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Rooting for Perfection

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Matrim55 said:
This. If we'd lost, then the Harrisons, WCS, Poythress and probably Johnson are gone.
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Remember when Marcus Lee put out a statement that he was coming back for his sophomore year? He averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds last year, but probably would've gone if they'd won the title on the strength of a few dunks against Louisville.
 
Inyatkin said:
Remember when Marcus Lee put out a statement that he was coming back for his sophomore year? He averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds last year, but probably would've gone if they'd won the title on the strength of a few dunks against Louisville.
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I'd forgotten about that.

FWIW, if it comes down to UK vs. Duke at any point, I'm 100% rooting for Duke. F UK.
 
1999.2004.2011 said:
I probably should have clarified the OP, where I'm rooting for the kids more than the coach. I dislike the moniker that these kids are "one and done" because the vast majority of these guys are sophomores and juniors, actually go to class and most of their guys are pretty likeable. Hypothetically, if this team had different jerseys on or played for a different coach I think America would embrace this team rather than hate them.

I guess the other thing I don't understand is why so many people harp on these kids because they elect to go to college for one or two years, and then declare as opposed staying all four years. Athletes have an incredibly short span of time to earn as much money as they possibly can in the pros, so why not leave early? These universities aren't going anywhere, and many players return to school after the NBA or during the summer to continue working towards their degrees. Our society praises the artist, chef, computer wiz who maximizes their earnings potential by joining the professional ranks as soon as possible, but why do we hold it against athletes?
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I don't know about others, but I'm fine if a student athlete is good enough to jump after one year, to do so. I'm just not sure I'd want the program that I root for have multiple players do so on a regular basis. I enjoy getting to know our guys. As much as I root for the laundry, I root for the kids.

For example I have so many fond memories of Boat, Bazz, Ben, Ray, Smitty, etc... Frankly I have little to no recollection of what Andre Dummond did while he was here. In his case, he left before he was a great, maybe even good, college player. But I don't begrudge him doing so, since people were willing to pay him a boatload of money for him to develop at the next level.
 
Deepster said:
a) I'm not ignoring anything that happened at UConn during Calhoun's tenure.
b) Calipari had two Final Fours struck off the record books. You're being kind calling them "slip ups".
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The Squid clearly took short cuts, shirked his compliance responsibilities as the head coach and did or let whatever shady business go on back then. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe some of the shenanigans are still happening, but I think so many elite recruits now want to go to UK and play for him, that he probably can conduct his business on the up-and-up. Who knows. Putting myself in his shoes, I would want this sweet gig to go on for a long time, and if elite players want to come and I have a solid pick at who I want, I'm probably keeping my program and nose clean. But then again, some feel, once a cheat, always a cheat. So who knows.

Bottom line, he's filled his roster with so much talent, that if you took took his 2nd 5 and put them on another program, they'd have a good chance of playing their top 5 in the F4. Their 3rd best big is better than just about anyone else's top big.
 
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fleudslipcon said:
I suppose the OP would root for Germany when they bombed Pearl Harbor. Looked like the Axis had a perfect record at that point.
No way I root for the villain. I'd go out of my way praising Duke if they were the team to stop Calipari. Nothing against Kentucky. Just don't like Calipari.
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Germany bombed Pearl Harbor?????: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

Sorry... I was a history major. Can't let that one go.
 
John said:
I've reached the same conclusion. Root Duke and then take a shower in gasoline and scrub with a wire brush.
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the fact that Duke beat the unbeatable UNLV team makes it hard for me to root for them again in this scenario.
 
Matrim55 said:
I'd forgotten about that.

FWIW, if it comes down to UK vs. Duke at any point, I'm 100% rooting for Duke. F UK.
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This was dook fans last year's Championship game dilemma. They actually reluctantly preferred us.

Weird how things turn out (if they do).
 
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Deepster said:
Well, that's just stupid. Because you're young, it doesn't exist?
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To be fair, he said it means nothing to him. It also means nothing to me (same age). Same way Notre Dame football basically means nothing to me (hey, they've had one noteworthy year since I've been able to pick up a football!).

I hate Cal for pretty much all the other standard reasons though and would never want to see him pull off a perfect season.
 
