As many including the BBL expected, the nation’s consensus top high school player, Brandon Knight, Wednesday announced his commitment to play basketball at the University of Kentucky next year.
Knight, from the Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Florida, chose the Wildcats over a marquee list of suitors that includes the likes of Kansas, Syracuse and Connecticut.
Expected to start and contribute heavily right away, Knight joins big man Enes Kanter and wing Stacey Poole as UK’s lone 2010-’11 recruits. Many in the Big Blue Nation expect this commitment to open the door for perhaps several other big name players, most notably C.J. Leslie, an athletic big man who played his high school ball at the same Raleigh, N.C. school as John Wall.
In related news, the Cats also picked up a huge commitment for 2011, when Michael Gilchrist, considered by many the most coveted player in this year’s junior class, also verbally committed to the Wildcats.
After a tough two weeks since UK’s disappointing loss to West Virginia in the Elite Eight, this was a big day for Kentucky.
The BBL’s own JRokDimes offers his candid thoughts on Thursday night’s Kentucky-Cornell matchup in the East Regional Semifinal.
Folks, I will eat my helping of crow. The final margin of 17 (Kentucky 62-Cornell 45) does seem to reflect a dominating performance by the Cats. We at the BBL were wrong to insist that the game would be close throughout.
That said, I don’t think anything I expected about how the game was played or what Cornell would do did not come to pass. A few things to keep in mind:
-Kentucky’s 62 points was tied for their season low—the only other time they scored that few points was in the South Carolina loss. Credit must be given to Cornell for locking up and discombobulating the Cats offense. Few of us expected that kind of defense from the brainiacs.
-Cornell had trouble getting shots off all night. I mean, they got maybe five clean looks in the last 10:00 minutes of the first half and maybe another five the entire second half. They were completely blanketed. UK’s length really bothered them, and it was clear they hadn’t seen anything like that all year. Few teams not in the NBA have, actually.
-Anyone who was calling for a blowout better admit that you started getting a little nervous when the Cornellians cut the Cats’ lead to six with 5:00 minutes to play. That turnaround hook by Big Cuz was the shot of the game—maybe the year. It stopped the bleeding and gave Kentucky back the momentum. That shot doesnt fall and I can already see Louis “Norman” Dale hitting another off-balance three to make it a one possession game. This thing was a hell of a lot closer than it should have been, or than a lot of the BBN is claiming.
-Calipari played an interesting rotation last night, with Harris getting a lot of minutes. All in all, UK’s players were so much bigger and faster, it is frankly amazing that Cornell could even compete. Many have said that they would have picked Cornell against any other team left in the tournament save Kentucky. I would have to agree on that. Anyone who was talking smack about that team better recognize that it was no Ivy League goon squad full of non scholly chumps. That was the equivalent of a late ‘90s Rick Majerus coached Utah team—old, physically mature, good shooting with an athletic guard running the show, and two potential NBA players on the roster. In another bracket, that team could have made the Final Four.
-The referees were a joke last night. Just because one team has paid mercenaries does not mean that the rules stop applying. The intentional foul on Big Cuz was a joke and a dangerous one at that. There were some other incidences of chippiness that the Big Red got away with. I think we probably have to expect that the same thing will happen again if UK plays Duke or some other potential media darling.
-Cousins really is the next Shaq. The guy is like a Philistine, with bodies hanging on his arms and people submarining him and slapping him in the face on every play. And he only gets stronger and better the rougher they get. He was spinning on guys, dunking, blocking shots, hitting finger rolls, hooks. What is a DeMarcus Cousins? A freak. He hasn’t even grown into his body yet. That loose ball at midcourt in the first half when he hit the deck registered on the richter scale…he looked like a giant walrus crushing into some seals on the arctic coast. And for all the talk of his immaturity, he sure does a good job of dealing with more physical attacking and fouling than any other player in college hoops. My only lament is that there is not a single post player left in the tournament that is a true match for this monster. Boy, am I going to miss seeing him in Kentucky blue next year.
-Great win for Kentucky. They showed once again they can win vs. any style, in any environment, in any type of game. Their FT shooting was an abortion until the end, when EB stepped it up. Btw, Eric Bledsoe might end up being better than Wall at the next level where they play man to man and he can flit in and out and around mofos with the basketball on a string. His dunk vs. Wake (a “savage act of freakery”) really sealed the deal that he is top 15.
