Duke is going to roll MSU by 12+. Spartina did not look good against Navy
For both being rated, Utah and SD State sure didn’t impress. Clumsy bangers with no guard play worth beans on either side.
Duke by 10. And I think Kansas squeaks by Kentucky.
Unfortunately I run a study group from 8-10 tonight but I hope I’ll be able to watch the games during it
Duke is a very well rounded team. They have everything, a shot creator in Jones, a good wing defender in Winslow. Shooters in Cook and Solemon, Rim protection in Jefferson and Plumlee. Okafor may be the best true post player in the country…my God that kid is good. I would not want to play Duke in the tourney, that would be a very bad matchup for us.
This is probably the least talented/athletic MSU team we’ve seen in quite some time. They are still a great rebounding team, but they are really lacking the post presence they always seem to have in addition to having a consistent creator. They don’t have a rim protector either. I will say this, Trice has looked very good this year, not just shooting, but creating for others as well. Overall, I see MSU as a middle of the pack big ten team, rebounding will keep them in games, but I don’t think they have enough offense to be a legitimate threat thus year.
Man does UK look good. I don’t see how someone is gonna beat them when they literally rebound everything. It doesn’t matter that they can’t shoot 3s because they’re getting putbacks right and left, as well as blocking anything that is in the vicinity of the rim. On a side note, Sviat, the Ukranian kid we tried to recruit, is looking really nice for KU.
Can’t agree more. Watching Kentucky tonight is like watching a different league from Michigan. God, the defense is impenetrable. So much physicality. I am glad we are not playing them any time soon
MSU put up more of a fight than I thought they would. Really thought it would be a complete blowout. And yes, Kentucky looks unstoppable.
I’ve said it before (and I know I’ll get flack for it), raw talent/athleticism beats experience/coaching on most occassions. What UK has, simply can’t be taught. I didn’t want to comment last night just to see what type of reaction others would have. I don’t care what your skill level/IQ is (at least in college), that UK team has the ability to simply demoralize the opposition with its athleticism and physicality.
Well, in the really extreme case this year where Kentucky has more 5 star talent and more 7 footers than they know what to do with, sure. But let’s not forget that they were a big, physical, intimidating team loaded with 5 stars last year, but got punked by a better coached, more experienced Florida team in the SEC (18-0 vs 12-6). They were loaded with 5 stars the year before too, and didn’t even make the tournament out of a crappy conference. Raw talent and physicality haven’t always made the difference for Kentucky by any means. When they’ve been raw and inexperienced (which they are far less so this year) it’s showed.
Well, in the really extreme case this year where Kentucky has more 5 star talent and more 7 footers than they know what to do with, sure. But let's not forget that they were a big, physical, intimidating team loaded with 5 stars last year, but got punked by a better coached, more experienced Florida team in the SEC (18-0 vs 12-6). They were loaded with 5 stars the year before too, and didn't even make the tournament out of a crappy conference. Raw talent and physicality haven't always made the difference for Kentucky by any means. When they've been raw and inexperienced (which they are far less so this year) it's showed.
2 Years ago = great example. Last year, not so much. After all, our season ended (and I’m sure you’ll acknowledge we have great coaching) at the hands of that same UK team, so let’s not forget that. Bottom line, in today’s world, recruiting is most likely the single most important aspect of coaching in contemporary times. The more raw talent/athleticism you stockpile, the less Xs & Os become a factor.
Wisconsin would be an interesting matchup for them. That is probably the type of team that has the best shot. Experienced team who shoots the 3 ball pretty well. Tough to get clean looks against those cyborgs though.
I think Duke could give them a run for their money too. They have a lot of excellent young talent that fits well together.
Any team that beats them if you go right to the 3 point FGM portion of the box score would probably have 8-10 +
Amazing that Kentucky had as many blocks as Kansas had made field goals. I wonder if that has ever happened before?
Wisconsin would be an interesting matchup for them. That is probably the type of team that has the best shot. Experienced team who shoots the 3 ball pretty well. Tough to get clean looks against those cyborgs though.I think Duke could give them a run for their money too. They have a lot of excellent young talent that fits well together.