DogMania said:
The Squid clearly took short cuts, shirked his compliance responsibilities as the head coach and did or let whatever shady business go on back then. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe some of the shenanigans are still happening, but I think so many elite recruits now want to go to UK and play for him, that he probably can conduct his business on the up-and-up. Who knows. Putting myself in his shoes, I would want this sweet gig to go on for a long time, and if elite players want to come and I have a solid pick at who I want, I'm probably keeping my program and nose clean. But then again, some feel, once a cheat, always a cheat. So who knows.

Bottom line, he's filled his roster with so much talent, that if you took took his 2nd 5 and put them on another program, they'd have a good chance of playing their top 5 in the F4. Their 3rd best big is better than just about anyone else's top big.
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I'm not sure how your reply addresses either of the bulleted points I made.
 
The whole Nate Miles nightmare was caused by a "reporter" who was a umess student when the squid was there. He hated Calhoun based on the blood feud the squid started. This reporter followed the squid to Memphis so he could continue to be close to his hero and write fluff pieces on him. All the while, he was also doing investigative reporting on Calhoun because that was his hero's arch enemy. I will cheer his demise.
 
I won't go as far as to say I'm rooting for Kentucky, but I don't mind supporting some of the unpopular sentiments expressed by the OP.

Who has hurt UConn and who hasn't? That's a question I ask myself when determining who to root for in these games. The ACC has done everything short of bombing our athletic department. I sure as hell do not want two or three ACC teams in the final four. Notre Dame, the leaches that flamed out in the first weekend in the Big East all those years? duck* them. I don't want Kentucky to win the national championship, but if that's the expense of preventing an ACC team from cutting down the nets, well, it's worth it in my opinion.

Cal is one of the best coaches ever, it's time to accept it. He's won everywhere he's been, and if he lived in the gray area to get players to mid-major schools, you know what...I'm not going to be outraged over that. It's also worth noting that he's never been implicated in any investigation, and it's not that much of a stretch to think he had nothing to do with Derrick Rose's fake SAT scores. Hell, the NCAA cleared him.

Kentucky finishing undefeated only adds to the mystique of last years UConn team, and really the program in general. I wouldn't mind saying that the only thing preventing Kentucky from four titles in five years was UConn.
 
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Fishy said:
What --- did I just read....
We've always noticed a weird phenomenon here - whenever a poster shows up with some variation or 99-04-11-14 in their user name, they tend to be a wing nut.
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You may be on to something with this "99-04-11-14" conspiracy..... Champs spewing some BS as well. Interesting....
 
champs99and04 said:
Cal is one of the best coaches ever, it's time to accept it. He's won everywhere he's been, and if he lived in the gray area to get players to mid-major schools, you know what...I'm not going to be outraged over that. It's also worth noting that he's never been implicated in any investigation, and it's not that much of a stretch to think he had nothing to do with Derrick Rose's fake SAT scores. Hell, the NCAA cleared him.
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I guess I continue to have an issue with your choice of words. "Gray area"? "Slip ups"? He had final fours wiped off the record books at two different schools. He's the definition of a sleazy used car salesman college coach. He may not have to resort to getting his players hookers or jewelry at Kentucky because of their hoops reputation and his approach of letting them use an academic institution as an NBA minor league team that's on National TV twice a week...but he got there on a past of years and years of filth.
 
1999.2004.2011 said:
Listen, I know I'm going to be hated on the board for posting this thread because for some reason people think we have this rivalry with Kentucky and Calipari because we've played them in big games over the past couple of years (which we won btw), but hear me out.

Without UConn in the tournament, I'm starting to come around and root for UK to run the table. Their team has an opportunity to complete a perfect season, and that is an incredible feet in a sport where most of the great players are required to only stay for one season.

Everyone loves to hate the villains (Patriots, Yankees, Miami Heat) in sports, but why can't people just appreciate the greatness of certain teams? Sure Calipari has had his run ins with the NCAA (UConn also has too) but being able to recruit nine (9!) McDonald's All Americans and getting them to check their egos' at the door to buy into a pro style system in college basketball is remarkable. They play an entertaining style of the game in an age where guys are "over-coaching" literally every single position, leading to boring, awful games in the 50's (I'm looking at you Virginia). As a basketball and sports fan, I've realized that you can be the blowhard who refuses to acknowledge greatness, or you can be the person who can appreciate it.