-I’d say the Cats were the smarter team, overall. More poised, less emotional, and played a cleaner game. Just goes to show you that basketball is a game and Kentucky plays it well in all phases. Even a cerebral, disciplined team like Cornell can unravel in the face of tremendous players who double as unselfish, team-first, sound decision makers…
Bring on the Mountaineers!
Kentucky’s overwhelming NCAA Tournament performance through two games (vicious beatings of East Tennessee State and Wake Forest) have got the basketball media speculating left and right about the slew of Wildcats leaving school after the season to enter the NBA draft.
Most reports have made it a foregone conclusion since January that John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson would leave UK for NBA riches when the season ended. But due to reports by draft guru Chad Ford and a range of others, it’s looking highly probable that Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton will also be on their way out of Lexington prematurely.
We have to be honest, the BBL thinks that all five of the above are first rounders. While Bledsoe has been up and down this season, his ridiculous ceiling and a weak PG crop make him a near lock to be taken in the top 15. As for Orton, how many 6-10 guys have the explosiveness, timing, strength and all-around raw ability that he possesses? We didn’t think so, either.
So what does it all mean for the 2010-11 Cats?
Thankfully, the buzz surrounding UK’s mass early exodus has been softened a bit by the news that 6-9, 240-pound power forward Enes Kanter has committed to play for Coach Calipari next season. Kanter, a Turkish national playing prep school ball in Switzerland, has a typical European face up game in a big body. He will help ease the loss of some serious low post firepower.
Still, Kanter represents only Kentucky’s second commit for next year—the other being SF Stacey Poole. Right now, the Cats are a lock to lose six players and could lose as many as eight. So, at minimum, UK will need to find four more bodies.
We’ve already reported here that Brandon Knight is a done deal to Kentucky. We’re staying with that. We also think there are a few big time names who have Lexington on their super short list, and we are going to assume that Orton returns. So as of today, here is our rough look at what type of roster the Cats will suit up next year:
- PG: Brandon Knight and Josh Selby or Doron Lamb
- SG: Deandre Liggins and Darius Miller
- SF: Darnell Dodson, Jon Hood and Stacey Poole
- PF: Enes Kanter and C.J. Leslie
- C: Daniel Orton and Josh Harrellson
The first thing you might say is, how can UK really expect to pull Knight and Lamb or Selby? To that we submit last year as exhibit A. If Cal could sign Bledsoe and Wall in the same class, win with them playing together in the same backcourt and then put them both in the first round of the NBA draft, why wouldn’t it happen again?
BBL’s Take
All in all, there are some other impact signees that UK could still make a run at. We also wouldn’t rule out a surprise return from Patterson, Bledsoe or Cousins. In fact, Calipari himself said earlier this week that “Wall wants to come back to Kentucky.”
There is still a ways to go, but we feel pretty good about going to battle with the rotation above. Would it win a national title? Probably not. But SEC title contender and top 25 staple would be almost a guarantee.
BBL contributor UKHomer43 offers his considerably not optimistic thoughts on the eve of UK’s first 2010 NCAA tournament game.
I have analyzed the Bracket countless times now.
UK got the rawest deal I have ever seen. ETSU will push UK up and down the floor and after winning by 19 they will be exhausted vs Texas.
If UT’s goons come to play and Barnes sticks with Bradley and Brown in the backcourt, Texas will shock the world and beat UK in New Orleans (which will be a Pro-Texas crowd, as well.)
If UK does get by UT, I can’t see a worse matchup than Temple or Wisconsin.
Temple is the #1 defensive team in the nation and takes away perimeter shots. They are a good basketball team and coach Fran Dunphy’s style is deliberate and confounding. They will crush Cornell.
Wiscy is Wiscy and they could confuse and discombobulate UK’s turnover prone guards.
If Kentucky gets through to the Elite 8, they will win as their most likely opponent West Virginia doesn’t have enough size to match up with UK.
Unfortunately and no matter how anybody else spins it, the Cats’ road to the Final Four is paved with really bad matchups and styles to contend with. Not one team will try and run or “out-athlete” UK.
Just my take.
The BBL is not usually one to post rumors or break news, but we’ve talked to some pretty reputable contacts today, and they have confirmed to us that the nation’s consensus top high school player, Brandon Knight, is a “done deal” to sign with Kentucky.
