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Anyone here into alternate history? How about these UK history "What If..."'s

What if UK doesn’t go 3-33 FGA in the 2nd half vs GTown back in ‘84?

Interestingly the very next year Villanova was able to just barely squeak by the GTown defending champs because they missed only ONE field goal in the entire second half! I wonder how many sports people before the game said you needed a near perfect game to beat the Hoyas...I guess a near perfect second half will do!
 
I thought I'd bring this up because I've been reading Russell Rice's book about Rupp and did he seriously come close to being the DUKE coach of all places in his twilight years? I'm honestly glad he didn't and not for the reason you might think. Rather because I'm well aware of all the different MLB players who ended their career on really odd teams...such as Babe Ruth with the Boston Braves in 1935 and poor Steve Carlton...I think he bounced around with 3-4 teams. He sure looked really sad on his 1988 Fleer card as a Twin...like he knew he was finished but just didn't want to let go :(
 
You misstated 1992 - "What if Pitino guarded the inbounds pass?"
Let us always remember there are no crystal balls. That being said, I think Pitino's strategy made perfect sense, even if it didn't work out (remember NO crystal balls!). See what he was trying to do is have a 5-on-4 power play sort of deal like in hockey, where there'd be five guys in the front court on defense vs only four Duke boys on offense. Because unless Grant Hill was The Flash, he wasn't going to make it to the front court in two seconds and change. And on that note, Grant had to heave what amounted to a Hail Mary pass three quarters the length of the court...which to actually hit its target I'm sure would've been a LOT tougher than it looks!

Even so, you bet no matter what Tubby was gonna put someone on that inbounds passer in the 1998 game because he knew if he didn't and the Duke boys once again made that shot, Tubby would have to be in the Witness Protection Program!!!
 
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This is what happens:

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This is 100% spot on. While Part 2 is actually third best, it is accurate. Thanks.
 
The fact that our fans continue to parrot this BS amazes me. Bogans injury did not cause us to lose. We got killed in every facet and Jackson, their big guy, torched us. Bogans still played and scored a team high 15 points.

FG
UK-25 of 64
Marq-31 of 55

3PT
UK-4 of 16
Marq-10 of 19

Robert Jackson- 24 pts, 16 rebounds
Dwayne Wade-29 pts, 11 rebounds, 11 assists
Steve Novak- 16 pts, (5 3pters)

Our front court (Daniels,Estill,Hayes) gave us a combined 19 points 18 rebounds).
Your points are well taken.
 
The two that I would change if I could would be 1966 and 1970. History writers say it was a race game. Funny in 1966 nobody called it that. 2nd, no historians talk about the leader, Larry Conley, being terribly sick and playing with a 100° temperature and if they had played 10 times that TWC would have maybe won 1 game. Remember, the night before 99.9% of America thought that the UK-Duke game was for the National championship, Had they had the current day off format…

The 1970 championship it may be even more painful.

Before the terrible car accident on the I 64 ramp at Shelbyville that shattered my Casey’s leg there’s no way that anyone including UCLA people would have thought that UK would not win the 1970 championship. Casey was undoubtedly the most complete basketball player in my lifetime. While coach Rupp would never name. his all-time five or his all-time best player, when I ask if he had his first pick to start a team, who would it be he replied Mike Casey.

As good as the committee of Terry Mills, Jimmie Dinwiddie, Stan Key, and Kent Hollenbeck proved to be, none of them made up for the loss of Mike Casey, I will never believe if #34 had been healthy that UK would not have been champion in 1970.

If Pitino had not gone to the Celtics, UK would have passed UCLA in all time championships.
 
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And we thought losing Derek Anderson in 1997 was bad! He did get to make a cameo appearance in a later game though (forget which one) to shoot a couple of technical FT's. Pitino didn't want to be selfish (those were the days!) and not risk Derek's NBA chances just to improve Pitino's chances of winning another title. Yet even so we just barely missed doing so! Unfortunately the wrong kind of Wildcats won it :p
This is my big what if. What if Pitino had played DA the whole game? He was perfectly healthy or he wouldn’t have been out there shooting those free throws. They said he was healthy the whole game. I will always wonder what would have been if Pitino had just played him like he wasn’t hurt.
 
What if our 14/15 squad beats Wisconsin and ends up 40-0? Was Cals' destiny predetermined or would Mark Pope still be coaching BYU?

I think if we get the undefeated season Cal leaves for the NBA, where he fails because he arrives around the time Steph Curry breaks the league.
 
I thought I'd bring this up because I've been reading Russell Rice's book about Rupp and did he seriously come close to being the DUKE coach of all places in his twilight years? I'm honestly glad he didn't and not for the reason you might think. Rather because I'm well aware of all the different MLB players who ended their career on really odd teams...such as Babe Ruth with the Boston Braves in 1935 and poor Steve Carlton...I think he bounced around with 3-4 teams. He sure looked really sad on his 1988 Fleer card as a Twin...like he knew he was finished but just didn't want to let go :(
Fun fact. Rupp didn't go to Duke, because his farm manager died and he needed to help run the farm. Could you imagine that reason today
 
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You know on YouTube there's this alternatehistoryhub channel that uses those adorable distinctive eh, people/dolls to tell how history could've turned out different? Well I present to you some What If's below to try to determine what could've been (try to keep it realisticish of course)

* 2008 -- What if John Calipari had been chosen over Billy Gillespie at this point (John was in serious contention for the job at this point too). And would BCG had been more successful in both coaching/personal life without taking the UK job?

* 2005 -- What if Tubby Smith won that 2OT Michigan State game and made the Final Four? Since that would've eliminated Tubby critics top greviance (no FF's since the 1998 title), could Tubby had stayed longer and in better graces with BBN?

* 1997 -- What if Rick Pitino did not take the Celtics job and stayed in KY?

* 1993 -- What if UK had beat the "Fake Five" in the OT game to make the title game? Would we have had a good shot at beating North Carolina?

* 1992 -- What if the infamous Christian Latner shot missed and the Unforgettables made the FF? Would they be even more beloved? Or perhaps less?

* 1989 -- What if the "Unforgettables" also left Kentucky in the wake of the "Kentucky's Shame" scandal?

* 1989 -- What if Kentucky was hit with the death penalty (no season at all) for 1990 and/or 1991?

* 1988 -- What if the $1000 envelope was no discovered and the "Kentucky's Shame" scandal was not discovered?

* 1978 -- What if Joe B Hall did not win the championship that year?

* 1970 -- What if Mike Casey did not get injured?

* 1966 -- What if the Rupp's Runts did win the title? How would both they and TexWes be remembered?

* 1930 -- What if John Maier got the raise/contract package he wanted and stayed at UK (and thus Rupp did not become coach in 1931...or perhaps ever)?

Of course you don't need to answer all these; just one or two is fine...again, try to keep the possiblities realistic...for example, don't say "What if BGC made the Final Four in 2008?" :p
What if I were a foot taller, .5 seconds faster, I could play for...nah I still couldn't 😂
 
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