We need to play like UNC last year.

[HoptownCat93]

I think we are built just like UNC last year and we are overrating the importance of 3 point shooting to win a championship. For starters we need our own rooferee to give us good calls in tight games (Im joking for the people who may call the feds haha)

Last year UNC was just bigger than everyone and could impose their will on everyone around them. Meeks, Bradley, Jackson, Hicks, Maye just clogged the lanes and forced teams to shoot jumpers on them. In big moments they could crust a team with a big offensive rebound or just cause matchups problems that teams did not have the depth to match. They had a smaller point guard running the show that could hit some big jumpers.

We are too big for any team to come near us next year. Gabriel, Jones, Richards, Vanderbilt, Knox, Washington, and even Wynard are just far and away more deep than any team. Diallo and SGA just add to that with more length.

UNC ranked 154th in 3% last year. Their size was enough to win the title and just needed 1 or 2 guys to hit a few 3's a game to keep them honest. If Green can play like Berry and Knox can hit enough 3's like Jackson...we can be fine. Baker and SGA need to be solid subs like UNC had to match Pinson and Britt off the bench.

I think they had the advantage of experience, but I think we have more depth(on paper) and more versatility of how our guys can play. I'm not as nervous about this season as more here are..growing pains will happen, but these guys just are too deep and tall to not be a contender in such a down year.

 

[Willy4UK]

we need our own rooferee to give us good calls in tight games

FTFY

 

[Deli owl]

Fake classes so players are rested?

 

[docholiday51]

FTFY

I'm not sure that if we got 3 guys off the board here to ref they would be any more bias than what we saw last year vs UNC.

 

[Willy4UK]

I'm not sure that if we got 3 guys off the board here to ref they would be any more bias than what we saw last year vs UNC.

Ha! So true

 

[MdWIldcat55]

I'm too lazy to look, but I don't recall the Cheaters dominating Kentucky on the board in either game. And both games came down to a last possession, despite outrageously terrible refereeing in the second one.

My point is that nothing about the way UNC played last year was superior to the way Kentucky played last year besides a morally and mentally deficient referee. I agree UK's personnel this year may be a bit closer to what the Cheaters' was last year than to Fox-Monk-Bam. But that wouldn't persuade me to make a wholesale change in approach.

 

[HoptownCat93]

I'm too lazy to look, but I don't recall the Cheaters dominating Kentucky on the board in either game. And both games came down to a last possession, despite outrageously terrible refereeing in the second one.

My point is that nothing about the way UNC played last year was superior to the way Kentucky played last year besides a morally and mentally deficient referee. I agree UK's personnel this year may be a bit closer to what the Cheaters' was last year than to Fox-Monk-Bam. But that wouldn't persuade me to make a wholesale change in approach.

Have you watched the entire Cal era? We make a wholesale change to approach every year depending on our personnel. Ulis/Murray were more half-court whereas Fox/Monk were a fast pace team. Do you think Green/Diallo can run the same offense as Fox/Monk? Do you think Knox/Vanderbilt/Washington will play like Bam/Willis?

Call them cheaters (they are), but UNC was a 1 seed and won the title last year. We have similar personnel as them this year. They weren't head and shoulders better, but their style was successful. They may skip class and Higgins called a bad game against us...but that still does not change that they were a great team last year.

My point is that we do not need to worry about a lack of shooting, because UNC won the title with length and we may not have the most high end talent, but we can win with just being longer and deeper.

 

[downw/ball-lineD]

I understand the point the OP is making---and I agree this years UK team will have length----like UNC last year. That said, UNC's title should---and will forever in my mind----have a major asterisk by it. I have never---- and likely never will again----see a team that benefited from atrocious officiating more than UNC did. I don't mean in just a single game either. Arkansas, UK, Gonzaga all were terrible. Even Oregon, late in the game, UNC fouled on missed FT's repeatedly. Nothing.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist in the least, but it sure looked like the 2017 tourney was rigged for UNC to win it. 4 straight games, the calls went UNC's way? Cmon. Plus the cheating pos have the most tainted program in the history of college basketball. I never want UK to be compared to UNC....ever.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Free Camaros for every player? Trade it out when you get too many tickets on campus?

 

[Born and raised Big Blue]

I think Vanderbilt does what Winslow did for Duke and leads us to a championship. Winslow was a beast for them and I think Vanderbilt can do the exact same thing. We have a lot of players that are horrible matchups for other teams.

 

[dynastydreamuk]

We need to make some fake degrees so our players that dislike school like Doron Lamb will stay 4 years ... worked for UNC*** for 25+ years and NO penalty and many banners won.

Shouldn't any day now we hear about the COI on UNC*** or that will probably float to the bottom of the sea.

I've got all my ncaa/UK gear in a box ready to donate to healing place when it comes true that they are getting no penalty, take my fan card of 30 years, I'm not going to continue to watch a sport where certain teams have a huge unfair advantage.

 

[HoptownCat93]

Several responses....all including cheaters and other non-basketball remarks. The fact that they cheated doesn't have anything to do with style of play.

 

[Ben101er]

By "play like UNC", do you mean, get the Referees to cheat for us?

 

[RDCat07]

moonpies and cokes for all players??

 

[Kentucky fan 1989]

How bout play like the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats?

 

[Aike]

I don't think we're built on the inside like last year's UNC. More like a Cal Memphis team if anything.

 

[BlueSince92]

How bout play like the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats?

My secret daydream is that Greenberg was lying when he told us Richards has no offense, just to set everyone up so Cal can reveal he's really AD 2.0 and then cackle:

"WITNESS THE FIREPOWER OF THIS FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL BALLESTATION"

 

[*CatinIL*]

I think we are built just like UNC last year and we are overrating the importance of 3 point shooting to win a championship. For starters we need our own rooferee to give us good calls in tight games (Im joking for the people who may call the feds haha)

Give us Higgins...

 

[JoeBeeHall]

Several responses....all including cheaters and other non-basketball remarks. The fact that they cheated doesn't have anything to do with style of play.

Cheating to keep players eligible DOES affect the way you play .

 

[KyFaninNC]

You guys under value experience. Yes UNC was helped by the refs, their experience was the key. Even in 12, we had Jones a junior, Miller senior and a once in a lifetime player in Davis.

I have zero expectations for this team because of zero experience. Should be a fun year watching them develope

 

[bucsrule8872]

This team is built to get the ball off the rim on the defensive end and go to the other rim.

We have a bunch of forwards that can handle and pass like guards. Knox and Vanderbilt are essentially 6'9 guards. Washington is a great ballhandler for being 6'8, 240-ish.

Teams are going to try to slow it down against us. Probably see a lot of zone. I hope we can shoot the 3 well enough to keep them from doing so.

 

[CatChow]

I think next year’s team will be more like a discount version of Golden State more than anything, especially having a bunch of players who are positionless and can play any frontcourt position. Hopefully we can get shooting down

 

[Ocornett]

Say what you Say. Be an ass be hole. Number nine is coming this year, please rid RR of the negative posters and hoes. What I say is what you will see UK coming together in January not March. We get Z and B and IQ and I not Shittu.