Quote: I remember when the NIT was still big stuff.
Me too. I remember years when there was legitimate debate over whether the winner of the NCAA or the winner of the NIT deserved to be national champs...
Quote: Huge Mistake by NCST and it lost them the game. Gotta run 2 at Paige end of the game...force ANYONE else to take the last shot...and with :07.7 left...don't let the PG push the ball up the floor. UGH
Yea, very good game, a lot of craziness at the end.. the foul on McDonald with :01.5 on the clock to let NCSU take it to OT.. then the Paige drive.. funny all you hear on the radio down here is people whining about the officiating.. NCSU blew it, they had the game and couldn't win...
You can't let the other teams best player dribble 80 feet, almost uncontested, and get right to the rim in 6 seconds.. it just can't happen.
Yes there were a couple fouls that should've been called that would have prevented that late game play...but Marcus Paige is their guy...you don't let him dribble with no pressure.
Just like Pitt shouldn't have let Ennis catch the inbound.
I would've taken the timeout if I was Gottfried to set up the D...That was the situation where you do...Pitt shouldn't have, NCST should've.
"It has to start somewhere It has to start somehow What better place than here? What better time than now?"
Quote: Kentucky is no better this year than last year
I disagree with that assesment. UK missed the tournment last year and was bounced first round of the NIT. UK is ranked this year and will have a decent seed(4/5). I think that's a massive improvement over last year.
3 Elite 8's, 2 Final Fours, 1 National Championship and those teams were SIGNIFICANTLY better in March than they were in November.
Since winning a National Title -- An NIT, and this year, which is yet another MAJOR disappointment.
Kentucky fans wanna ignore the truth, and that's that Calipari is not the same coach post-National Championship.
If he thinks he can win 1 National Title then go into cruise control, he's at the wrong school. Go back to Memphis or UMASS if that's what you wanna do.
I think Kentucky makes the tournament regardless, but I think it is as much a function of the state of the SEC this year as it is anything to do with them. I agree with you that they are playing at about the same level as they did last year (I obviously watch less Kentucky than the 2 of you, but from what I have seen).
I think it's more a product of the guards that he has running the show.
That Harrow/Mays/Polson trio of last year weren't good, and this year the Harrison's and Young just aren't that good.
Andrew Harrison has a ton of talent but plays the game very selfishly, except when he's drive and kicking to his brother. He's headstrong and just hasn't learned from Cal as he should be, but he is the most talented PG on the team so the team is forced to live with what he brings. Polson is merely Okay (though the offense moved better with him on the floor yesterday).
UK would be much much better if WCS and Randle got more touches per game. Poythress continues to be a letdown, Young is only good if he's on, and that seems to happen less than it does often. Their Bigs are their bread and butter, and Harrison doesn't seem to know that, he and his brother continue to overpenetrate and get themselves in trouble and take bad shots.
If im Cal...I make sure Harrison knows, drive and kick to your brother, drive and kick to Young, drive and hit a slashing Poythress, or feed your bigs...The others need to do those things...Poythress needs to move without the ball better, Young has to move with the ball better (finding open jumpers instead of watching) and the bigs need to stay being big. Cal is in a tough spot. He needs to run an offense more based on sets with this group, but they are too free flowing of a roster. I think theyd (their guards) be at their best running and running and running...but their best players...Randle and WCS couldn't keep up. Perhaps it was a recruiting mistake...but this has proven a difficult team.
I think that Cal has gotten to where he just thought he could blend anything and went for talent and didn't recruit to fit. Make sure your guards fit your bigs and your bigs fit your guards...
"It has to start somewhere It has to start somehow What better place than here? What better time than now?"
There is no way to play him worse than that. That's letting the best player on offense do exactly what he wants. That's the exact same play that he would make on his own in an empty gym using his imagination. They made it so easy on him.
Welcome to the NIT State...smh
"It has to start somewhere It has to start somehow What better place than here? What better time than now?"
A couple of years ago I loved Aaron Craft, with his hustle, determination, hell even his rosy cheeks. Now when I watch a Buckeyes game I really hate his game now. Matta needs to sit him down and remind him he isn't tall. I'm so sick of him driving down the lane and getting his shot blocked or turning the ball over in crucial situations. I really can't wait to see his last game as a Buckeye!!!
A couple of years ago I loved Aaron Craft, with his hustle, determination, hell even his rosy cheeks. Now when I watch a Buckeyes game I really hate his game now. Matta needs to sit him down and remind him he isn't tall. I'm so sick of him driving down the lane and getting his shot blocked or turning the ball over in crucial situations. I really can't wait to see his last game as a Buckeye!!!
I probably sound ungrateful but I feel the same. He is insanely bad late in games either giving up buzzer beaters or turning the ball over.
it is nothing new though. he was doing it last year too (believe one of the Michigan games he singlehandedly gave away by refusing to recognize that all his layup attempts were getting blocked).
anyway, he's not going to change now and he is an enjoyable player in the other aspects of the game. it's not his fault that the Buckeyes this year have no reliable scoring options that he can defer towards.
