Gonzaga is gonna be the real deal

[zoid1]

Sweet 16 last year 27-8 lost ONE player. Return
Coach- Mark Few
PG- Nembhard 6-0 180 SR started last year 12.7 ppg 4.0 rpg 7.1 apg
SG- Hickman 6-2 190 SR 2 year starter 14.1 ppg 2.8 apg
SF- Micheal Ajayi 6-7 228 SR xfer from Pepperdine 17.1 ppg 9.9 rpg
PF- Ben Gregg 6-10 230 SR started 19 games last year 9.2 ppg 5.8 rpg
C- Graham Ike 6-9 250 SR started last year 16.3 ppg 7.3 rpg

G- Khalif Battle 6-5 185 SSR 14.8 ppg last year with Arkansas
G- Dusty Stromer 6-6 200 SO started 15 games last year 4.8 ppg
F- Braden Huff 6-10 250 SO 9.3 ppg 3.4 rpg
got 3 or 4 other kids that return as role players but low stats.

We play em in the battle for Seattle...

 

[WeWant9]

It’s going be a tough one, and the Tuesday before will be our first true road game @ Clemson. Not an easy week.

I’ll be in Seattle with 3 others cheering for the Cats.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

We beat them like a red-headed step child.

 

[BBNinSC]

We’ll make Mark Few take up drinking…..

 

[HerrosHeroes]

We’ll make Mark Few take up drinking…..

Again-He apparently has already had a “few” too many.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

They will flame again n March.

Kudos to them for making 2 final fours and 2 title game appearances though.

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

We beat them like a red-headed step child.

We were supposed to the previous 2 meetings and we see how that turned out. At least now the coach will make adjustments to make things more difficult.

 

[megablue]

Sweet 16 last year 27-8 lost ONE player. Return
Coach- Mark Few
PG- Nembhard 6-0 180 SR started last year 12.7 ppg 4.0 rpg 7.1 apg
SG- Hickman 6-2 190 SR 2 year starter 14.1 ppg 2.8 apg
SF- Micheal Ajayi 6-7 228 SR xfer from Pepperdine 17.1 ppg 9.9 rpg
PF- Ben Gregg 6-10 230 SR started 19 games last year 9.2 ppg 5.8 rpg
C- Graham Ike 6-9 250 SR started last year 16.3 ppg 7.3 rpg

G- Khalif Battle 6-5 185 SSR 14.8 ppg last year with Arkansas
G- Dusty Stromer 6-6 200 SO started 15 games last year 4.8 ppg
F- Braden Huff 6-10 250 SO 9.3 ppg 3.4 rpg
got 3 or 4 other kids that return as role players but low stats.

We play em in the battle for Seattle...

Pope is 1-9 against Gonzaga, so he is due. GO CATS !!

 

[sk73]

We were supposed to the previous 2 meetings and we see how that turned out. At least now the coach will make adjustments to make things more difficult.

Doubt it.

 

[UKAlum84]

Defense could squash the stats though.

How good will gonzaga be on defense compared to UK?

Oakland 3 point shooter had an off game in the tourney, it just was not against us and our defense was not there, which allowed him to make many 3's.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

Gonzaga is going to be very very good.

That Ike vs Williams battle in the post will be some grown grown men stuff

 

[bbncal02]

I think this is the season that kinda set the tone for Zaga. They lost some huge NBA talent but got some good replacements. They aren’t the juggernaut they were a few years ago but they aren’t still not to be overlooked.

If they have a solid year I think Few is able to keep it going. If they tank it could be the beginning of the end prominence wise.

 

[Blueheart32]

FWIW, Fanatics has them as the favorite to win their conference and the #6 favorite to win it all. KenPom them starting out ranked 9th

 

[bbncal02]

FWIW, Fanatics has them as the favorite to win their conference and the #6 favorite to win it all. KenPom them starting out ranked 9th

Aren’t they still in their basically high school conference this year? Or do they officially start in the PAC-? Now?