Rumors have been rampant that Knight was looking to confirm this news next week. But our sources say that it’s now a sure thing. The same sources also say C.J. Leslie is also pretty close to a certainty, as well.
We can’t give away our sources right now, but they include a member of the coaching staff at one of the school’s chasing Knight.
The biggest outstanding question now is what will Eric Bledsoe do when the season is over? It is our opinion that EB would be making a mistake to leave school early and that he should be the man at PG next year for UK. But the Knight signing certainly makes things interesting.
We’ll be back with more news as it comes available.
After impressive back-to-back road wins this past week, the Kentucky Wildcats improved their record to 26-1 overall and 11-1 in the SEC and, more importantly, virtually assured themselves of a No. 1 seed when the NCAA tournament brackets are announced March 14.
In their win over Vandy Saturday night, the Cats once again showed the nation that they are capable of beating good teams even when not playing their best basketball. While Kentucky’s youngsters were far from a portrait of maturity for most of the evening, they simply found a way to win the game at crunch time.
So, where to next for Kentucky?
Finishing Strong
The Cats could very well lose another game or two before the Big Dance. But an SEC regular season championship would be wrapped up with two more victories. The Cats will start the quest to close out strong with a revenge game this Thursday vs. South Carolina at Rupp. Needless to say, the Gamecocks, a horrible road team as it is, will not have the element of surprise in this one and, barring a superhuman effort from Devan Downey, we like Kentucky to roll in this one.
Then it’s back on the road for the Cats—at Tennessee on Feb. 27 and at Georgia on March 3. The Vols have shown they can beat anyone at home, as evidenced by their January victory over top ranked Kansas.
Georgia, despite a 4-8 SEC record, has been surprisingly tough at home, boasting a 12-3 record in home games, with impressive victories over the likes of Vandy, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. If there is a trap game left on the Cats schedule, this is it. UGA gave Kentucky a run for its money last month at Rupp and cannot be underestimated. The Cats finish at home March 7th on senior day against Florida.
The BBL feels that UK can actually lose two of these four and still earn a No. 1 seed, provided they don’t fall in the first round of the SEC tournament. At this point, however, we think UK is a lock to notch the school’s 12th 30-win season.
Tourney Prospects
Right now, the leading contenders for the top four seeds in the tourney include Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Purdue, probably in that order. The next four seeds look likely to come from Villanova, Duke, Kansas State, Michigan State, West Virginia, Ohio State and Georgetown.
The four tournament regionals are in Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Houston and Syracuse. Kansas, as the potential overall top seed, looks like a lock to get sent down the road to St. Louis. After that, things get a little more interesting.
Syracuse, assuming they hold onto a top seed, cannot play a regional at home per NCAA rules, so the Orange will have to be sent either to Houston or Salt Lake City. Because Kentucky will almost certainly be one of the top two overall seeds, the selection committee will want to keep them as close to home as possible, which more than likely rules out SLC.
So Cat fans, for any of you planning to travel, we recommend limiting your search to two cities—Syracuse (667 miles from Lexington) or Houston (1,070 miles away). The BBL’s best guess is that UK will be sent to the more natural confines of the South Regional in Houston, while Syracuse will be sent west and the fourth No. 1 (Purdue, Villanova or Duke) will go to the Carrier Dome.
As for the first round, the Cats will almost certainly play in Milwaukee, which is the closest venue to home for Kentucky. UK has never played a tournament game in Milwaukee, but if there is any bright side to this venue, it’s that Kentucky is assured to not play Marquette in the first or second round. Marquette, of course, has knocked the Cats out of the tourney the last three times the programs have met. So there’s that.
BBL’s Take
It’s difficult to start speculating about actual opponents at this juncture. But we can talk a little about what kind of environments the Cats are likely to see, and what kinds fans should hope they do not.
Probably the scariest type of team Kentucky can be matched up with is one that plays physical halfcourt defense and can shoot well from the perimeter. UK has done a good job neutralizing good perimeter shooting teams of late (Vanderbilt and Mississippi State last week, in particular). But it should be noted that Kentucky could have easily lost both of those games had either team done just a tad bit better than a combined 12 for 55 from three-point land. Teams that fit this bill include Syracuse, Kansas and West Virginia, but none of them would be likely to play UK before a regional final.
