Pure PTSD from the last coach.
That's been done for some time.
If you can beat Duke--and an actual elite Duke team which they are this year--you can beat Illinois in Milwaukee. Realize that it was early in the year--but you can't help when a game is scheduled. I'll say this-you beat them--Illini got run through like cowards and game wasn't in Cameron Indoor it was at MSG.
Iād call it a B-. 23/10 assist turnovers. 10 made threes. Time to kick it up a notch on Sunday.
When playing Duke, we were healthy. We now with Jax out, Butler not close to 50% and Amari is also hurted a lot...
I agree with this. First thing after game, Butler said to camera that coach got his first Tourney win so players were aware. Could very well have been a little tight.
Yeah, thatās it. Itās not that Illinois is some unmovable force - itās that weāre not the same team that we were in December.
The thing that bothers me are all the fans down playing things if we lose. āInjuries blah blahā. You play the guys you have and like RD pointed out we beat duke with effectively no presence of Jaxon Robinson. Itās abhorrent the fans who already have accepted a loss and pin it to injury. Thatās not uk basketball. Weāve lost lots of players in the past that may be a factor in the sweet 16 or elite 8 but shouldnāt be before it.
All due to health period. I truly believe we can win. I also truly believe Butler is at about 40%. That hurts big time. I
wth!? This team could run circles around the 2018 team that choked. With roster as is.
The pressure if byu join ark in the s16. Uk fans are used to losing and excuses now so some have to make them like itās a predetermined loss. Itās a sickness bbn has developed bc of our AD hasnāt valued UK basketball the way our history has
Pope stated butler was healthy prior to the tournament nothing has changed. An example of the stuff being made up to comfort incase of loss. Amari isnāt injured either. I think Barney has some of his go to fans start these narratives to take the pressure off. Some of them post here. If we lose it wonāt be injury
Butler looked anything but healthy last game.
He looked a little rusty like a guy who hasnāt played much in the last month. I expect him to understand his abilities better next game. He was trying to do too much until pope reined him in and got him to play at the pace of the team. I never saw him wince or grab in pain. I donāt see a seriously injured player out there. It not a bogans situation the guy has an injury. Itās probably painful but doesnāt prevent him from doing what we need him to do. Defend, distribute, provide leadership. If he couldnāt do those things pope wouldnāt have played him 25 min.
Yes he does. Everything he did last April plays tomorrow. This is his guy despite the fact he had no resume and if byu pulls this out that will look really bad especially when you look at their style of play compared under pope. Yes cal winning matters there is obviously something KAT took as slight toward cal from the guy who put all this in motion. His boy better get it done. Life is too short to keep losing early
These games don't work that way. These games are wars with the Kentucky across our chest it makes the other team 25% better. Hope we cruise to a win but don't remember the last time that happened.
You know very well basketball is a game of matchups. Us beating Duke when we were healthy and they young, and then they beating an injured Illinois team doesnāt automatically in a win for us, Math properties donāt always apply. You still have to prepare the game in very details and have the boys ready from all points of view.
oh yeah me neither. If fact, I was pulling for them. I just donāt want Pope to feel pressure from the media if we donāt win about his former team and our former coach making it further. Just more distraction than anything, which the media is known for.
I didn't say anything about time of year playing Duke--that would apply if we're talking about Duke again. What it showed is you had a team capable of winning against an elite team (young or not) and in a neutral setting. You went on road and won at Gonzaga, Tennessee, as well--and that matters.
I see your point. My concern is they shot the ball well and we didnāt . JR is out , Kriisa is out , Butler is banged up and cannot score, Brea has a piece on his shooting hand, Amari has back issuesā¦..
Kerr Kriisa is statistically one of the worst players to ever play in the NCAA Tournament. The numbers are there to be found-I've posted them before. He's been putrid. That's addition by subtraction. Robinson being out sucks--but this team has won without both in more hostile environments against better teams.
