Major Injury Avoidance

[howercat]

UK is finally getting healthy, and if UK can avoid a major injury, is looking primed for a run to the final four. Praying that the cats stay healthy for a deep run, if not a title.

Some injuries that have killed UK titles:

1. Bogans.
2. Poythress....was the only guy that could have stopped wiscy's Dekker. Cost UK another title.
3. Willy Cauly Stein
4. Rodney Dent, UK would have won it all that year imo.
5. Derrick Anderson, dammit Pitono, he was cleared to play!!!. Another lost title.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

I agree. FF bound!!🏀🏀

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Wheeler last year.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Yikes. Delete this thread ASAP!

 

[EliteBlue]

UK is finally getting healthy, and if UK can avoid a major injury, is looking primed for a run to the final four. Praying that the cats stay healthy for a deep run, if not a title.

Some injuries that have killed UK titles:

1. Bogans.
2. Poythress....was the only guy that could have stopped wiscy's Dekker. Cost UK another title.
3. Willy Cauly Stein
4. Rodney Dent, UK would have won it all that year imo.
5. Derrick Anderson, dammit Pitono, he was cleared to play!!!. Another lost title.

WCS is a big one. We win 2014 if he’s healthy. Also of note, Julius Randle sprained his ankle in the F4 and was only 80ish% in the title game. That teaM healthy beats UConn….still should have anyways

 

[catlogic15]

Mods delete for the love of God.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Grady and Ty not being healthy were big.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

UK is finally getting healthy, and if UK can avoid a major injury, is looking primed for a run to the final four. Praying that the cats stay healthy for a deep run, if not a title.

Some injuries that have killed UK titles:

1. Bogans.
2. Poythress....was the only guy that could have stopped wiscy's Dekker. Cost UK another title.
3. Willy Cauly Stein
4. Rodney Dent, UK would have won it all that year imo.
5. Derrick Anderson, dammit Pitono, he was cleared to play!!!. Another lost title.

People getting the Pitino/Anderson narrative wrong. Publicly, Anderson stated he wanted to play.

Pitino said that he actually went to Anderson and asked him if he was prepared to play. Anderson told him he was hesitant to play but would "play if [Pitino] said he should."

Neither Anderson nor Pitino wanted to jeopardize DA's lottery status. It was a sensible move, especially given that the recovery time for that injury was less than 3 months.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I'd also include the Dale Brown Final Four injury in 1993.

The all-time "what if" (besides Anderson's obvious inclusion on the list) was that 1970 team that had to play without Mike Casey. The 1970 team was 26-2 and ranked #1 in the country. They lost in the Elite Eight by 6, and with Casey, they would have likely won the title.

So we can definitely say that injuries cost us the 1970 and 1997 NCAA titles; and that without much speculation, actually.

 

[howercat]

Mods delete for the love of God.

Reverse hex! Post it now, no one gets hurt. !!!

 

[Jjohnb5393]

UK is finally getting healthy, and if UK can avoid a major injury, is looking primed for a run to the final four. Praying that the cats stay healthy for a deep run, if not a title.

Some injuries that have killed UK titles:

1. Bogans.
2. Poythress....was the only guy that could have stopped wiscy's Dekker. Cost UK another title.
3. Willy Cauly Stein
4. Rodney Dent, UK would have won it all that year imo.
5. Derrick Anderson, dammit Pitono, he was cleared to play!!!. Another lost title.

Anderson wasn’t really ‘cleared to play ‘ just 2 months after ACL replacement surgery ( they replaced his with a cadaver acl) …he was just getting around good and looked like he could play

 

[JonathanW]

UK is finally getting healthy, and if UK can avoid a major injury, is looking primed for a run to the final four. Praying that the cats stay healthy for a deep run, if not a title.

Some injuries that have killed UK titles:

1. Bogans.
2. Poythress....was the only guy that could have stopped wiscy's Dekker. Cost UK another title.
3. Willy Cauly Stein
4. Rodney Dent, UK would have won it all that year imo.
5. Derrick Anderson, dammit Pitono, he was cleared to play!!!. Another lost title.

That 2015 team was playing HISTORICALLY GREAT defense until Poythress got injured, holding teams to something like 32% from the field. And that wasn't just cupcakes, that included KU, UCLA, UNC and I think another quality opponent or two. After he got hurt, we were still very good defensively, but not historically great.
And it wasn't only because of Poythress, it was also because of The Platoon. But once he was hurt, that reduced us to 8 quality players, and Lee, and so Cal correctly abandoned The Platoon. With Poythress and The Platoon, that team was next to unbeatable.

It was before my time, but older fans also point to the Casey (car accident).
There is also the Dale Brown shoulder injury vs Michigan 93 Final 4 game. That game, which we lost in OT, changed when Brown got injured.