Sometimes these conference tourny losses like EweT today are helpful.

[Wildcats1st]

I wasn't limiting my comment to early round losses. I should have been more clear.

Well you said “like UT today”. That’s an early round loss. Sometimes it can be a benefit like if you have the number 1 seed wrapped up and can play your bench in the final or hold your team back in some other way but when it happens like UT today it’s very bad. They could fall to a 3 seed now and no way in hell they will get a 1 seed as had been discussed in the media. Losing early is a bad thing in conference tournaments.

 

[Bill - Shy Cat]

They can get a bad game out of their system before the NCAA.

Get a “bad game” out of their system? Hopefully UK is way past this excuse at this point in the season. I think we have a better chance of making it to a Final Four and have a successful season if we win the SEC Tournament.

 

[IL Wildcat]

Tennessee's loss to Miss St is an example of exactly what some of us have been saying. They've been relying more and more on Knecht, running the entire offense around him. He has a bad game and they're toast. Knecht was awful today. He wasn't just missing shots, he was turning the ball over and not playing defense. I think Tennessee took Miss St way too lightly. You could see it from the beginning. They had no intensity, no energy, and looked flat out of the gate. They were never even in that game.

 

[Woodsmoke]

They can get a bad game out of their system before the NCAA. Its gonna cost them any hope of a 1 seed though.

They got boatraced. Nothing helpful about that.

 

[DreadLox]

We've been hearing this from our own fanbase for 30+ years. "Maybe they needed that loss to refocus".

Blah, winning cures everything. Losing does not.

Our last 2 NCAA championships were preceded by an SEC tournament loss.

You never know, you know? [shakes head ruefully] You never know.

EDIT: Sorry, Tubby. 2 of the last 3. You never know. At least I don't.

 

[WildcatNC]

Statistically this argument makes sense. Winning 6 games in a row is tough enough, but winning 10 or 12 in a row or more is statistically less likely. Teams can get full of themselves and need to be humbled and refocused.

However, it's not universal. I also think it primarily applies to truly elite dominant teams that need a taste of defeat before March to let them know how much they hate the taste of it. Doesn't really apply to 8-10 loss teams that are flawed and incomplete. Mostly for teams that haven't lost in a long time.

UT just lost Saturday. 😄

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Our last 2 NCAA championships were preceded by an SEC tournament loss.

You never know, you know? [shakes head ruefully] You never know.

2 of our last 3.

 

[HoneyMoon155]

Our last 2 NCAA championships were preceded by an SEC tournament loss.

You never know, you know? [shakes head ruefully] You never know.

EDIT: Sorry, Tubby. 2 of the last 3. You never know. At least I don't.

But those losses were also in the championship game not the first round.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

But those losses were also in the championship game not the first round.

Yep. I wrote the original post very poorly.

 

[IL Wildcat]

They got boatraced. Nothing helpful about that.

Yeah, it's one thing to lose a tight game in the last couple minutes, just make a couple bad plays and give one away. It's completely different to lose a game where it was basically over at the half. Tennessee never got closer than 14 in the 2nd half. It's hard to tell what the effect could be on the team. They may come out the next game and dominate someone, but that kind of loss could kill the confidence of the entire team. Combine that with Tennessee's tournament history (and Rick Barnes' tournament history) and it could be another early exit.

 

[Lempface]

It is just Tennessee being Tennessee. You don't have a basketball program for 120 years and never win anything significant -- even a Final Four appearance -- unless being a loser is in your DNA.

Even SoCar has a final four!

 

[PhattyJ4UK]

Not after getting punked on your home court to “your” biggest rival. They needed to come out today and establish some dominance to get their mojo back. They didn’t.

Look for a tight first weekend. If they make it past that this week doesn’t matter.

 

[HoneyMoon155]

Yep. I wrote the original post very poorly.

You could still end up being right though. Who knows

 

[MegaBlue05]

All because the '12 champs lost to Vandy in the SECT. It's BS. Nobody wants to lose or needs to lose to re-focus in a one and done format.

2012 SEC Tourney Box Score

Which, by the way, was another Cal special. Look at this disgusting box score with all that talent ....

1996 did as well. The common demnominator in both was the SECT finals loss broke 20+ game winning streaks for both teams.

IIRC Cal and Pitino both just sat there and let their teams lose. I was at the 1996 SECT and Rick benched Antonie Walker early second half and never bothered to call any timeouts.

Both teams came out sharp and focused in the NCAAs. That's why this narrative has lived for so long. I get it for a 2-loss team, but not for an 8-loss team.

