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<<< Kentucky vs dUKe Game Thread >>>

People aren’t gonna let Cal go. Hell we still discuss RP. People need someone to compare Pope to and it happens Cal was last coach at Camelot. It’d be great to never hear about him but he is in the same conference and the last coach. People are not gonna stop comparing for awhile.
Right, I mean this Kentucky program going forward. Comparing coaches is all we can do. We are nothing like the old regime is my stance. We don't win tonight. BUT we did. That's got nothing do with Cal and everything to do with us.
 
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My first half opinion

We are outmatched and probably a 22-23 win team that squeaks into the tourney and maybe wins a game depending on the matchup.

Duke is overrated but still good.

Not a bad Kentucky team but nothing to write home about
Huh, I just wrote a long letter home and included the team.
Sweeping statements,early in games, can sting a little in the morning.
GBB.
 
Experienced players make such a big difference!
This right here. Butler was pretty rough against Bucknell and for much of the game against Duke ... but he's played a key role in a national championship runner-up and hit a game winner in the Final 4. I'm going to just trust he'll get it done when needed from here on out. Pope pulled him when he needed it ... he knows how to manage the roster.
 
This thread was such a dumpster fire in the first half, I had to put down the internet and walk away to salvage any thread of respect for humanity I had left and also to lower my blood pressure.
 
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Down just a few points to #6 Duke and we have ppl here ready to throw the team in the trash
I don't get on the game thread during the game, not enough hands. But I love reviewing it and finding the moments where people wig out. Drama cracks me up.
The words, "we were always" or "we were never" make me smile.
 
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I know it was extremely unlike to happen.. but I am glad we don't have to hear about the potential of Duke being undefeated several weeks from now, had they won.

And while unlikely.. they have the #1 draft pick (He's going to be, Flagg was pretty nice last night for the most part), two more 1st rounders, probably 2 more draft picks.. they play in a weak ACC, and they will get the calls all season long as people tune into this years sort-of Caitlin Clarke.

I'll be shocked if DUke isn't a 1-seed with more than 4 losses going into the tournament. So I'm glad we clipped them now. The rest of college basketball should be thanking us.
 
Sorry…I disagree. He’s their best player. He’s darn good. If he was at UK fans would all be wearing Flagg jerseys.
He's gonna be terrific.
But, grown men in a basketball jersey is a no go. Beer bellies aren't as sexy as we think.
Ladies and kids only.
Carry on.
 
This Carr character is a combo of every Gonzaga and Duke white boy we all have quietly wanted over the past decade or so...

Mustache, not overwhelming in the muscle definition department, looks like a guy we all think we could take at the Y...baller...

How much would we hate him (as a baller, not human) if he played for Duke or the Zags? Totally.

How much do you love him because he is working his arse off for the Cats? Totally.
 
Much as I can't stand his pompous ass, he played hard and is a very good player.

Any fan in the country would want him on their team. That is one reason why the win was bigger for UK than the loss for Duke. We had a feeling with a modicum of evidence, but wanted to see how it matched with what is believed to be one of the best teams in the country. We are greatly encouraged by the win, knowing it is just one win out of three games. If you are a Duke fan, you love what you saw. A team led by young superstars who did not get rattled when they got punched in the mouth by a barrage of made threes, but worked the whole game and showed fight AND confirmed incredible individual talent. Had their bigs not gone out of the game, there might have been a different outcome. Duke fans know their team only gets better and the ceiling is really really high.

UK fans take a deep breath and celebrate that Pope appears to be everything Mitch believed him to be (and, maybe more - who knew he could assess and recruit a whole new team in such a short period under such incredible pressure?). We know we have a team that does not give up. Seeing Robinson celebrate after the game demonstrated that he knows his value TO THE TEAM even when he is not throwing down distant daggers. A team for the Kentucky in the front of the jersey that may not have any one first round draft pick, but already has an idea who it is and how it can win under tough times.

Great early season game. Fans of basketball should be happy.
 
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"He's young" - will be the media narrative that will try to shield him tomorrow morning.

Shield him? He carried his team consistently throughout the game on both ends of the floor. He was not afraid of the moment. He was exhausted, but took the bull and tried to finish the game to victory. No one needs to shield that puppy dogged faced warrior. He gonna be fine.
 
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It wasn't just you pal....like many I was just not used to having a coach make adjustment after adjustment until he found out what worked. And we haven't seen experienced players that just fight and fight in a very long time.

I love how Pope taps the knowledge and council of every coach on his bench. The dude is a leader. Watching his coaches hug him afterwards was real joy. He is a leader and has surrounded himself with other leaders who lead by service and sacrifice. The man is humble and yet seems great as a coach. What a wonderful combination. The look on his face during much of the game that I witnessed was inquisitive. He appeared to be in full analysis mode every moment he was not yelling commands, encouraging his team or consulting with his staff. Fun to watch.

Also fun to watch his wife watch the game. She seems intensely immersed. A true fan. Probably a real student of the game. They seem a perfect match and a great team.
 
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Garrison is the dude we need for matchups like this. Williams is very good but a but you can tell he was out of his comfort zone. Garrison was huge.

Williams worked his defensive ass off on the last possession. I thought he looked tired in the second half, playing in bursts, but that last possession, he was all in on Flagg and was not going to be beaten.
 
Just watched the replay. So when a UK player slips and falls its called a walk, but when a Duke player does no whistle. Some things never change do they.
 
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Calipari couldn't have done that.
People aren’t gonna let Cal go. Hell we still discuss RP. People need someone to compare Pope to and it happens Cal was last coach at Camelot. It’d be great to never hear about him but he is in the same conference and the last coach. People are not gonna stop comparing for awhile.
One of things that I love about Pope is that Pitino is no longer our enemy like he has been since he went to Louisville. We have finally reconciled with him thanks to Pope.
 
I could not watch the game live after the first 10 minutes. My Episodic Ataxia started causing me issues. So I turned on Big Bang Theory on the TV and came on here to read what was happening. After the game I watched the replay of the game. It kills me that stressful situations can cause it to flare up. But we got the W. Makes my week for sure. Now go and get even better over the next couple of weeks, fine tuning some things. GO BIG BLUE!!!!!
 
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