is it possible 13/14 UK will look a lot like 12/13 UK?

[willie99]

highly ranked, all the hype, the best freshmen class in the country, all the one and done'rs going for the back to back

but then last year's team "didn't buy into Squid's system, they never jelled, they never got it". This year's freshmen class will be different, they're smarter and they have better attitudes. They're more "coachable".

at the end of the day, they're still freshmen, A?

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Could be. They don't have a point guard. The Harrison's have been underwhelming. Randle is a beast and young has his moments of greatness, but seems inconsistent.

On a side note, the Poythress situation should give future recruits a pause when considering KY. Has calipari really helped his development? Comes in as a top 15 recruit and now he barely plays and is averaging under 5 ppg this year. If you aren't ready to dominate right away don't even bother looking at KY. Same thing happened to Wiltjer. Cal doesn't develop you. He has no problem replacing you next year with someone else. Poythress barely plays and when he does hes timid because he's probably paranoid to make a mistake. His confidence has to be shot. Wouldn't be surprised to see him transfer too.
Cal is a disgrace.

 

[champs99and04]

As much as I'd like them to implode in the same fashion as last year's team, this is one of the most talented college basketball teams ever assembled. It's night and day between this Kentucky team and the 2012-13 team. I expect them to be the favorite come March.

 

[aceboon]

The SEC is way too weak for them to drop more than a couple of games in conference, if that. this UK team is closer to the Wall/Cousins version from '09-10.

 

[tzznandrew]

The SEC is way too weak for them to drop more than a couple of games in conference, if that. this UK team is closer to the Wall/Cousins version from '09-10.

That team didn't lose until January 26th. Randle (18 + 12 against non-conference) and Cousins (15 + 10 against full schedule) are close, but they have no John Wall--nor any Patrick Patersons.

They'll be a good team--and dangerous maybe like their 2011 team... but a regular season much closer to 2013/2011 than 2010/2012.

 

[Rico444]

From what I've seen, the Harrisons will dictate how good this team is. They can rebound with anyone, and Randle is unstoppable when he gets going, but man have they been vulnerable on the outside.

 

[Senore]

Baylor out rebounded them by 10. They had 16 offensive rebounds. UK has dieted on cupcakes with 2 exceptions. This stretch for them will be revealing - even Boise at home (watch the foul disparity, lol) is not a pushover; thence to UNC, then Louisville at Rupp. The last one should be a war.

The Harrisons have a toxic look to them. Even fouling on purpose late in games they seem to have an autonomic response to a ref's whistle - throw up your hands! Cauley-Stein, who looked monstrous against smaller teams looked extremely average against Baylor. Even with that killer new Hair Spray look. I suspect this team is already in danger of getting away from Cal.

Breaks your dam heart.

 

[CTBasketball]

No true point guard. That's why every Cal team doesn't win the NC. They have a scoring addicted point guard who hates teamwork. ie. Wall, Harrisons, Bledsoe, Rose, god the list goes on.

You can't get it to your best shooters/players when the PG looks to score 20+ a game.

 

[tzznandrew]

No true point guard. That's why every Cal team doesn't win the NC. They have a scoring addicted point guard who hates teamwork. ie. Wall, Harrisons, Bledsoe, Rose, god the list goes on.

You can't get it to your best shooters/players when the PG looks to score 20+ a game.

John Wall averaged 6.5 assists per game: good for fourth in the country. And Bledsoe was his backup.

And Rose took his team to the title game, and only lost on a combo of missed FTs (up 9 with 2:12 left) and a miracle 3.

So, yeah...not sure I buy this argument fully (although I think the Harrisons are a problem).

 

[Hi-Low]

As much as I'd like them to implode in the same fashion as last year's team, this is one of the most talented college basketball teams ever assembled. It's night and day between this Kentucky team and the 2012-13 team. I expect them to be the favorite come March.

Just don't see it...you need to have atleast a couple sophs/jrs to provide some leadership. We had Kemba & AO with all the freshmen in 11, KY had Jones/Lamb/Miller with 3 freshmen studs in 12.

