two instead of an entire scheduling overhaul like what is likely in football. But you never know if the SEC goes to POD system of 4 groups of 4 what could happen???

Tennessee,Florida and Vanderbilt are our perm rivals which is why we always play them twice a season.The schedule format against the other SEC teams was designed to be 2 home games and 2 road games over a 3 year period with one year of the 3 where you play a home and road game against 2 other SEC schools.We have been using this format for 6 or 7 seasons and have never played Ole Miss or South Carolina or Arkansas in a home road in same season.We actually owe Georgia and Ole Miss and Miss state road games.Auburn owes us a game at Rupp...like you said TV dictates and that's not how it was designed.

 

[struggler]

Was an interesting game to watch.

Oats - I still like - he's a young hungry coach - but the bloom is off the rose now - got a bit exposed with the personnel he has this season.

Pearl - cant stand - never want him - but he gets conditional results to some degree. They do thrive on chaos/athleticism/frenetic speed as someone else has pointed out. They also MUST be allowed to foul a great deal on defense to be successful (Pitino strategy - the refs cant call them all). Even if they fail to turn you over for easy transition points (the ultimate goal) - they take you out of your offense and comfort zone. Hyper-aggressive defense - they simply foul a lot and it makes a difference. The two things Pearl teams to do well - 1. Play with energy and 2. Play with confidence.

Last, the "Jungle" is aptly named and is a tough place to overcome their style of play, coaching and fans. Refs/opponents/coaches all get intimidated and rushed playing there.

 

[cathouse_rivals216755]

Pearl reminds me of cal circa 2007

More Pitino circa 1990's to me. Team always plays hard. Foul, hold, bump, frustrate, dare the refs to call every foul, and never quit. Shoot the three, look for runout on every possession, kickout for 3's on secondary break, crash the boards for rebound dunks to intimidate the opponent..............

I really think Pearl modeled his coaching style after Pitino.

 

[BlueGlasses12]

Pretty shocked at how undisciplined both teams look. Lots of talent, but very ugly basketball.

Chalk it up to poor coaching, I guess.

This! I didn’t see very great offensive coaching last night. Both teams play fast and take early shots which most of the time isn’t a good look. Alabama just need to stay in front of them and they will jack up a bunch of threes. As long as they don’t hit a crazy percentage, should be a comfortable win.

Auburn just has alot of talent, they’re going to be tough to beat.

 

[Untouchables22]

Tennessee,Florida and Vanderbilt are our perm rivals which is why we always play them twice a season.The schedule format against the other SEC teams was designed to be 2 home games and 2 road games over a 3 year period with one year of the 3 where you play a home and road game against 2 other SEC schools.We have been using this format for 6 or 7 seasons and have never played Ole Miss or South Carolina or Arkansas in a home road in same season.We actually owe Georgia and Ole Miss and Miss state road games.Auburn owes us a game at Rupp...like you said TV dictates and that's not how it was designed.

Thanks for clarifying about the permanent rivals...I was just flat out wrong. It does annoy me however that because of our TV draw if teams live up to pre-season expectations we have the hardest schedule in the league most years AND we are compared to other teams for tournament seeding in leagues like the BIG 12 and BIG East that do true round robin scheduling that is both fair and easier then our usual gauntlet. (I know non-conference scheduling varies greatly from team to team and also counts for tournament seeding but being a "league champ" carries a lot of weight with the committee traditionally.)

 

[MegaBlue05]

Watching that game I thought Alabama should have taken the ball inside and trying to draw fouls , as like you said they were not hitting 3's that well.

I agree. Some of those missed 3s were in rhythm, and I’m fine with that. Many more were forced early in the shot clock. Driving lanes were there.

Some nights your bread and butter isn’t there. That was the case for the Tide last night.

 

[FlynAUround]

This helter shelter style is Pearls signature, it’s not pretty but it gets results, sometimes. Anybody remember the Elite 8 game we lost to them, same kind of game. His d pressure speeds people up gets them out of rhythm, crazier the game better he likes it .A disciplined offense and tenacious defense might get him. They definitely are the front runners to win conference given their schedule right now. The wild card in this is A&M ,they are coming in under the radar and look really good right now. That will be a much tougher game for us than anybody anticipated

That elite 8 game was one hell of a defensive battle. Auburn had outscored everyone until that point, but Auburn’s transition and high ball screen offense doesn’t work against Cal’s defense. It comes down to which team that can drive to the lane and get those hard points. I look forward to our matchups now. It certainly helps both teams preparing for March.