Let's Talk Florida

[BC_Wader]

I never played organized ball, but even at 6'0 with NO VERTICAL, in pickup games in my 40's I was still a good rebounder. How? Then the ball went up, lots of guys just freeze or at most box out; but I would use those 2 seconds to spin around the boxout or move to an open area (especially to the weakside). But what do I see our guys like Mitchell and Bradshaw do, not move and even start to run back on DEF even before the other team gets posession. WTF!

Rebounding is a something you got to want to do. You have to want that ball at all costs. No way we should've been outrebounded yesterday. Our want to is inconsistent. We do it against good teams. That's the sign of overlooking the opponent. I don't care how bad the other team is, when they sense you have the mentality of looking past them, it's like blood in the water. It makes them play harder. It's a good thing our offense is dynamite this year. It makes up for a lot of ills. But that won't work come March. And it's why it's a bigger concern than the defense if you ask me.

 

[yoshukai]

1 week off to prepare for the Gators, but they also have the week off to prepare for us.

They are one of the few teams in the country that can score similarly to us (UF averages 86 PPG).

They run like crazy, their tempo is very similar to ours.

They only shoot 33% 3FG, but shoot 47% overall and generate a ton of possessions.

5 guys averaging double figures.

Their 3 losses are against Baylor (by 4 points), Virginia (3 points) and Wake Forest (11 points).

ESPN predictor gives Florida a 62% chance to win, and Kentucky only a 38% chance to win, which is surprising but maybe it's accurate.

First true road environment we will face, the O'Dome is already sold out and will be ROWDY.

Quad 1 opportunity.

I'm a little surprised to see that Florida (9-3) is not even receiving votes in the AP or Coaches polls.

Needless to say I think this is a must-win to start league play and earn a big Q1 win, but I'm nervous about this one for sure.

What does everyone think going into this game?

I haven’t seen them play but I like our chances against teams that want to run with us more than a physical team that wants a rock fight.

 

[yoshukai]

Can you do that to California ?

 

[IL Wildcat]

Yeah, I'd be more worried about a team that wants to slow it down and grind it out. I think Florida's tempo works against them against this UK team that wants to run and doesn't turn it over. In a run and gun game, UK will be tough to beat. It will be a tough game on the road and in front of a crazy crowd, but I think UK wins it, especially coming off a game where they got ripped by the coach for poor defense and rebounding. If they pay attention to defense and just play their usual offense, it's a win.

 

[NociHTTP]

There was an entire thread of people being afraid of UofL last week.

People on here were scared of 16 seed WKU back in 2012.

It's just what people do around here I guess.

Or people suggesting that it's not a must win game. I don't remember ever hearing "it's okay, if we lose no biggie" back in the 90s.

 

[NociHTTP]

 

[KYExtemper]

If we are going to win the SEC regular season we need to win this game and establish the tempo for the next 3 months.

 

[Fox2monk]

I don't think any team that wins by outscoring their opponents will be able to beat us.
Our quality depth will win out in the end

I know what you’re saying but it’s funny how it’s worded cause every team outscores a team to win the game lol.

 

[Fox2monk]

Rebounding is a something you got to want to do. You have to want that ball at all costs. No way we should've been outrebounded yesterday. Our want to is inconsistent. We do it against good teams. That's the sign of overlooking the opponent. I don't care how bad the other team is, when they sense you have the mentality of looking past them, it's like blood in the water. It makes them play harder. It's a good thing our offense is dynamite this year. It makes up for a lot of ills. But that won't work come March. And it's why it's a bigger concern than the defense if you ask me.

Mitchell isn’t a great rebounder. He ends up with a lot of rebounds at the end, but he doesn’t grab a lot of 50/50 rebounds. He grabs the ones that happen to bounce to him. Same with most guys on this team. Oscar really spoiled us with rebounding. He grabbed everything.

 

[Mike-McD]

With Thiero in the lineup we should be better on the boards.

 

[Mike-D]

Or people suggesting that it's not a must win game. I don't remember ever hearing "it's okay, if we lose no biggie" back in the 90s.

That had been adopted by fans since Cal started playing 5 Freshman on the road early in the schedule. For some reason, now we still use it. Some of us anyway.