They will be good. I just don’t see them being as dominant as they once were.

 

[Blueheart32]

Aren’t they still in their basically high school conference this year? Or do they officially start in the PAC-? Now?

They will be good. I just don’t see them being as dominant as they once were.

Pretty sure they are still West Coast Conference this year. I have no idea how good they will be. I am just passing along what the odds makers are saying. Vegas seems to be pretty high on them but I have no idea.

 

[bbncal02]

Pretty sure they are still West Coast Conference this year. I have no idea how good they will be. I am just passing along what the odds makers are saying. Vegas seems to be pretty high on them but I have no idea.

Yeah sorry not sorry but that conference is a joke. Of course they’re picked to win it. The only threat to them is St Marys and that’s not a consistent threat.

I think they will be good but the act of “well they win their conference every year” gets old. Some major national high schools could win that conference every year too.

It will be interesting once they move. And it will be doubly more so when Few hangs it up.

 

[zoid1]

What really caught my eye was they were the only team in college with 5 players ranked in the top 150 players. Return over 77% scoring. Return 4 out of 5 starters. Had 2 really good transfers come in.

 

[bbncal02]

What really caught my eye was they were the only team in college with 5 players ranked in the top 150 players. Return over 77% scoring. Return 4 out of 5 starters. Had 2 really good transfers come in.

They could be really good. Just have to wait and see.

 

[Fox2monk]

They will flame again n March.

Kudos to them for making 2 final fours and 2 title game appearances though.

Honestly even that argument is old now. They get it done period anymore. As we have seen even a s16 is not the easiest thing to do even with talent.

 

[Fox2monk]

Aren’t they still in their basically high school conference this year? Or do they officially start in the PAC-? Now?

They will be good. I just don’t see them being as dominant as they once were.

The PAC is weak AF now, it’s basically the Mountain West which is an upgrade but still not a major conference. Still will have more competition overall.

 

[BGCATFAN2012]

Nobody has the conference SEC has this year. We will beat the hell out of each other with teams from ACC, BIG 10 or WCC cake walk thier way to February.
Cats will probably lose 8 games because of road games. Gotta take care of home court this season and steal a few on the road or teams like Zags, Devils, and Huskies will win 30 games and take 1 seeds.

 

[bbncal02]

The PAC is weak AF now, it’s basically the Mountain West which is an upgrade but still not a major conference. Still will have more competition overall.

Yeah, it's weakened a great deal, but there will still be some better D1A competition:

• Washington State University
• Oregon State University
• Boise State University
• Colorado State University
• Fresno State University
• San Diego State University
• Utah State University

Shoot, OSU and SDSU have had very good teams in the past. Fresno State has been decent before; and Colorado St has had a couple of good teams at times. Will definitely be a step up in competition for them, although if they stay as good as they have been they should do ok.

 

[bbncal02]

Nobody has the conference SEC has this year. We will beat the hell out of each other with teams from ACC, BIG 10 or WCC cake walk thier way to February.
Cats will probably lose 8 games because of road games. Gotta take care of home court this season and steal a few on the road or teams like Zags, Devils, and Huskies will win 30 games and take 1 seeds.

Doubt Zags get a 1, but they should be a 2. The winner of the SEC will be a 1-seed more than likely. UConn may get a 1 (or should). Other 2 are up for grabs for sure. Duke may be good, may not. They were supposed to be good last year and they were about like us for most of the year. They will be a team to watch, just like us as well.

 

[Fox2monk]

Yeah, it's weakened a great deal, but there will still be some better D1A competition:

• Washington State University
• Oregon State University
• Boise State University
• Colorado State University
• Fresno State University
• San Diego State University
• Utah State University

Shoot, OSU and SDSU have had very good teams in the past. Fresno State has been decent before; and Colorado St has had a couple of good teams at times. Will definitely be a step up in competition for them, although if they stay as good as they have been they should do ok.

No doubt game to game they will get harder games.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

Before we crow about our superiority and trash their program perhaps we should beat them at least once.

