Kentucky/Duke Order of Hate - It's finally Happened

[Kitaman]

I, again, believe that UK's weakness is its guard play.

And conversely our weakness is our bigs play. Deja vu perhaps

 

[intlzncster]

I've no problem with Cal taking advantage of the system in terms of stacking one and dones.

I do have a problem with the way he goes about it. It doesn't pass the sniff test to be on the up and up. I'm sure he's a good salesman, but there are plenty of good salesmen in MCBB. Recruits just 'magically' flow to that guy no matter where he is.

 

[Mr. French]

I was just talking about this. I hate Cal and now UK more than anyone/thing in sports. I've always hated Duke, for awhile they were #1, but I actually like their players this year, and I respect K way more than Cal. I used to like UK too, but Cal makes me sick, I can hardly verbalize my hatred for everything he is.

 

[jibsey]

Teams can look invincible yet strange things can happen in the tourney, like some player goes off, someone gets injured, and all of a sudden...... They have been annointed and maybe they deserve it but there are no sure things.

 

[UConn9604]

I stopped hating Duke after 2004.

It's a cute little school that brought us Susan Herbst and is 1-4 against us since Laettner left.

 

[champs99and04]

I don't buy this line of reasoning at all. The system was practically defenseless, and he was just uber-cynical in taking advantage of it. I could draw any number of analogies where such people too advantage of systems that were fragile.

I don't get what this means. Who is he taking advantage of? I'm genuinely curious. I get why college basketball fans are naturally inclined to root against Kentucky. They're the antithesis of what college basketball should stand for idealistically. Where I believe the disconnect lies is in attributing that diversion from the golden age of college basketball to Cal, especially when other top coaches like Self and K are beginning to adopt variations of his model. I believe your blame is misplaced.

 

[UConnJim]

Calipari has taken advantage of the one and done system and stockpiled a lot of talent. He's isn't breaking any rules by stocking up on one and done talent.

BUT, the University of Kentucky administration has sold their soles to win basketball games. I don't think there are any major college programs that would be allowed by their administrations to do what Calipari is doing. Having 1 or 2 one and dones every so often is one thing, but fielding a whole team of them is really making a mockery of the concept of student athlete.

 

[uconnfan68]

If the player's union is looking to get rid on the one-and-done rule, Cal will be fighting over the scraps with everyone else.

Except someone there has really deep pockets. How do you think they get them now?

 

[BUConn10]

Cal started out using dirty recruiting and most likely straight $$$ to get these top guys through the door. They start flooding the league with 1st rounders and a few of their guys turn into stars (Davis, Wall, Cousins, etc). Enlist the support of influential figures for the younger crowds like Drake and Jay Z. With these two factors, guys are now banging on their doors to get offers and Cal doesnt even need to use dirty tactics to get the guys he wants. This year they have too much talent to even know what to do with, to the point where it will cover the flaws of their stars to NBA scouts (just blame low numbers on lack of minutes, just draft em on potential and hype). This coming draft they will probably get 7 or 8 guys drafted, and recruits will see this and be like "wow, look at how good Cal is developing NBA players", despite the fact that these guys would have been 1st rounders even if they went to Alcorn St. Now that Cal has established this reputation, this cycle will essentially repeat every year until Cal retires. Get used to it. Kentucky is exactly why I made that long post about UConn needing to step its game up outside of the bball court, because right now UK is the equivalent of a rising Soviet Union to UConn's success for the foreseeable future.

 

[mauconnfan]

If UK and Duke play in the FF I may go out and buy a Duke shirt that's how much I dislike Calipari. Nuff said! LOL

 

[UCHuskies08]

I stopped hating Duke after 2004.

Same, we had taken their soul at their point. It was over, we marked our territory like Huskies do.

We have peed all over UK recently as well, but what Cal is doing is so toxic that I still hate them and they're currently #1 on the hate list for me. Syracuse is #2.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Teams can look invincible yet strange things can happen in the tourney, like some player goes off, someone gets injured, and all of a sudden. They have been annointed and maybe they deserve it but there are no sure things.

Louisville dismantled us pretty good ,yet a few weeks later we cut down the nets as we beat the same team that knocked them out.
Basketball is a funny game
How in the world did Houston with 2 future NBA HOFers lose to NC State?
How did a Villanova avteam that ended the season getting blown out by Pitt beat maybe the best Georgetown team ever?
Let see how the season plays out.

 

[FeedTheDove]

Louisville dismantled us pretty good ,yet a few weeks later we cut down the nets as we beat the same team that knocked them out.
Basketball is a funny game
How in the world did Houston with 2 future NBA HOFers lose to NC State?
How did a Villanova avteam that ended the season getting blown out by Pitt beat maybe the best Georgetown team ever?
Let see how the season plays out.

"But what the odds don't know is this isn't a math test. This is a completely different kind of test. One where passion has a funny way of trumping logic."

 

[willie99]

it should give you some comfort to know that both of those programs hate us too

we've beaten both of them twice at the Final Four, ruining their preordained crowning at least 3 times combined.

we've beaten both programs 4 out of the last 5 meetings, including 3-0 and 2-0 vs UK and Duke in the NCAA Tournament

neither team wants to see us in March (or April)

 

[donyell34]

Hate "Em" all.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Duke hasn't been good in BB since they've become a football power-house in the ACC.

 

[Walker11]

Hell, I hate UNC more than Duke nowadays.