Just amazing that in 4 years, he hasn't elevated his offensive game one bit. He's always been at 10pts a game. you would think with less options this year, he would make it a point to improve to 15 pts per game. I think that's why fans are so down on him, he just doesn't give much offensively, and hasn't ever improved on that ugly stroke. There are plenty of guys that have bad mechanics, but still could shoot it. Shawn Marion comes to mind, but craft has yet to figure it out, how to make it work for himself. Just really painful to watch this guy play offense. His dribble drive is the only way he could score.
Wichita State is no joke. I think last years team was better with Carl Hall. However they are a gritty and tough team. Cleanthony Early is a NBA level athlete.
No doubt. I don't see them as any better than several other teams. I guess if I had to pinpoint anything it would be D. When they need to clamp down, they can do a pretty good job.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Quote: This court storming is ridiculous. Penn state fans storm the court after beating the #22 team in the country?
As long as there is security to make sure the visiting team gets off okay, I'm okay with Kentucky fans storming the court after beating Monmouth. They're college students, let them roll onto the court as long as people aren't getting hurt (or starting fights).
Now, if you want to stop it, I like Wilbon's idea. If the fans storm the court then the home team forfeits the game. That will stop it forever.
Either let it happen all the time or make sure it never happens. I'm sick of hearing about how fans from Team X were okay to storm after its win but not team Y's fans after a different win. All or nothing.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
I tend to agree with you... they get on some fans (like UNC fans) for storming the court because they are Carolina, they are supposed to win big games, it should be expected, keep the excitement under control.... last I checked UNC kids are just kids and when they beat Duke, they get excited, they storm the court... they aren't sitting around thinking about the history of their elite program, they are thinking they just beat Duke.
They said something interesting on ESPN. AAU is bad for basketball. Kids are more busy trying to be friends than competitors and winning takes a backseat. We're a star making culture and kids want to make it about themselves. They don't learn fundamentals and become more concerned with making it to the NBA.
Quote: They don't learn fundamentals and become more concerned with making it to the NBA.
That's because they believe that athleticism trumps fundamentals... how often do they show the great pass or the defensive switch or the foul shot on ESPN? The answer is, rarely, only if it's a game winner.... but every big dunk? Oh yea, they are running that every 20 minutes.... It's all about the dunk and the 3-pointer.. that's it. However, I will say that I don't know how much AAU ball is to blame for that..
I agree with half of your assessment. First, I agree, PG play is the biggest reason for our last two seasons being disappointments. I also agree the WCS and especially Randle need to touch the ball much more often(though Julius needs to learn to find the open man better when he's double or triple teamed down low). Also you're right that Andrew needs to do a better job of the drive and kick instead of driving and throwing up crazy shots hoping to get fouled. That's where the agreement stops though. At this time last year, UK was without their best player(Noel), was on the outside looking in, and needed to win the SEC tourney to just make the NCAA tourney. This year UK is still at full force(whatever that is with this team) and has a solid hold on a NCAA tourney spot and could even get a good seed with a win against Florida and/or a nice run in the SEC tourney. Young is extremely streaky and a hard-head at that. He has a certain level of arrogance about him that drives me crazy. He is a quantity shooter, not a quality shooter. He knocks down some threes, but he misses more than his fair share as well. Poythress honestly had impressed me this year. He humbly accepted his role coming off the bench vs starting last year(though I think he's better than Young and should be starting). Physically he's a freak and has a high motor and great hustle. If Poythress had a jumper, he'd be amazing. Aaron Harrison has really improved as well I think. He's a better shooter than he was coming into the year(maybe the best on the team now), and has done a better job of not turning the ball over. Honestly though Kentucky's biggest problem is free throws. If they were just an average FT shooting team, they'd have won 3-4 more games. They also struggle from deep. Teams can pack the paint with defenders because they know that's where UK is the biggest threat. Outside of Aaron Harrison and Young when he's hot, UK doesn't have any good perimeter shooters. When you play UK's style of ball you have to be able to A) hit your foul shots, because you will be going to the line A LOT and B) be able to shoot respectably from outside so they can't put 3-4 guys on the inside to double/triple team Randle/WCS. Kentucky struggles with both of these things and that's why you see those losses. Also keep in mind, UK was a shot or two away from winning just about any game they lost.
Honestly. I don't disagree with you there either...
I was merely highlighting the weaknesses of Kentucky's roster. They have a ton of talent, and when I say overrated, I'm basing it on what you hear every day.
I think that Aaron Harrison is a pretty good player. Poythress has done a good job accepting his role, though he gets out of control much too easy and that leads to his turnovers.
Kentucky has a chance to be special, but I think the PG play will hold them back from being a threat to the title. If they play an athletic team with good defensive guards...UK is in trouble. If Harrison can out-athlete the opposing guards (a mid-major mostly) its over...
"It has to start somewhere It has to start somehow What better place than here? What better time than now?"
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