 

[Mike-D]

Before we crow about our superiority and trash their program perhaps we should beat them at least once.

Calipari certainly had nothing to do with it.

 

[AJG-15]

Pope knows Few tendencies but so does Few. The advantage for this game is with Gonzaga, more returning players and location and fan base.

 

[CatDadCoog]

Nobody has the conference SEC has this year. We will beat the hell out of each other with teams from ACC, BIG 10 or WCC cake walk thier way to February…

B12 has 5 of top 10 ap preseason, fwiw

 

[ukfan1622]

Pope is 1-9 against Gonzaga, so he is due. GO CATS !!

You convinced me. I just parlayed them with the Washington Generals.

 

[ccukuk]

We beat them like a red-headed step child.

Were you a redhead before the gray? Dad get remarried?

 

[TheDude73]

The Gonzaga love here regularly gets me laughing. And I don't care that they've beaten us twice already in this new series. That's idiot Cal's fault as he's so damned easy to plan for.

I fully believe Pope will give him a quick awakening. He may be 1-9 historically, but he coached a team at a Mormon college. He's at UK now with a team WAY better than any BYU club he's had in the past.

 

[yoshukai]

Doubt it.

LMAO ! Some of you are still so bitter ! This is EXACTLY what I would expect a University of Calipari fan to say.

 

[IL Wildcat]

We were supposed to the previous 2 meetings and we see how that turned out. At least now the coach will make adjustments to make things more difficult.

Yeah, Mark Few is a very tough match-up for Calipari. Cal's teams, as we all know, always depended on athleticism to overwhelm teams, but struggled with teams who approached the game from a more cerebral standpoint or are able to make in-game adjustments and whose teams are disciplined defensively and able to shut down straight line drives or defend opponents' 3pt shooters. In other words, Few usually presented a problem for Calipari, which is why UK now stands at 1-2 versus Gonzaga. Last season was perhaps the greatest example of Cal's struggles with someone like Few. UK was clearly the more talented team in that game, but Few found a weakness (high pick and rolls) and mercilessly took advantage of it, and Calipari couldn't adjust and fix it until it was too late.

So, the question now becomes, "can Mark Pope match wits and find a way to beat Mark Few?" I'd say Pope can match wits with anyone. But does UK have the same athletic and talent edge this time? I'd say it's closer this time but UK still has the edge, but we're gonna have to develop chemistry, which is something Gonzaga already has. I'm glad that game isn't any earlier. It will give this UK team a chance to find that chemistry before December 7.

 

[bbncal02]

Before we crow about our superiority and trash their program perhaps we should beat them at least once.

Cal and his lack of coaching in the last five years or so.

I can acknowledge their decency performance wise. But put a Kentucky in that conference and we’d always be. a 1 seed.

They need a title to be taken seriously historically though.

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

If Battle is coming off the bench, that squad is legit.

 

[sk73]

LMAO ! Some of you are still so bitter ! This is EXACTLY what I would expect a University of Calipari fan to say.

Sorry man. I was here way before Cal. Graduate and doctoral studies at UK and have been a Cats fan since I was a kid.

 

[yoshukai]

Sorry man. I was here way before Cal. Graduate and doctoral studies at UK and have been a Cats fan since I was a kid.

Well that was a pretty ridiculous thing to say then . You don’t think Mark Pope will make in game adjustments?

 

[yoshukai]

Calipari certainly had nothing to do with it.

Imagine if Few had our roster and Cal had his last year, lol .

 

[sk73]

Well that was a pretty ridiculous thing to say then . You don’t think Mark Pope will make in game adjustments?

I think Pope can and will make in game adjustments. I doubt it will mean a UK win. I am expecting Gonzaga to win their home game against us. I have hope but not a lot of confidence in winning that particular game.

 

[yoshukai]

I think Pope can and will make in game adjustments. I doubt it will mean a UK win. I am expecting Gonzaga to win their home game against us. I have hope but not a lot of confidence in winning that particular game.

Well that’s reasonable.