 

[Kitaman]

If UK and Duke play in the FF I may go out and buy a Duke shirt that's how much I dislike Calipari. Nuff said! LOL

According to their message board dook just had the same dilemma last April. I believe Uconn was the lesser of two evils, primarily because of our likeable Coach.

 

[UMass]

If UK and Duke play in the FF I may go out and buy a Duke shirt that's how much I dislike Calipari. Nuff said! LOL

Will you be making that pic your new avatar?

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Duke, Cuse, George Mason. ... really hoping we face them at some point in Puerto Rico.

 

[mauconnfan]

Will you be making that pic your new avatar?

Having a tough time changing this one for whatever reason. So NO - not ready for brother swami and Deepster to hang me!

 

[Paesano]

A lot of hate for two teams we own when it counts

Yes but, remember, hate comes from fear and fear comes from living in the future. People fear that Calipari (it really isn't about Kentucky) will eventually become unbeatable. Duke has been in that category for some time as well.

It isn't that irrational. Face it, both teams have 9 McD all americans and 10 total 5 star players. Yes, we have beaten these goliaths in the past but they seem to come back even bigger every time. It is reasonable to wonder if, eventually, our David will not be able to overcome them.

On top of that is frustration. I have heard every rationalization possible for Calipari and K's recruiting successes. For me, none of them hold water. How many McD all americans did Calhoun get in his ENTIRE career? About the same as UK and Duke have this year...EACH?! Calhoun, the hall of fame coach. Calhoun, the winner of three national championships. Calhoun, the mentor of countless NBA players. Calhoun, the proven developer of NBA players including those who were low rated recruits.

People believe Stone may not want to come to UConn because we have Brimah and Nolan. Really?! Calipari has all americans and STILL brings in more. The rationalization is that the recruits are so confident in their superior abilities that they assume they will play over the already existing all american at their position. So does that imply that Stone is not confident? Maybe KO needs to recruit more confident kids. I kid, of course.

I remember, before Calipari won his ONE championship and before he made billions for his NBA kids, people rationalized that he got a ton of top recruits because he was an exciting young coach. Well, he is old now and KO is young and an exciting up and comer. Is KO having the recruiting success and power that Calipari had at Memphis? He didn't even have Wildcat lounge to lure kids with there. And Pastner, his protege, has continued this baffling success at Memphis. But he is young and a great recruiter, people say. And KO isn't?

Some say Calipari uses his connections with Jay Z and others to lure the kids. KO has PLAYED with and MENTORED LeBron and Durant! KO actually played in the NBA and knows all of the coaches and GMs. Does Jay Z really have more influence than LeBron, KD and a slew of NBA coaches and GMs?

Someone mentioned the sniff test. Stink has followed the squid everywhere he has been. Camby at umess, Rose at Memphis and there has been smoke at UK too. Now we have this kid whose guardian has openly shopped him and about whom other coaches have said you need to play along to even get access to the kid. Was UK on his short list? You bet. To those that think the squid doesn't need to cheat anymore I say, don't be so naieve.

And, finally, we have the mockery of higher education. Sure, the squid is just playing the game he is allowed to play but does he have to? Does he have to field an entire team that has zero intention of graduating? Sure, they leave "on track" just like all the UNC players do/did. Sure, the token walk on or low rated recruit who stays 4 years actually graduates. But, essentially, their entire team could care less about academics. Not one or two or three of them...10 of them! Yes, the APR system allows it but he doesn't have to use that hole to make a complete mockery of higher education.

He is STILL dirty and he is bad for college athletics. And while KO's limited recruiting success is frustrating, like Calhoun's was, it is clear that he is limited by the fact that he takes the stairs, like Calhoun did.

 

[Kembacity]

My hate for Cuse simply doesn't keep on burning guys, they have 1 championship, their fans are total dud losers who have such little base in reality, I am really over it. If and when we start playing them again, I'm sure I'll hate them, but I just don't bother myself with them.

I will agree that my Duke hate is subsiding because they havent been so successful in the past years, but they're always talked about as one of the best and always get a #1/#2 ranking.... so the hate is still there for sure. It's like they get great recruits and yet the media still gives them the benefit of the doubt ALL THE TIME.

But Kentucky might be the one I "hate" actively the most, because of the aforementioned reasons like they have and are kind of ruining the college game and system and I'm sure they must be cheating somehow harder than everyone else with getting all of these stars all the time.

 

[ctchamps]

Kentucky, Pitt, Syracuse

Kentucky: I don't care about the one and done and its impact on college bb. I think Cal has taken devious recruiting to a new level. And UK has worked really hard to accommodate his recruits. Man I hope the dike breaks on his corrupt system the way the UNC, Miami and Syracuse crap has been exposed. Speaking of crap how did Miami not get sanctions?

Pitt: Outside of Emmert/Hathaway vendetta against JC, nothing has hurt UConn more than the way Pitt handled their departure from the BE

Cuse: Just a personal irrational dislike.

My animosity towards Duke has been greatly diminished. As others pointed out we've owned them recently, they have been on a down swing for a while, I think Coach K is a really good coach, and he genuinely admires JC. Furthermore even when I rooted for them to lose, my distaste for them was really my distaste for the media choosing to make them the darling of college basketball. It was displaced antagonism.

 

[CTBasketball]

Duke is more like our dumb little brother now. Kentucky is the posterchild of death and all things wrong in the world.