Without a rooting interest, I'm going to enjoy watching quality basketball the rest of the tournament and will acknowledge that this Kentucky team is one of the all time greats if they finish it out. I also know that if UConn miraculously made it into the tournament, we'd be the one team they wouldn't want to run into...
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Added to ignore! Just kidding but Ridiculous!!!
 
On the bright side...Cal would have a lot of incentive to go back to NBA if has a perfect year. What would really be left for him in College?
 
Calamari doesn't care about any of his kids education or development.
He rigs their APR results, so UK doesn't get caught.
He brings in Rappers & Actors/Actresses to sell recruits (see M. Newman).
If his kids are not one & done, he'll just bring in 5 more McD's All American Freshmen to replace them.
The kind of kids he attracts want the fast track to the NBA (i.e. instant gratification).
He's a total Used Car Salesman. He's had "issues" at UMess & Memphis (plus the NBA).
If you want to see a team with 9 HS All Americans win the NCAA Championship, going undefeated. Good for you.
There's the reason why the moniker "KenSucky" was developed....
I'll admit I'm tired of reading the 1,857 ESPN stories about them & their 9 first round draft picks in June.
Root for them if you want. The best team money can buy.

Dropping the Mic..... ;)
 
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I may be a little late to this thread but if the initial post doesn't warrant a public hanging I don't think anything does.
 
Rooting for UK is like rooting for the orca when it spots a seal. I don't want to sound sanctimonious but everything about that program is bad for college basketball.
 
1999.2004.2011 said:
Listen, I know I'm going to be hated on the board for posting this thread because for some reason people think we have this rivalry with Kentucky and Calipari because we've played them in big games over the past couple of years (which we won btw), but hear me out.

Without UConn in the tournament, I'm starting to come around and root for UK to run the table. Their team has an opportunity to complete a perfect season, and that is an incredible feet in a sport where most of the great players are required to only stay for one season.

Everyone loves to hate the villains (Patriots, Yankees, Miami Heat) in sports, but why can't people just appreciate the greatness of certain teams? Sure Calipari has had his run ins with the NCAA (UConn also has too) but being able to recruit nine (9!) McDonald's All Americans and getting them to check their egos' at the door to buy into a pro style system in college basketball is remarkable. They play an entertaining style of the game in an age where guys are "over-coaching" literally every single position, leading to boring, awful games in the 50's (I'm looking at you Virginia). As a basketball and sports fan, I've realized that you can be the blowhard who refuses to acknowledge greatness, or you can be the person who can appreciate it.

Without a rooting interest, I'm going to enjoy watching quality basketball the rest of the tournament and will acknowledge that this Kentucky team is one of the all time greats if they finish it out. I also know that if UConn miraculously made it into the tournament, we'd be the one team they wouldn't want to run into...
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No one would like it if in professional sports one team got the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 7th picks in the first round of the draft, every single year. Then watching that team win with said players. It's not fun. It's stupid.
 
Force NBA players to go to college for a year
Put 10 together on the same team
Proto-NBA team beats a lot of college teams
Not sure how that's such an amazing feat.
 
BearJWS said:
Calamari doesn't care about any of his kids education or development.
He rigs their APR results, so UK doesn't get caught.
He brings in Rappers & Actors/Actresses to sell recruits (see M. Newman).
If his kids are not one & done, he'll just bring in 5 more McD's All American Freshmen to replace them.
The kind of kids he attracts want the fast track to the NBA (i.e. instant gratification).
He's a total Used Car Salesman. He's had "issues" at UMess & Memphis (plus the NBA).
If you want to see a team with 9 HS All Americans win the NCAA Championship, going undefeated. Good for you.
There's the reason why the moniker "KenSucky" was developed....
I'll admit I'm tired of reading the 1,857 ESPN stories about them & their 9 first round draft picks in June.
Root for them if you want. The best team money can buy.

Dropping the Mic..... ;)
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You have to say something compelling before you drop the mic.
 
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