The only soph/jr this KY team has that plays is Cauley-Stein then all freshmen.....they are not the Fab 5...don't see 5 or 6 tourney wins against the likes of Cuse/Zona/UConn/FLA etc...sweet 16 is about it, maybe elite 8.

 

[pj]

This team has more depth and talent than last year's. Whether it will ever mesh, remains to be seen. I hope it fails miserably, nothing would crater Calipari's reputation more than to fail with a team of top 10 recruits AND to fail to get them to the NBA. Bonus, if the players and their families get dissatisfied, word of NCAA violations may leak out.

 

[tzznandrew]

Just don't see it...you need to have atleast a couple sophs/jrs to provide some leadership. We had Kemba & AO with all the freshmen in 11, KY had Jones/Lamb/Miller with 3 freshmen studs in 12.

The only soph/jr this KY team has that plays is Cauley-Stein then all freshmen.....they are not the Fab 5...don't see 5 or 6 tourney wins against the likes of Cuse/Zona/UConn/FLA etc...sweet 16 is about it, maybe elite 8.

They're going to get better over the course of the year, sure, and this year is so hectic that its all about matchups, and anything can happen. But I generally agree. Unless the Harrisons suddenly turn into Chris Paul (are even MCW), they're NCAA run will be disappointing to their fans. They overcame Teague with Davis, Terrence Jones, MKG, and some actual veterans--and no disgruntled Poythress's on the bench.

 

[huskyharry]

"On a side note, the Poythress situation should give future recruits a pause when considering KY. "
Cal is a disgrace.

I have to think Dakari Johnson is also having major doubts now. He was a top ten recruit and he barely gets any playing time at all.
Statistically, I think the 2011/12 Kensucky team was an aberration where the individual parts meshed and the residual experienced talent gave the team maturity and the principal frosh all had great motors.

This year's team appeared disinterested when Baylor pulled ahead and finished them off. The twins seemed very pissed off that they were not getting calls and that their high-risk plays were not paying off, but didn't increase their energy one iota when Baylor made the run.

Now, I am not hopeful that this year's team will under-perform as much as last years but hopefully, they will again flame out earlier than the talking heads predicted.

 

[tzznandrew]

Statistically, I think the 2011/12 Kensucky team was an aberration where the individual parts meshed and the residual experienced talent gave the team maturity and the principal frosh all had great motors.

They lucked out in that Terrence Jones stayed. He could have been the top pick that year. I have no idea why he stayed. He wasn't as good as Davis or MKG, but very good players with big game experience are important in basketball.

 

[aceboon]

No true point guard. That's why every Cal team doesn't win the NC. They have a scoring addicted point guard who hates teamwork. ie. Wall, Harrisons, Bledsoe, Rose, god the list goes on.

You can't get it to your best shooters/players when the PG looks to score 20+ a game.

if you think Wall, Rose, and Bledsoe were addicted to scoring you didn't watch them play. I actually thought Rose was too passive considering the physical advantage he had over every PG in college.

 

[aceboon]

That team didn't lose until January 26th. Randle (18 + 12 against non-conference) and Cousins (15 + 10 against full schedule) are close, but they have no John Wall--nor any Patrick Patersons.

They'll be a good team--and dangerous maybe like their 2011 team... but a regular season much closer to 2013/2011 than 2010/2012.

Last year's team was a bubble team/bordering on high seed at large with Noel, I just can't see this year's version being that bad, outside of UF and maybe a road game @ Mizzou there won't be many challenges in the SEC. They definitely don't have a Wall on this year's team(I've never been impressed by the Harrisons), but their frountcourt and Young should be able to get them by the teams in that conference.

 

[tzznandrew]

Last year's team was a bubble team/bordering on high seed at large with Noel, I just can't see this year's version being that bad, outside of UF and maybe a road game @ Mizzou there won't be many challenges in the SEC. They definitely don't have a Wall on this year's team(I've never been impressed by the Harrisons), but their frountcourt and Young should be able to get them by the teams in that conference.

The SEC was pretty bad last year as well. The conference only got 3 teams (out of 14) in the tournament last year: Florida as a 3 seed, Mizzou as a 9, and their tournament champ Mississippi (with only 8 total losses) as a 12.