 

[NociHTTP]

That had been adopted by fans since Cal started playing 5 Freshman on the road early in the schedule. For some reason, now we still use it. Some of us anyway.

I think I've heard in recent seasons, too.

 

[JonathanW]

Mitchell isn’t a great rebounder. He ends up with a lot of rebounds at the end, but he doesn’t grab a lot of 50/50 rebounds. He grabs the ones that happen to bounce to him. Same with most guys on this team. Oscar really spoiled us with rebounding. He grabbed everything.

Mitchell is a below average rebounder for his position (4/5). He has improved there the past 2-3 games. He was at like 5.7 reb-per-30min, but now is at 6.3.

Current stats:
Theiro 7.3
Burks 7.0
Bradshaw 6.4
Mitchell 6.3
Edwards 5.6
Onyenso 5.6 (was 11.5 last year)
Sheppard 5.3
Dillingham 5.0
Reeves 4.3
Wagner 2.3

 

[Kuhldaddy]

I know what you’re saying but it’s funny how it’s worded cause every team outscores a team to win the game lol.

I hear ya 😀 Should of said I don't see us getting beat in a super high scoring game.

 

[Catzman]

If Florida wants to run? Sure.

Don't threaten us with a good time.

My exact thoughts. That's like my fat ass challenging Usain Bolt to a 100m dash. Please run with us.

 

[Fox2monk]

I hear ya 😀 Should have said I don't see us getting beat in a super high scoring game.

No doubt about that.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

With Thiero in the lineup we should be better on the boards.

I agree- we missed him sorely on the boards on Friday night.

But I hope Cal dedicates this entire week of practice to defense and rebounding. Make every practice a rock fight this week to get them fighting.

Needs to become part of the identity of this team.

 

[rivercatinfl]

Mitchell isn’t a great rebounder. He ends up with a lot of rebounds at the end, but he doesn’t grab a lot of 50/50 rebounds. He grabs the ones that happen to bounce to him. Same with most guys on this team. Oscar really spoiled us with rebounding. He grabbed everything.

This to me, is gonna be difference in this game. If their bigs have a better game than ours and out rebound us it could be a L. If we expect to be competitive and in the running for the SEC title our bigs HAVE to be tougher around the basket and rebound.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

1 week off to prepare for the Gators, but they also have the week off to prepare for us.

They are one of the few teams in the country that can score similarly to us (UF averages 86 PPG).

They run like crazy, their tempo is very similar to ours.

They only shoot 33% 3FG, but shoot 47% overall and generate a ton of possessions.

5 guys averaging double figures.

Their 3 losses are against Baylor (by 4 points), Virginia (3 points) and Wake Forest (11 points).

ESPN predictor gives Florida a 62% chance to win, and Kentucky only a 38% chance to win, which is surprising but maybe it's accurate.

First true road environment we will face, the O'Dome is already sold out and will be ROWDY.

Quad 1 opportunity.

I'm a little surprised to see that Florida (9-3) is not even receiving votes in the AP or Coaches polls.

Needless to say I think this is a must-win to start league play and earn a big Q1 win, but I'm nervous about this one for sure.

What does everyone think going into this game?

I think E Hillsborough Co is a dump, and speaking of “dump”, these scooter riders need to quit dumping them into the Riverwalk. They dredged like 70 out of the Hillsborough a year ago

 

[westerncat]

Just how deep is Fla. bench ?

 

[Fox2monk]

This to me, is gonna be difference in this game. If their bigs have a better game than ours and out rebound us it could be a L. If we expect to be competitive and in the running for the SEC title our bigs HAVE to be tougher around the basket and rebound.

No doubt about that, it made me really happy to see Ugo run the court and make some great moves to the basket last game. He’s by far our best rebounder and shot blocker. He needs more time.

 

[susan2361]

I agree- we missed him sorely on the boards on Friday night.

But I hope Cal dedicates this entire week of practice to defense and rebounding. Make every practice a rock fight this week to get them fighting.

Needs to become part of the identity of this team.

