I don't believe in jinxes.
The '14-15 Kentucky basketball team is the best UK team of all-time. I'm only 29. Watched lots of classic college hoops. Have seen enough on UNLV, the Fab Five, Duke's Laettner, Hill and Hurley teams, Hansbrough's UNC team, Davis' UK team, and yes, '96 Kentucky, to confidently say this team is the best since at least the late 1980's. Don't know about UCLA or Indiana's best. May not matter-- different game then.
-- Immune to foul trouble. Huge factor.
-- Almost immune to crippling shooting nights because, A) So good at everything else, B) Guaranteed to have wide open shots.
-- Extremely underrated offensive efficiency.
-- Best college defense in the modern era since it's been measured.
-- Plethora of elite bigs in an age when they go to the NBA early.
-- Honestly, maybe the best backcourt in the country, and nobody talks about that.
-- Unselfish to an insane degree.
-- Everyone is fresh, all the time. Constant pressure, constant tempo, constant intensity.
-- "Answer the bell" mentality. Always do "enough" to win. And then bring the hammer to remind you who's King Kong whenever they want to.
-- Don't get flustered. Don't turn it over. Check Andrew and Ulis' assist/turnover ratio. Compare it to UK's other starting PG's in recent years.
Team has no weakness. Unbelievably skilled post in KAT, unbelievably skilled guards in Ulis and Booker. Harrison twins are not perfect but they do certain things that you don't really appreciate at the time, like drawing foul after foul, getting to the rim, picking their spots better. Lyles is coming on and is one of the best players in the country right now. You could legitimately put WCS, Lyles, KAT, Booker, Ulis and either Harrison twin on an "All-Star" team of CBB's best and they would not look out of place at all.
There is nothing groundbreaking here. Some might blast me for a 'jinx' but we're just talking. Even if this team loses I will go to my grave saying it's the best Kentucky team of all time.
I will go one step beyond that. If they played '96 Kentucky in a seven game series they would win in five games. That team gradually learned how to defend an elite post. At the start of the year they had no answer for Camby. By the end of the year they could play great team defense on a Camby or a Wallace. Playing against "a Camby" or "a Wallace" is not remotely comparable to facing a wave of WCS, Towns, Lyles, Dakari and a whole team of 6-foot-6 and up players.
So '96 Kentucky's "equalizing factor" is pressure defense, an insane open court game with deep athleticism at the swing positions, and the ability go to on 20-0 runs. OK. This team goes on those runs. This team isn't getting flustered or turning it over 20 times. This team is not wow'ed by freak 6'6-6'8 athletes, because they've got freak 6'10-7'0 athletes.
I watched one play yesterday, and bear with me. It's only one play. But it speaks volumes. Booker's on the secondary break (IIRC). He could pull up a drain a three, sending the crowd into a frenzy. He's Booker. He does that. So Booker has the ball past halfcourt and the whole defense and all the coaches freak out because, you know, he's Devin Booker. He's probably the most feared shooter in college basketball right now, being Booker and being at Kentucky. But instead of pulling up, Booker takes a couple more steps. And he throws a lob for a dunk. At any given point in time, UK can get a wide open three. They swing it that well. Their bigs draw those doubles. At any given point in time, when you run out at the shooters, there are like three big men within 15 feet of the basket. And UK's bigs are so freakishly athletic and quick, within 15 feet of the basket means they're within alley-oop range.
That '96 team had that quality in the open court. This team has certain halfcourt qualities on both offense and defense that exceed what that '96 team was capable of. If you ask me.
The '14-15 Kentucky basketball team is the best UK team of all-time. I'm only 29. Watched lots of classic college hoops. Have seen enough on UNLV, the Fab Five, Duke's Laettner, Hill and Hurley teams, Hansbrough's UNC team, Davis' UK team, and yes, '96 Kentucky, to confidently say this team is the best since at least the late 1980's. Don't know about UCLA or Indiana's best. May not matter-- different game then.
-- Immune to foul trouble. Huge factor.
-- Almost immune to crippling shooting nights because, A) So good at everything else, B) Guaranteed to have wide open shots.
-- Extremely underrated offensive efficiency.
-- Best college defense in the modern era since it's been measured.
-- Plethora of elite bigs in an age when they go to the NBA early.
-- Honestly, maybe the best backcourt in the country, and nobody talks about that.
-- Unselfish to an insane degree.
-- Everyone is fresh, all the time. Constant pressure, constant tempo, constant intensity.
-- "Answer the bell" mentality. Always do "enough" to win. And then bring the hammer to remind you who's King Kong whenever they want to.
-- Don't get flustered. Don't turn it over. Check Andrew and Ulis' assist/turnover ratio. Compare it to UK's other starting PG's in recent years.
Team has no weakness. Unbelievably skilled post in KAT, unbelievably skilled guards in Ulis and Booker. Harrison twins are not perfect but they do certain things that you don't really appreciate at the time, like drawing foul after foul, getting to the rim, picking their spots better. Lyles is coming on and is one of the best players in the country right now. You could legitimately put WCS, Lyles, KAT, Booker, Ulis and either Harrison twin on an "All-Star" team of CBB's best and they would not look out of place at all.
There is nothing groundbreaking here. Some might blast me for a 'jinx' but we're just talking. Even if this team loses I will go to my grave saying it's the best Kentucky team of all time.
I will go one step beyond that. If they played '96 Kentucky in a seven game series they would win in five games. That team gradually learned how to defend an elite post. At the start of the year they had no answer for Camby. By the end of the year they could play great team defense on a Camby or a Wallace. Playing against "a Camby" or "a Wallace" is not remotely comparable to facing a wave of WCS, Towns, Lyles, Dakari and a whole team of 6-foot-6 and up players.
So '96 Kentucky's "equalizing factor" is pressure defense, an insane open court game with deep athleticism at the swing positions, and the ability go to on 20-0 runs. OK. This team goes on those runs. This team isn't getting flustered or turning it over 20 times. This team is not wow'ed by freak 6'6-6'8 athletes, because they've got freak 6'10-7'0 athletes.
I watched one play yesterday, and bear with me. It's only one play. But it speaks volumes. Booker's on the secondary break (IIRC). He could pull up a drain a three, sending the crowd into a frenzy. He's Booker. He does that. So Booker has the ball past halfcourt and the whole defense and all the coaches freak out because, you know, he's Devin Booker. He's probably the most feared shooter in college basketball right now, being Booker and being at Kentucky. But instead of pulling up, Booker takes a couple more steps. And he throws a lob for a dunk. At any given point in time, UK can get a wide open three. They swing it that well. Their bigs draw those doubles. At any given point in time, when you run out at the shooters, there are like three big men within 15 feet of the basket. And UK's bigs are so freakishly athletic and quick, within 15 feet of the basket means they're within alley-oop range.
That '96 team had that quality in the open court. This team has certain halfcourt qualities on both offense and defense that exceed what that '96 team was capable of. If you ask me.