Yet, UK still found ways to lose at NIT-bound Alabama, at NIT-bound Tennessee, at an Arkansas team that didn't make the post-season, at 15-17 Georgia, and against 15-16 Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. Granted, a number of those losses were after Noel went down, but some of the games were not even close (30 point loss against Tennessee).

I think this year's team is better than last year's, but let's see what they're record is going into January. Last year they were 8-4 with losses to Notre Dame, Louisville, Duke, and Baylor, and a win over Maryland. This year's team has a win over PC, and losses to Michigan State and Baylor, with tough games against Boise, Louisville, and UNC coming up.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Just don't see it...you need to have atleast a couple sophs/jrs to provide some leadership. We had Kemba & AO with all the freshmen in 11, KY had Jones/Lamb/Miller with 3 freshmen studs in 12.

The only soph/jr this KY team has that plays is Cauley-Stein then all freshmen.....they are not the Fab 5...don't see 5 or 6 tourney wins against the likes of Cuse/Zona/UConn/FLA etc...sweet 16 is about it, maybe elite 8.

THIS. Was just going to post about this.

Its sort of ironic that Cal's system is the cause for the hype/success but is actually going to be his downfall. His teams now don't have any upperclassman leaders, or glue guys/ role players. His earlier KY teams had success because he inherited a number of these players.

Wall/Cousins team had Peterson who was a star, but also Liggins to play lock down d on a number of positions
Knight team we beat in the Final 4 had Liggins(see above) and Harrelson to bang down low and rebound
Championship team- Darius Miller is what set that team apart. Davis, MKG, Jones, Lamb were studs, but Miller was the glue guy. He played D and hit a ton of big shots and also was the calming influence. As talented as that team was, I honestly don't think they would've won without him.

Now his teams have none of these guys and its no surprise. He benches you or runs you out if you aren't an immediate star. Wiltjer was inconsistent but by senior year could be the shooter every team needs in crunch time. Poythress has been relegated to god knows what. This will be Cal's downfall. Don't see how he will ever have any upperclassmen glue guys with defined roles anymore.

 

[tzznandrew]

THIS. Was just going to post about this.

Its sort of ironic that Cal's system is the cause for the hype/success but is actually going to be his downfall. His teams now don't have any upperclassman leaders, or glue guys/ role players. His earlier KY teams had success because he inherited a number of these players.

Wall/Cousins team had Peterson who was a star, but also Liggins to play lock down d on a number of positions
Knight team we beat in the Final 4 had Liggins(see above) and Harrelson to bang down low and rebound
Championship team- Darius Miller is what set that team apart. Davis, MKG, Jones, Lamb were studs, but Miller was the glue guy. He played D and hit a ton of big shots and also was the calming influence. As talented as that team was, I honestly don't think they would've won without him.

Now his teams have none of these guys and its no surprise. He benches you or runs you out if you aren't an immediate star. Wiltjer was inconsistent but by senior year could be the shooter every team needs in crunch time. Poythress has been relegated to god knows what. This will be Cal's downfall. Don't see how he will ever have any upperclassmen glue guys with defined roles anymore.

Right. Wiltjer has already transferred, and I would not be surprised if Poythress follows suit as well. What about Ryan Harrow. He transferred in from NC State, burned his transfer year, and then was pretty much run off the team--he's got to sit, but won't get that year back!

 

[aceboon]

The SEC was pretty bad last year as well. The conference only got 3 teams (out of 14) in the tournament last year: Florida as a 3 seed, Mizzou as a 9, and their tournament champ Mississippi (with only 8 total losses) as a 12.

Yet, UK still found ways to lose at NIT-bound Alabama, at NIT-bound Tennessee, at an Arkansas team that didn't make the post-season, at 15-17 Georgia, and against 15-16 Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. Granted, a number of those losses were after Noel went down, but some of the games were not even close (30 point loss against Tennessee).

I think this year's team is better than last year's, but let's see what they're record is going into January. Last year they were 8-4 with losses to Notre Dame, Louisville, Duke, and Baylor, and a win over Maryland. This year's team has a win over PC, and losses to Michigan State and Baylor, with tough games against Boise, Louisville, and UNC coming up.