I agree. I want to see all of the players be dawgs out there for every rebound/possession...so much so that they start barking at the other players.🤣🤣

GO BIG BLUE!!!💙💙💙

 

[OG_Kat96]

Tough first conference game no doubt. Handle Florida and it bodes really well for us. Nothing to be nervous about but if they shoot above their level from the perimeter it’ll go down to the wire. I like this team in crunch time, especially the way Reeves is playing, he can decoy while you have 2 of Reed, Rob, or DJ out there with him. Get sucked in on Reeves, and Reed can either make a big shot or create an easy look for someone else, Rob can slip and is a ridiculous and 1 threat in the lane or finishing at the rim. DJ can take advantage of a one on one matchup and get you a bucket. Worry about those threats and you just get the ball back to Antonio who will bury you.

Biggest risk is Cal deciding “I’ve got to get Justin involved in closing out games because we’ll need him out there in March”. I don’t think he’ll decide to try that against Florida, but he’s gonna do it at some point and we know how that’s likely to go.

I think you’re right on the money. If Calipari reverts back to worrying more about Wagner and Edwards as much as the game itself it could be a problem. I think it’s true that anywhere else Dilly and Shep start and are considered the plugs. Can’t get high without’m.

The best lineup we have by far is obviously Shep, Dilly, and Reeves together on the floor. When these SEC games get right, and they’re not on the floor together, we’re going to lose more games than we should.

I love Wagner but only if he’s utilized correctly. If he’s overused we’ll be in trouble. I still believe the 6th man spark better suits Wagner so he comes in with less pressure. His speed is also an asset in that role. .

I also still don’t buy that it’s okay to start these games out cold and flat, without the right guys starting. It’s for recruiting and it’s not intended for proper roster management, no matter how much people want to believe otherwise.

 

[Mike-McD]

I agree- we missed him sorely on the boards on Friday night.

But I hope Cal dedicates this entire week of practice to defense and rebounding. Make every practice a rock fight this week to get them fighting.

Needs to become part of the identity of this team.

He said he already does drills where there's a lid on the basket. I suspect it's like the poster upthread suggested - we overlooked ISU.

 

[runt#69]

Speaking of Florida ....

Just where, exactly, are all those gator baiters out here on our board?!?!?!?!

They were regulars here, the last few years, at any rate. Where have they all gone? Lurking just below the water line to come out and SNAP at us every once in a while? I miss the lively debates back and forth.

Don't be shy or bashful, Gator fans. C'mon out !

Let's hear it !

Gator week !

Let's go !

 

[Catzman]

If both the Cats and Gators play their average game, we win by 10+. As we all know, games are won by either good defense, offense, or a combination of both. But sometimes it just comes down to which team is filling it up, especially with 3 pointers, in a particular game. Hopefully our defense can stop straight line drives, which the Gators are good at. They stop jumping up and into shot fakes (it doesn't seem like they practice this at all!). Theiro makes a big addition to improving our rebounding.
The Gators are big inside; 2 7-footers off the bench. Samuel is experienced and tough at the starting center position. Kugel, Richard, Pullin, and Clayton are all capable of big scoring games. Defense will win this game imho. Which team will play it better? We will see. Go BB

 

[oakhillcatman]

We win by ten

 

[GainesvilleGreen]

Just how deep is Fla. bench ?

Generally rotate 4, sometimes 5

One of Pullin, Clayton, or Kugel will come off the bench at the G/SF positions to start.

Condon comes in at C
Haugh at F
Aberdeen at PG

Sometimes Rishwain at SG/SF

 

[AGEE11]

Cats win by double figures. This will be similar to Miami.

Road environment for the first time is all Florida has on us.

With our guards, you cannot run with UK. Florida will try and fail.

Being at home, they will keep it close for 15-20 minutes, which gives them false hope to keep running. We pull way ahead in the second half.

 

[KAB Cats]

UF will probably do some damage in the interior, but just looking above, Kentucky will try to get into their legs immediately......

 

[Eight_Banners]

Cal's record in first true road games while at Kentucky: 5-9

Year	Opponent	UK Result	Opponent's Final Record	Score
2009-2010	Indiana	Win	10-21	90-73
2010-2011	UNC	Loss	29-8	75-73
2011-2012	Indiana	Loss	27-9	73-72
2012-2013	Notre Dame	Loss	25-10	64-50
2013-2014	UNC	Loss	24-10	82-77
2014-2015	Louisville	Win	27-9	58-50
2015-2016	UCLA	Loss	15-17	87-77
2016-2017	Louisville	Loss	25-9	73-70
2017-2018	LSU	Win	18-15	74-71
2018-2019	Louisville	Win	20-14	71-58
2019-2020	Georgia	Win	16-16	78-69
2020-2021	Louisville	Loss	13-7	62-59
2021-2022	Notre Dame	Loss	24-11	66-62
2022-2023	Gonzaga	Loss	31-6	88-72
2022-2023	Missouri	Loss	25-10	89-75

Notice that of the five wins, two had .500 or worse records (Indiana, Georgia), and only one team loss less than ten games during their respective season (Louisville in 2015).