 

[kennyskywalker34]

Texas A&M is gonna come to play like MSU did against TENN. Our guys need to take note of what happens in March with teams that are desperate. I hope Calipari is in their ears about it.

I'd be shocked if TAM isn't up early. If so game thread will meltdown declaring a loss 5 minutes into the game.

 

[kennyskywalker34]

That’s nonsense. You never hope to lose so you can get the bad game out of the way. At this time of year you have to be playing your best.

1996 loss in the SECT all but guaranteed UK a national championship.
2012 loss to Vandy same thing.
2015 going to tournament on a incredible winning streak. We know how that ended.
A loss in some cases absolutely helps. Not when you already have 8 and are trying to keep a 3 seed though.
Completely different situation now vs. 96 or 12.

 

[CapnBlubs]

Yep and Mississippi State just got a fairly easy road to the title game.

Or Auburn did, depending on how you look at it

 

[saxonburgcat]

Yeah, it's one thing to lose a tight game in the last couple minutes, just make a couple bad plays and give one away. It's completely different to lose a game where it was basically over at the half. Tennessee never got closer than 14 in the 2nd half. It's hard to tell what the effect could be on the team. They may come out the next game and dominate someone, but that kind of loss could kill the confidence of the entire team. Combine that with Tennessee's tournament history (and Rick Barnes' tournament history) and it could be another early exit.

I think they cut it to 12 and then Knecht had a 3 that would have cut it to 9 but missed.

 

[IL Wildcat]

I think they cut it to 12 and then Knecht had a 3 that would have cut it to 9 but missed.

You're probably right. So, 12 was as close as they got, then, and Miss St pushed it back higher shortly thereafter. It was never in doubt for MSU.

 

[celtikat33]

Yep. Had no answer for Dontae Jones.

Miss State made the Final Four a few weeks later, too ...

From my memory Pitino barely played Walker in the second half. I remember some saying he talked that one on purpose.

 

[crawfords corner]

1 shooter(Knecht)
1 scorer(Zeigler)
bunch of non-shooters


All they added was Knecht to a bunch of low level possible pros like JJJ and Aidoo and Zeigler. A bunch older dudes who are very physical players and can overmatch some teams with it, but they aren't an overly talented basketball team.

 

[IbnSaran]

1996 did as well. The common demnominator in both was the SECT finals loss broke 20+ game winning streaks for both teams.

IIRC Cal and Pitino both just sat there and let their teams lose. I was at the 1996 SECT and Rick benched Antonie Walker early second half and never bothered to call any timeouts.

Both teams came out sharp and focused in the NCAAs. That's why this narrative has lived for so long. I get it for a 2-loss team, but not for an 8-loss team.

Absolutely this. Maybe helpful and didn't hurt for 2 teams that were obviously the best team in that year and on a really long winning streak. That is not the case for this Cat's team and certainly not UT.

 

[IL Wildcat]

1 shooter(Knecht)
1 scorer(Zeigler)
bunch of non-shooters


All they added was Knecht to a bunch of low level possible pros like JJJ and Aidoo and Zeigler

Yes, Knecht's run through the SEC regular season was impressive, though. Still, that clip everyone keeps showing of Knecht pointing to his ring finger like he had accomplished something huge told me he was celebrating way too soon. And apparently he wasn't the only person on that team who felt they had proven themselves enough. I watched their whole game today and they had no energy, gave little effort, and Miss St outplayed them all day.

 

[catlogic15]

Didn’t the 96 champs lose to msu in the SECT championship game?

Pitino lost that game on purpose.

 

[crawfords corner]

Yes, Knecht's run through the SEC regular season was impressive, though. Still, that clip everyone keeps showing of Knecht pointing to his ring finger like he had accomplished something huge told me he was celebrating way too soon. And apparently he wasn't the only person on that team who felt they had proven themselves enough. I watched their whole game today and they had no energy, gave little effort, and Miss St outplayed them all day.

UT now 0-2 against MSU. MSU one of the few teams that can put UT in their place physically. UT was allowed to bully teams in the SEC, but that's not going to happen in the NCAAT. Knecht and Zeigler better hope the bricklayers find a way to make shots more consistently or the SEC regular season will be all they accomplished.

 

[howercat]

aTm will be playing for their post season lives. UK better be ready.

And they might as well have stayed in Lexington.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Death, taxes and this topic being brought up after UK disappoints in the SEC tourney.

Only to go on to the NCAA tourney and piss the bed there too.