In a tournament-style setting, Kentucky will obviously be faced with officials used to doing games in other conferences. This is a bit of a crap shoot, but officials from the Big Ten or Big East may be used to calling low-scoring games with a lot of whistles blown. In general, there tend to be more fouls called during the NCAA tournament than the regular season. This would force the Cats to shoot more free throws and potentially subject the vaunted front court to foul trouble.
With the win or go home format, Kentucky’s considerable youth will be faced with the pressure of more intense moments. Moreover, playing games on short rest and with little time to prepare for different styles could have an impact on a team that has at times lacked mental focus.
The first season on John Calipari’s watch has been nothing short of magnificent. But for a program with a tradition as proud as Kentucky’s, what happens in March is what ultimately defines the season.
Wow, what a war.
Kentucky pulled off a huge win Saturday night over Vanderbilt in a game characterized by rugged physical defense, poor shooting and high drama in the closing minutes.
As John Calipari said in the post-game interview, “that was an Elite Eight style game.” He was right. The atmosphere was about as intense as any in college hoops this year.
While Kentucky did not play a great game, this was the kind of gritty performance that championship teams are capable of displaying. Here are some of the BBL’s thoughts:
John Wall showed once again why he is everyone’s leading contender for player of the year. He did not have an excellent game, but par usual, he stepped up big time in the clutch hitting a go ahead basket and a free throw and blocking a would-be game-winning shot inside the final minute.
Unfortunately, Wall and Eric Bledsoe were just plain sloppy tonight, missing multiple opportunities to get the ball to DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson on the low block, while combining for five turnovers and a slew of poor shots. The maddening thing is that neither of these kids have shown a lot of progress in terms of learning to be more patient with the ball. This is probably the BBL’s single biggest criticism of Kentucky and Calipari at the moment.
The Cats dodged another bullet with regard to the referees’ leniency during the Eric Bledsoe blowup. A legitimate argument could be made for a flagrant foul or even an ejection, depending on the officials’ interpretation. As it was, Bledsoe was given a technical, as was Vandy’s Jeffrey Taylor, and no free throws were taken by either team. Bledsoe returned to the game three minutes later. He was largely ineffective, however, and showed a lot of immaturity in the game.
Kentucky is a different team when Patterson is involved in the offense and rebounding. His three point shot to put UK up three was enormous. It is just such a shame that somewhere along the line in the last couple years, PP lost some explosion. He still has a lot of raw power and can jump in traffic. But his two missed dunks vs. Vanderbilt were both critical. And these were not the first dunks he’s missed this year.
DeMarcus Cousins’ footwork is amazing. Drop steps, baseline spins, catlike quickness. Guy is the total package. Completely unstoppable on the block against a single defender. He absolutely must be double teamed.
Daniel Orton is an excellent outlet passer. He has great floor vision for a big man. His shot blocking, of course, continues to impress. If and when he polishes his offensive game and learns the difference between a good and a bad foul, he has All-American center written all over him. He is an abomination at the FT line right now, however.
A.J. Ogilvy couldn’t get a shot off against UK’s front line. In the mid first half, Orton swatted a running layup into the 10th row. A couple plays later, Cousins just completely denied him on a easy chip shot.
The BBL actually thinks it’s gotten to the point where Brad Nessler, as the play by play guy, is offering better in-game analysis than Dick Vitale. Nothing against Vitale. He knows the game and has been college basketball’s biggest ambassador, but at times he seems desperate to talk about matters unrelated or insignificant to the actual game. And of course, his thoughts and commentary seem to inevitably ramble their way to Duke.
John Wall still struggles a bit as a one on one defender, despite the great block. However, he’s one of the best help side defenders in the country, and he’s been taking some big charges in key moments lately.
Jeffrey Taylor is a potential future NBA star. Dude has a sick crossover, can shoot and has good overall athleticism. This comes in a 6-7 body.
Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings is one of the best in the business. He coached a near perfect game tonight. Excellent personnel rotation allowed him to keep Ogilvy on the floor after he’d picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half. Stallings also went to zone when Cousins came out of the game and threw some puzzling defensive looks at UK. His use of timeouts was also superb, as he iced UK foul shooters with great success late in the game. And of course, setting up the play that almost sent the game to OT was a work of brilliance and, for Kentucky fans, the stuff of nightmares with its resemblance to Christian Laettner’s turnaround jumper in ‘92.