For last season, I included Gonzaga and Missouri. Versus Gonzaga wasn't technically a "true" road game, as it was not played at their home arena.

I don't see us coming out of the Swamp with a win on Saturday.

 

[KAB Cats]

Cal's record in first true road games while at Kentucky: 5-9

Year	Opponent	UK Result	Opponent's Final Record	Score
2009-2010	Indiana	Win	10-21	90-73
2010-2011	UNC	Loss	29-8	75-73
2011-2012	Indiana	Loss	27-9	73-72
2012-2013	Notre Dame	Loss	25-10	64-50
2013-2014	UNC	Loss	24-10	82-77
2014-2015	Louisville	Win	27-9	58-50
2015-2016	UCLA	Loss	15-17	87-77
2016-2017	Louisville	Loss	25-9	73-70
2017-2018	LSU	Win	18-15	74-71
2018-2019	Louisville	Win	20-14	71-58
2019-2020	Georgia	Win	16-16	78-69
2020-2021	Louisville	Loss	13-7	62-59
2021-2022	Notre Dame	Loss	24-11	66-62
2022-2023	Gonzaga	Loss	31-6	88-72
2022-2023	Missouri	Loss	25-10	89-75

Notice that of the five wins, two had .500 or worse records (Indiana, Georgia), and only one team loss less than ten games during their respective season (Louisville in 2015).

For last season, I included Gonzaga and Missouri. Versus Gonzaga wasn't technically a "true" road game, as it was not played at their home arena.

I don't see us coming out of the Swamp with a win on Saturday.

I'd say there is a probable chance we lose. If I was to argue the counter point, it's that this team has had some of it's best performances in big games when the light is bright. UF counters our weaknesses well as they are more interior oriented with strong rebounders. We are better though. Kentucky just needs to play it's style and not let the road get to them.

 

[Ajax10]

2023-2024

Louisville

Win

95-76

this years 1st true Road game……..

 

[Eight_Banners]

2023-2024

Louisville

Win

95-76

this years 1st true Road game……..

Good call. That I forgot UL as a true road game shows just how far they have fallen. If we're being honest, it wasn't a true road game, though it was at their facility.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Any chance Florida students are still on their winter breaks?

 

[-BBH-]

ESPN gives a lot to home court advantage. For example, when we play at Rupp we are 71% favorite.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Right now not looking good according to ESPN. Says Florida has well over a 60% chance to win.

 

[JimboBBN]

If Florida runs with Kentucky they don't have much of a chance. They may want to push tempo against most teams, but against Kentucky, it wouldn't be very smart.

 

[Padsfs07]

Florida is one of the few teams in the nation that has the guards to matchup with our guards. This is an extremely tough first SEC game for Kentucky. I wish the Mizzou and Florida game were flipped, and Mizzou at home was first then Florida. Expect a up and down shootout like the UNC game

I disagree about this guard/wing-wise. One thing that strikes me about the Florida guards is that Clayton came from Iona. Pitino had him and Jenkins leading his team last year and chose to take Jenkins to St. Johns with him, but didn't bring Clayton. Pullin has been solid for a UC-Riverside transfer, but Kugel hasn't broke out like everyone was predicting. Then they have Richard, but that's it, whereas we have our 4 guards along with wings like Edwards and Thiero. Just feels like we have more depth.

However, their big men are actually quite good. Samuel is probably a 1st-team All-SEC guy. Then Handlogten from Marshall, Condon (out of Perth, Austalia), and Haugh have all been really good for them.

 

[Padsfs07]

I don't see us coming out of the Swamp with a win on Saturday.

I think that is the thing that really separates our 1-2 seed teams from the lower ranked teams, winning games like this.