This Team will Make Sweet 16

[SBKY]

Butler will be back. These other teams not in SEC are not at the same caliber as the teams we have been playing. It is going to be night and day.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Butler will be back. These other teams not in SEC are not at the same caliber as the teams we have been playing. It is going to be night and day.

I subscribe to the belief that the professional wrestling matches of the SEC are not advantageous to our team and the calls will be tighter in the NCAAT. I suspect that given the right matchup we can still make it to an Elite Eight. I know it doesn’t feel like it this morning, but we are a very good basketball team.

 

[know1]

I think there's a decent chance of the Sweet 16 for sure.

 

[UKBlueBlood]

I'm willing to say (if Butler is back and reasonably healthy... which is still a big unknown), and if we do indeed still get a 3 seed, then a trip to the Sweet 16 should be expected.

Beyond that, any success we have should be considered gravy. Maybe we get lucky and have an upset occur in our bracket that gives us a favorable Sweet 16 matchup and a feasible path to the Elite 8... who knows.

But for me, a first weekend exit from the tournament will be a disappointment, even with the injuries we have.

 

[SBKY]

I subscribe to the belief that the professional wrestling matches of the SEC are not advantageous to our team and the calls will be tighter in the NCAAT. I suspect that given the right matchup we can still make it to an Elite Eight. I know it doesn’t feel like it this morning, but we are a very good basketball team.

Yeah, but we're not the one not getting calls.. we aren't tackling people and not getting calls. The other teams might be in for a wakeup call, but we should be fine.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Yeah, but we're not the one not getting calls.. we aren't tackling people and not getting calls. The other teams might be in for a wakeup call, but we should be fine.

Oh I agree that was my point. I think even in our diminished state, we are built to make a run.

 

[Cats192]

I subscribe to the belief that the professional wrestling matches of the SEC are not advantageous to our team and the calls will be tighter in the NCAAT. I suspect that given the right matchup we can still make it to an Elite Eight. I know it doesn’t feel like it this morning, but we are a very good basketball team.

I actually think it helps this Kentucky team.

We're never overly physical on defense. And we've had to learn to play through all of the contact other teams are allowed to give on defense.

If the refs start calling it tighter in the NCAA tournament, I think that gives us more freedom/better flow on offense. We may see the offense go nuts if teams can't grab and hold every defensive possessioin.

 

[CatOfDaVille]

I'm willing to say (if Butler is back and reasonably healthy... which is still a big unknown), and if we do indeed still get a 3 seed, then a trip to the Sweet 16 should be expected.

Beyond that, any success we have should be considered gravy. Maybe we get lucky and have an upset occur in our bracket that gives us a favorable Sweet 16 matchup and a feasible path to the Elite 8... who knows.

But for me, a first weekend exit from the tournament will be a disappointment, even with the injuries we have.

Agree. If we get a 3 seed like I expect, then a S16 should be expected given that we'll easily be favored in our first two games (with or without Butler).

After that, who knows, but I definitely think we'd have a good shot at beating a 2 seed (or lower if there's an upset) to get to the E8.

Considering we haven't been to the second weekend since before covid, I'd be more than satisfied with a Sweet 16 this year.

 

[TheDude73]

I am confident in winning at least those first two games. OP is dead on - there will be no competition in the first two rounds like what we've faced in the SEC.

And to whomever claims the refs will be tighter, that's not happening. The way this historically works with the SEC is that the very physical teams like Auburn, A&M, Ole Miss, Bama, UT tend to not get the calls they're used to getting, and also get called for all of their shenanigans more than they did all season in the SEC. We aren't that physical, hack and grab team. And we won't likely be playing hack and grab teams (even if we do, the refs tend to punish that crap more in the NCAAT).

However, I would not be at all surprised if the committee lines us up with an SEC team that we'd face in the 2nd game. I'm thinking Arkansas just because of their crap story line obsession (or OU or Texas because they already gave us good games). If we can avoid the SEC storyline, we advance to the S16.

If we can get to the S16 and still avoid an SEC team, I like our chances of E8.

 

[FirewithFire]

Completely depends upon matchups and reffing. We match up well with a team like Tennessee. Not so much with a team like Alabama and Florida. There are several teams I absolutely do not want to see in out path.

 

[TheDude73]

I actually think it helps this Kentucky team.

We're never overly physical on defense. And we've had to learn to play through all of the contact other teams are allowed to give on defense.

If the refs start calling it tighter in the NCAA tournament, I think that gives us more freedom/better flow on offense. We may see the offense go nuts if teams can't grab and hold every defensive possessioin.

Indeed. And the moving screens we've had to endure, plus the muggings in the lane - those all get called and we can put the offense into some kind of consistent flow.

I was just flabbergasted this year with how many times we saw replays of SEC players holding arms, jerseys, shoulders, and pretty much anything else they could grab onto to slow down our offense. And even more shocked was the fact that refs just brushed it off. I don't think people realize the refs control games more with the no calls than the calls. That's why I usually don't pay attention to foul disparities (unless they are insanely large or a known "physical" team somehow gets no fouls - aka Auburn in the final 10 minutes).

As strong as the SEC is, it is going to be VERY interesting to see how they do in a tournament where hack and grab garbage basketball isn't tolerated.

 

[Cats192]

Indeed. And the moving screens we've had to endure, plus the muggings in the lane - those all get called and we can put the offense into some kind of consistent flow.

I was just flabbergasted this year with how many times we saw replays of SEC players holding arms, jerseys, shoulders, and pretty much anything else they could grab onto to slow down our offense. And even more shocked was the fact that refs just brushed it off.

As strong as the SEC is, it is going to be VERY interesting to see how they do in a tournament where hack and grab garbage basketball isn't tolerated.

Yup.

We've also had no consistency most of the year.

Example 1: Butler called for a flagarant for an off hand to the face of Chad Baker Mazzara. Chandler and Oweh take elbows to the head and bleed. No flagrant for Kentucky either time. (I'm honestly fine without the flagrant, I hate the idea that incidental contact is ever called a flagrant, but if you're going to call it against us, call it when other teams make our guys bleed).

Example 2: They let the "bump" foul go almost all game last night. If you bump a guy off his natural path when moving your feet, it's usually called a foul. We've been called for it a million times. Last night, they let the bump fouls go until near the end of the game. And it was both ways. But game to game, you can't figure out what the refs are going to call.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

And to whomever claims the refs will be tighter, that's not happening. The way this historically works with the SEC is that the very physical teams like Auburn, A&M, Ole Miss, Bama, UT tend to not get the calls they're used to getting, and also get called for all of their shenanigans more than they did all season in the SEC. We aren't that physical, hack and grab team. And we won't likely be playing hack and grab teams (even if we do, the refs tend to punish that crap more in the NCAAT).

You just confirmed that the whistle will be tighter in the NCAAT while saying a tighter whistle isn’t happening? I’m not sure what I’m missing there. I agree with you that we won’t be hurt by that change because we have a greater focus on guarding with discipline. I think Auburn, Tennesee, Texas A&M etc will absolutely struggle in the tournament until they adjust. And by then it could be too late.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

We are a s16 team, there's so much parity in college bball you never know what could happen tho, but I think that's our ceiling and would be happy with it

 

[Aike]

I subscribe to the belief that the professional wrestling matches of the SEC are not advantageous to our team and the calls will be tighter in the NCAAT. I suspect that given the right matchup we can still make it to an Elite Eight. I know it doesn’t feel like it this morning, but we are a very good basketball team.

If they just let us run our offense instead of bumping and grabbing every cutter our chances improve exponentially.

 

[ukcatz12]

It's going to 100% depend on our draw and matchups.