I just don't see this group dropping the in conference games last year's did, maybe a wtf loss or 2 but not on the level of last year's. There was no one on that team as offensively gifted as Randle or could shoot from the outside like Young. I would not be surprised tho if they drop 2 outta 3 of the Boise/Louisville/UNC games, and the Boise game will be very interesting, they have no one on the inside to matchup but their guards will eat the Harrisons alive.

 

[tzznandrew]

There was no one on that team as offensively gifted as Randle or could shoot from the outside like Young.

I ultimately think you are right. I think we're arguing degrees. I'm saying they're regular season will be closer to last year and 2010-11 (21-10 and 22-8 respectively) rather than 2009-10 or 2011-12 (29-2 and 30-1). I fully expect them to make the NCAAs, with a 4-seed or higher. Probably a regular season along the lines of 23-7 or 22-8 before the SEC tournament. They can be dangerous with that, too, since the made a Final Four run on that 22-8 record.

Additionally, I really am too much of a coward to make any guess on the Boise game, largely because it's at Rupp. While I might go out on a limb at a neutral site, Rupp is hard to play at and freshmen play better at home (not counting possible issues with officiating).

 

[aceboon]

I ultimately think you are right. I think we're arguing degrees. I'm saying they're regular season will be closer to last year and 2010-11 (21-10 and 22-8 respectively) rather than 2009-10 or 2011-12 (29-2 and 30-1). I fully expect them to make the NCAAs, with a 4-seed or higher. Probably a regular season along the lines of 23-7 or 22-8 before the SEC tournament. They can be dangerous with that, too, since the made a Final Four run on that 22-8 record.

Additionally, I really am too much of a coward to make any guess on the Boise game, largely because it's at Rupp. While I might go out on a limb at a neutral site, Rupp is hard to play at and freshmen play better at home (not counting possible issues with officiating).

I honestly thought the Wall/Cousins team lost more than 2 games so yea, this team could have 4 losses heading into conf play and I could see them dropping about another 3 in conf, so that would put them closer to the Knight '11 team. As for the Boise game, its gonna be the sexy pick that all the writers/analysts are gonna try to call ahead of time, but at Rupp thats gonna be a tall task for Boise to pull it off.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I honestly thought the Wall/Cousins team lost more than 2 games so yea, this team could have 4 losses heading into conf play and I could see them dropping about another 3 in conf, so that would put them closer to the Knight '11 team. As for the Boise game, its gonna be the s e xy pick that all the writers/analysts are gonna try to call ahead of time, but at Rupp thats gonna be a tall task for Boise to pull it off.

Boise may need Edmunds Dukulis suiting up in this 1. They have no depth behind Watkins right now and Dukulis despite being merely serviceable would provide 5 key fouls and some rebounding. Derrick Marks is 1 of the best guards in the country with the dribble drive. He should be able to penetrate at will and kick. Marks himself is a poor 3-point marksman so his midrange game will have to be on. Look for Marks to kick out to Anthony Drmic (out last game/illness), Jeff Elorriaga (great spot up 3 point shooter/not athletic at all) and/or Nick Duncan/Mikey Thompson.

Boise in my opinion after watching them several times this year is not very athletic. Their most athletic player Freshman Dezmyn Trent doesn't really log any key minutes. The Broncos are the only team in the country that made the NCAA Tournament last year that returns all 5 starters. Boise has not played anyone except Utah and they barely escaped that 1 at home.

This game though has been circled on the Boise schedule all summer. With a road trip to Carolina looming for Kentucky...overlooking Boise could cost them. As the Boise coach has stated the Broncos can beat anyone or lose to anyone any given night.

The interior presence of Kentucky should destroy Boise but any diversion from that game plan and Kentucky could find themselves with a knife in their backs crying their way down to Chapel Hill, NC (as they desperately try to stay in the Top 25).

Boise is dangerous but coming to Rupp off a Kentucky loss does not help their chances.

A loss here for Kentucky in their back yard and the heat will be on Cal and all his players especially from the fan base and also the media. Will be rooting for Boise to take them OUT.