Been watching since the mid 60s and Tyler and Jamal are the best combo I have watched. Tough for me to say that with all the great ones I have seen but these two are very very good together.
Once again... Best guard combo ever at UK.
- Thread starter Kybluedude
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I prefer to say "one of our best". But no doubt you have a strong argument.
Look at the numbers.
Ulis is damn near 17ppg and 7apg....
That has never been done before at UK.
Murray is pushing 19.5 ppg as a Freshman.
Again, uncharted waters.
Put them together and you have the best backcourt in America and the best backcourt in UK history.
Still have work to do however.
Ulis is damn near 17ppg and 7apg....
That has never been done before at UK.
Murray is pushing 19.5 ppg as a Freshman.
Again, uncharted waters.
Put them together and you have the best backcourt in America and the best backcourt in UK history.
Still have work to do however.
This is an extremely subjective way of looking at it. The SEC isn't weak, but it certainly isn't as strong as it was in say 1996. You've got to take several factors into consideration.
Also, we aren't playing through any big men this year, so they're taking lots of shots form the perimeter.
Just too many factors to say.
Ulis & Murray, and it's not even close. Ulis IMO is the best pure PG we've ever had, and is being discussed as a possible NPOY candidate. Murray is probably (over the past month) become one of the top 5 shooting guards in the country.
Yes Briscoe is a guard, but he usually defends the OPPs SF.
Yes Briscoe is a guard, but he usually defends the OPPs SF.
Ulis and Murray are definitely in the discussion for best backcourt ever at UK but it's difficult to say definitively they are the best. A poster mentioned above Chapman and Davender. That was a great backcourt but they also had a couple of years to play together. So maybe if you say best combo for one season playing together then I'd be more inclined to agree with you.
I've only been alive since '83 so I only remember back to the unforgettables. So I can't speak to our best all-time, but if say they're the best in the country right now.
There have been some great backcourts at UK, without a doubt. I think you have to start with the point guards first.
Kentucky's top point guards (in chronological order)
Kyle Macy
Dirk Minnifield
Roger Harden
Sean Woods
Travis Ford
Anthony Epps
Wayne Turner
Rajon Rondo
John Wall
Brandon Knight
Tyler Ulis
If I left someone out, feel free to add them.
Now, who were their backcourt mates in their best years?
Kyle Macy/Jack Givens (won title)
Dirk Minnifield/Jim Master (Sweet 16)
Roger Harden/James Blackmon (Elite 8)
Sean Woods/Richie Farmer (Elite 8)
Travis Ford/Dale Brown (Final 4)
Anthony Epps/Tony Delk (won title)
Wayne Turner/Jeff Sheppard (won title)
Rajon Rondo/Patrick Sparks (Elite 8)
John Wall/Eric Bledsoe (Elite 8)
Brandon Knight/Doron Lamb (Final 4)
Tyler Ulis/Jamal Murray (?)
One thing we don't know as yet is how this current group will finish the year. If they go to a Final Four or better, they're definitely gonna be tough to beat, because statistically speaking they're at the top of the list. I haven't run all the numbers here but I know Ulis is tops in assists and I'm pretty sure Ulis/Murray combine for the most points. So, how will this group finish? It would be a shame if this group didn't finish well, considering the quality of this backcourt.
Kentucky's top point guards (in chronological order)
Kyle Macy
Dirk Minnifield
Roger Harden
Sean Woods
Travis Ford
Anthony Epps
Wayne Turner
Rajon Rondo
John Wall
Brandon Knight
Tyler Ulis
If I left someone out, feel free to add them.
Now, who were their backcourt mates in their best years?
Kyle Macy/Jack Givens (won title)
Dirk Minnifield/Jim Master (Sweet 16)
Roger Harden/James Blackmon (Elite 8)
Sean Woods/Richie Farmer (Elite 8)
Travis Ford/Dale Brown (Final 4)
Anthony Epps/Tony Delk (won title)
Wayne Turner/Jeff Sheppard (won title)
Rajon Rondo/Patrick Sparks (Elite 8)
John Wall/Eric Bledsoe (Elite 8)
Brandon Knight/Doron Lamb (Final 4)
Tyler Ulis/Jamal Murray (?)
One thing we don't know as yet is how this current group will finish the year. If they go to a Final Four or better, they're definitely gonna be tough to beat, because statistically speaking they're at the top of the list. I haven't run all the numbers here but I know Ulis is tops in assists and I'm pretty sure Ulis/Murray combine for the most points. So, how will this group finish? It would be a shame if this group didn't finish well, considering the quality of this backcourt.
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I would like to see what we do in the NCAA Tournament before we say they are the best guards ever at UK. They are good guards, but I have seen some GREAT ones in my time.
OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
Short term memory...you're right. Not sure how I overlooked that. I was just thinking about that team and that's what came to mind. That team was so much fun.
![[cheers]](https://ct.yimg.com/mr/uploads/891/5628.gif "Cheers [cheers]")
I could be wrong on this. But I could swear that bogans was the point guard on that team for sure. Like for sure. With azubuike (he was on that team right? Or was it rondo and sparks he played with?) at the 3 and Hawkins as the 6th man and Estill at the 5.
Fitch was the PG, Bogans the 2G, Hayes, Daniels, Estill the 3-4-5. Hawkins gave about 20 min off bench. Azubuike was just a FR.
Best single season duo, yes, no question.
People can say we'll the SEC isn't as good as it was in other times...yeah but one of our gaurds is eligible for npoy, you know the award given to a player thats best out of all conferences.
People can say we'll the SEC isn't as good as it was in other times...yeah but one of our gaurds is eligible for npoy, you know the award given to a player thats best out of all conferences.
Ugh. NO. There's more to being a good guard combo than just two guards with a lot of talent, the guards should also have good chemistry together. And Chapman/Davender did NOT fit well together, chemistry wise. Which is largely why underachieved when those two were our starting backcourt.
That Chapman/Davender duo may've been the all time ballhoggingest backcourt in UK history. They both played like shooting guards, and often looked to me like they thought they were competing with each other to see who could fork up the first shot instead of trying to find shots for each other.
You're right.
On the great 1978 champs, Macy was the PG of course.
Givens was the 3 (SF). The 2G was Truman Claytor.
You should've stuck with your original thought. Goose Givens was purely a forward at UK, he NEVER really played guard here, despite attempts by some recent posters to try to re-cast him in that position. Macy's backcourt running mates at UK were guys like Truman Claytor, Dwight Anderson and Jay Shidler, not the goose.
In fact, that's essentially why Goose's pro career was a short-lived bust. The pros wanted him to convert into a guard, but he just did not have the perimeter ballhandling and defensive skills to make the transition to the backcourt. He did not fit in the pro game, but he sure was one helluva scoring forward in college.
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