Kentucky is now a near shoe-in for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, barring a complete collapse. Huge road win, and to anyone who watched, it served notice that this team just finds a way to keep winning.
Kentucky went into a hostile road environment Tuesday night and took the best shot from a talented Mississippi State team in desperate need of a win. Here are a five big post-game thoughts:
1. Patrick Patterson was clutch Tuesday. He rebounded better than he has in weeks. He also made his free throws and hit the huge jumper to tie the game in regulation. That is the Patterson Kentucky needs to see in the tournament.
2. The Kentucky big men just absolutely erase you inside. When they block shots and rebound like they did tonight, it’s gonna be tough for anyone to beat them. In particular, DeMarcus Cousins has become a total beast on the interior, and his rebounding and scoring dominance reduced opposing center Jarvis Varnado (statistically one of the best bigs in the nation) to an afterthought.
3. The Cats’ youth showed in Starkville. Late in regulation, they had a series of three straight possessions where UK guards jacked up shots without taking more than five seconds off the shot clock. They have to show more patience than that.
4. DeAndre Liggins seems to be gradually making his way up to the point where he is a top three option offensively for Kentucky. Coach Cal showed a lot of confidence in him by leaving him on the floor for the entirety of overtime. He is now the defensive stopper who Kentucky will task with guarding opposing teams’ leading scorers.
5. If Mississippi State can finish the SEC season strong, they will likely get into the tourney. They dont have a great resume but playing that game Tuesday night on ESPN really helped their profile. That is a sign that Kentucky is back on the map—when an opposing team can lose to the Cats and it actually helps them.
The stage is set for a memorable night in Lexington, Kentucky.
If you didn’t see it, the Kentucky faithful created a scene this morning at ESPN’s College Gameday, putting 20,000 plus fans in Rupp Arena by 10 am.
Kentucky will meet Tennesee in less than an hour, in what should be one of the Cats stiffest tests, on paper, of the entire season. This is an excellent chance for the Cats to solidify their No. 1 seed resume in the eyes of the nation, and send a message to the rest of college basketball that they are for real.
Here are the keys to the game:
John Wall and Eric Bledsoe must make good decisions. One of the BBL’s concerns all year has been the mistake prone styles of the freshman backcourt duo. Sometimes it seems as if these two haven’t progressed very much with their ability to recognize what the defense is giving them. Both seem to have only one speed—turbo—and it has gotten them into trouble. If Wall and Bledsoe can manage tempo and take only what’s available on offense, Kentucky will be in good shape. Tennessee is sure to run some fullcourt pressure, but that could be a recipe for highlight reel, fast break funk for the Wildcats.
Kentucky will need to keep Tennessee from getting easy transition buckets and points in the paint. The Vols simply do not have a good shooting team. They have no pure shooters who can beat you consistently from deep. And their bigs are mostly finesse players. But they are long and athletic and have some guys who can slash and create shots around the rim. UT will likely pull Wayne Chism and Kenny Hall away from the basket on offense, and force DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton to defend on the perimeter. If Tennessee consistently penetrates and sends guys to the rim to crash the offensive glass, they could make things interesting.
Kentucky should work the low post on offense in every halfcourt set. There is currently no one in the college game with a back to the basket offensive game like Big Cuz. No one. UK should feed him early and often. Cousins is a good passing big man, too, and if he is doubled, UK could have a field day getting cutters open in the paint. The overall team size and rebounding ability of Kentucky will play an important role, too. This is the type of game where even Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson could get some easy garbage buckets and layups as UT tries to collapse on Kentucky’s big men.
UK needs to show swagger and killer instinct. The Cats are confident. There will be a truly historic crowd on hand tonight and an environment capable of showing America the absolute height of college hoops excitement. The young Cats will need to overcome any early jitters and play with a sense of urgency and high energy. If they can build a big lead, we expect John Calipari to step on the gas to make a statement. There is no love loss between Coach Cal and Tennessee head man Bruce Pearl. This could be a golden opportunity for UK to show they can put even good team’s away.