Any team that beats them if you go right to the 3 point FGM portion of the box score would probably have 8-10 +
Wisconsin would be a decent matchup, but I think Duke would present more of an issue. Kaminsky is no doubt a great player, but I think UK has the athleticism up front to stick with him on the perimeter as well. Just don’t think Wisconsin is athletic enough to hang with UK.
Think Duke would be a decent matchup, but what makes UK so tough is that the majority of their bigs are good 2 way players (Towns, Lyles, Johson), whereas Duke really only has 1 big that is a 2 way player (Plumlee, Jefferson are defense only).
I think the best competition for UK is Arizona, they have 2 way bigs in Kaleb T. and Ashely, and Jefferson is a stud at the 3 as well. Stanley Johnson pretty much cancels out Winslow as well. I’m not all that enamored with the Harrison twins, so I think McConnell and York could hold there own. In terms of talent, I think those are the best 3 teams in the country.
Kentucky will eventually run into a “zone” team that will play a limited possession game and force them to make some outside shots. Thought it was interesting that Booker led them in FG attempts ( 1-6 from three ) in only 17 minutes. They have weaknesses as shooters, that offensive rebounding won’t always be able to overcome. But that defense is suffocating.
2 Years ago = great example. Last year, not so much. After all, our season ended (and I'm sure you'll acknowledge we have great coaching) at the hands of that same UK team, so let's not forget that.
To be fair, though, we were not an experienced team last year either. We were in the bottom decile of the NCAA in terms of experience. Yes, Kentucky was even younger, but it also took them an anomalous shooting performance to win by one score.
I basically agree that talent is the single most important factor, but certainly not to the exclusion of these other factors. I think last year’s Kentucky’s team shows that just fine.
If I came off as claiming that other factors such as coaching and experience don’t mean anything, I certainly did not intend to convey that. I simply think acquiring raw talent/athleticism is more important in relation to those factors. In other words, recruiting is more important to a coach’s job as opposed to coaching/development.
I think this an abnormal year for Kentucky though. If their highly regarded recruits take the usual 1 and done path that Calipari is selling them, they have a core of Ulis, Booker, Towns, Lyles and probably Marcus Lee. That’s an amazing starting 5, in terms of talent, but not exactly the world beater of a team they have right now. Kentucky has stockpiled talent from last year and this year, so while recruiting is probably the most important thing in CBB, let’s not forget how this Kentucky team came to fruition. It definitely wasn’t Cal’s plan to have 2 “squads” (which I ultimately think will hurt UK because they won’t have go to guys). Kentucky reloads, but not even Cal would’ve told you that the team they have right now was planned. It kind of just happened…
Kentucky is scary good and clearly the alpha dog. I hope this isn’t a trend with all their 5 stars willing to sit vs. playing elsewhere. They certainly have their own pipeline to the NBA which is concerning. Whatever Cal is selling the recruits are buying.
Kentucky is scary good and clearly the alpha dog. I hope this isn't a trend with all their 5 stars willing to sit vs. playing elsewhere. They certainly have their own pipeline to the NBA which is concerning. Whatever Cal is selling the recruits are buying.
I’m kind of surprised he got as many to stay from last year’s team as he did.
I know each has unique circumstances but I thought I’d see at least 2 leave early that didn’t.
…and that might be part of it. I’m impressed he could get all the 5* talent he has, but I’m more impressed with who he’s had stick around.
Kentucky will eventually run into a "zone" team that will play a limited possession game and force them to make some outside shots. Thought it was interesting that Booker led them in FG attempts ( 1-6 from three ) in only 17 minutes. They have weaknesses as shooters, that offensive rebounding won't always be able to overcome. But that defense is suffocating.
Problem is that a zone defense is vulnerable to giving up offensive rebounds, something that UK specializes in already. I honestly think UK has a legitimate shot at going undefeated. If they are beating the hell out of top 5 teams in November with no upperclassmen, it’s almost scary to think of how good they will be come March.