BBL’s Take. Kentucky has every advantage. Tennessee plays an up-tempo pressing style. They want to run and showcase their athleticism. But they are lacking good ballhandlers and have no dead eye shooters. If they try to press UK into mistakes, they may see things get ugly, considering Kentucky’s track team personnel and what should be a raucous home crowd. If UT elects to slow it down and zone the Cats in a halfcourt game, DeAndre Liggins and Darnell Dodson will need to shoot well and the backcourt will need to keep mistakes to a minimum. We think even in this style of game, the Vols will struggle to score enough to win. We like the Cats chances of a big double digit victory, and frankly don’t see Tennessee being able to keep this one tight to the final horn. But stranger things have happened.
The Kentucky hoops freaks behind the Big Blue Lowdown (JRokDimes and UKHomer43) got together last recently and debated some important points about the future prospects of this year’s UK squad. Here’s an excerpt from the the point-counterpoint:
1) Who is the team UK should be most afraid to face?
JRokDimes
The Cats’ match-up with Mississippi State in Starkville on Feb. 16 still looms as a difficult road date based on MSU’s ability to shoot from deep, defend on the interior and run with Kentucky athletically. The two Tennessee games are big, too. But from a national perspective, Villanova is the team that UK fans should most fear. Why? Because Nova has the kind of savvy, experienced guards in Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher that can give Kentucky’s young backcourt fits. It’s true that they are undersized, but coach Jay Wright relies on a deep bench and can throw a lot of confusing looks at you defensively. Nova’s team is incredibly well conditioned and will pressure opposing teams all over the court, using a variety of half court traps to force mistakes. For a turnover prone team like Kentucky, this could be a problem. They also shoot the ball well both from the free throw line and beyond the arc. Basically, they are talented, well-coached and have been spectacular in the clutch (see last year’s regional final game vs. Pitt).
UKHomer43
I somewhat disagree. Villanova is excellent from the perimeter but significantly weaker than UK in the post. They have NOBODY to match up against Big Cuz or Patrick Patterson (if he sets his mind to actually play hard and contribute). The one team I think UK should fear most is Syracuse. They are long and tall and their zone will literally freak out John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, who will dribble into traps and turn the ball over with regularity. It’s unlikely UK will face either of these teams until deep in the tournament as they should both be #1 seeds.
2) How does this team compare historically to other Kentucky teams?
UKHomer43
Only one team in UK history compares. That was the 1995-‘96 team. They had nine legit NBA players and that includes “cup of coffee” guys like Jeff Sheppard and Wayne Turner. This year’s version is the most athletic and longest UK team in history. They have three players at the wing position that should all eventually play in the NBA. Bledsoe, Wall, Patterson, Cousins and Orton are all sure-fire NBA top 15 selections whenever they decide to leave for the pros. Harrellson, Stephenson, and Harris are decent role players and each of them should have a chance to play overseas for pay for a while.
JRokDimes
From a raw talent perspective, it is probably true that only the 1996 title team can compare with the 2009-‘10 Cats (though some props must be thrown out to the 1983-’84 team’s NBA front line of Mel Turpin, Kenny Walker and Sam Bowie). But as much as it pains me to say it, this team’s 23-1 record is a bit inflated, given that UK hasn’t played a single team with a legit hope to make a deep run in March. It makes it hard to say how they truly stack up against the past. But the pieces are all there.
3) What is Kentucky’s Achilles heel?
JRokDimes
Right now, UK’s biggest weakness is its youth. All of Kentucky’s problems stem from this in some way. The mental lapses of DeMarcus Cousins, the sometimes wild and out of control styles of Bledsoe and Wall, and the consistent failure to put inferior teams away—these are all symptoms of inexperience. Sure, there have been freshman stars like Derrick Coleman, Derrick Rose, Mike Bibby and Carmelo Anthony that led teams to deep runs, but they all had excellent supporting casts with veteran leadership. This is why the Cats need Patrick Patterson to be playing his best basketball come tourney time.
UKHomer43
UK’s biggest threat is a lack of expectations for how the tournament is officiated. Their draw and seeding will be crucial to their chances to take home the championship trophy. If they get placed in the East or Midwest region, they will be in games where tough physical halfcourt defense will be the order of the day. UK’s young and emotionally fragile guards could be overwhelmed against a feisty BCS conference team with veteran guards who force and dictate a slower tempo. A team that takes away UK’s ability to dribble penetrate and forces them to make plays that aren’t spontaneous definitely puts them at a disadvantage in a tournament where every possession becomes critical to surviving and advancing.
