We went from a S16, elite 8 team to a real championship contender, IMO. I think Z plays around 20-30 mins a game depending on the opponent and how he matches up. His immediate presence will be on the defensive side of the ball.
With Big Z officially here, what is our ceiling NOW
- Thread starter Mike-McD
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Ivisic raises Kentuckys floor but the ceiling is the same. Sweet 16 team maybe elite 8 or final 4 if things open up for them. 24-7 type team in the regular season
Honest answer from me...
Because Cal isn't UK basketball. I've been a fan since long before Cal ever darkened our door and I'll be a fan long after he's gone. I've bled blue since I was born and it's not something I can just turn off and go root for another team. It just doesn't work that way. I'll cheer for my Cats always, even if I despise Cal and what he's done to bring down the program!
Verrrry painful. Like Aisles of Largerhams.
I'm hoping Welch will be doing most of the sets. If we see what we saw in Canada continue, I like our chances.
That's not negative.
That's realism based on simple pattern recognition.
He seems to fit our offensive scheme more than Ugonna, I think he definitely elevates us if anything. Really hard to tell until we see actual games but I'm excited
Some of us are Kentucky fans first.
You are a Calipari fan first.
When he leaves, i suspect you will as well.
The only one trolling here is you.
Even still, I choose to be a little hopeful before being that down in the dumps. Now, if we suck in January again, whelp, I'll be right there.
I was right there where you are at a couple years back. I'm just at a place where I know we will need an asinine amount of talent to overcome Calipari's deadweight. We had it in 2012. We will see.
So no links to actual announcement of him being eligible to play? He could still practice and be eligible for the draft?
That's not the point. We're talking about players whio ARE eligible for the NBA draft, and use the school for the "practice". Cal's going to put Z's dreams over that of the school's success. He's not ever deviated from that.
Do you want to place a wager that Z pulls a Sharpe and never places at UK?
I don't know how you can say that. Painter does a great job in the NCAA tourney, he's only loss to the 12,13,15 and 16 seeds in the last 4 NCAA tourneys.
At 7'2" he hits his head on the ceiling. Now if he were 6'9" and struggled to adjust to the college game he might get 7 minutes a game. At 7'2" and our tallest player and athletic for his size he sees 18 minutes a game and blocks 3 shots a game without even jumping.
He will be obviously.
With 3 lottery picks, 2 other NBA draft picks, plus an SEC POY caliber guy in Reeves, and a veteran stud like Mitchell, PLUS Sheppard, Thiero, etc., you think our ceiling is Sweet 16?
There aren't 5 or 6 teams in the country with more talent and versatility than our team.
Not predicting we win it all or make it through to the Final Four, but to believe or act like this team is not even CAPABLE of making it past the Sweet Sixteen is so incredibly dumb.
Oh don't mistake my slight optimism for any faith in JVC. But what I saw out of Mitchell and DJ are promising.
This. I wouldn’t trade rosters with anyone. Not duke, not Kansas. Nobody.
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We have the talent to beat any team in the country by double digits, but talent has never been the problem.
Look at all the draft picks every year. The teams that are actually winning, don't have half the talent Cal has at his disposal.
Every year we say: "there aren't 5 teams that have better talent than this team has". Then we go out and lose to SP, or go 9-16, or collect 12 losses with a lottery pick and a NPOY, or lose at home to Evansville.
We still have the same coach. So my prediction is 22-10 and a sweet 16 appearance.
But hey, at least it's one round better than last year and 2 rounds better than '22, so Cal is improving. Yeahhhh Cal
Oh and hey KL90210, save your stupid troll reply, nobody cares about your love for Cal.
Look at all the draft picks every year. The teams that are actually winning, don't have half the talent Cal has at his disposal.
Every year we say: "there aren't 5 teams that have better talent than this team has". Then we go out and lose to SP, or go 9-16, or collect 12 losses with a lottery pick and a NPOY, or lose at home to Evansville.
We still have the same coach. So my prediction is 22-10 and a sweet 16 appearance.
But hey, at least it's one round better than last year and 2 rounds better than '22, so Cal is improving. Yeahhhh Cal
Oh and hey KL90210, save your stupid troll reply, nobody cares about your love for Cal.
I feel like this can be a very good team by March.
Wagner and Edwards could be studs. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that they live up to the hype or at least are starter level guys.
Reeves and Mitchell are known commodities. We know what we are getting with both.
Sheppard, Dillingham, and Thiero should be really good backups.
That covers the 1-4 spots.
So I am hoping that between Bradshaw, Ivisic, and Onyenso, we will have enough at the 5 to complement the 1-4 spots.
If one of those three guys emerges or the three can collectively man the 5 spot efficiently, the sky is the limit.
I have lost a little faith in Cal. He seems lazy and uninspired. He’s lost his mojo, but I think this team drags him to a Sweet Sixteen appearance this season.
Wagner and Edwards could be studs. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that they live up to the hype or at least are starter level guys.
Reeves and Mitchell are known commodities. We know what we are getting with both.
Sheppard, Dillingham, and Thiero should be really good backups.
That covers the 1-4 spots.
So I am hoping that between Bradshaw, Ivisic, and Onyenso, we will have enough at the 5 to complement the 1-4 spots.
If one of those three guys emerges or the three can collectively man the 5 spot efficiently, the sky is the limit.
I have lost a little faith in Cal. He seems lazy and uninspired. He’s lost his mojo, but I think this team drags him to a Sweet Sixteen appearance this season.
It is hard to fathom anyone who thinks the way 87 does is an actual fan . UK would be a top 5 team with or without him. He just gives us a higher floor as others have said . Either way we would be the most talented team in the country . Even the most asinine negative nellies can't deny when Cal has top 5 pick talent he makes final 4's . Just facts , literal facts . Nothing to debate there . And past success is the greatest indicator of future success. He has great success with great talent. I don't think people realize how freaking talented DJ and Edwards are. Bradshaw is a top 5 big in college from second he steps on the floor as well. And Shep , well IMO he is the surprise of the team . The funniest part of all this is I haven't even mentioned the guy who will be preseason SEC POY and leagues leading scorer LOL. I think people somehow forget how good Cal had UK purring just 2 seasons ago before all the guard injuries that derailed our season. Since then UK has struggled but that 2 tourneys and 1 season . Not an extended stretch . And if not for covid we could have won the 2019-2020 tourney IMO. My point is Cal's decline isn't much of a decline . NOW with that said there is no way around if we don't make the final 4 this season then what alot of the blowhards say on here will finally have some truth to it .
So, you don't understand why 87 feels the way he does and you feel like he's not a UK fan?
How can so many "fans" be so forgetful?
Is Z better than Oscar? Oscar was a NPOY and a generational rebounder. He was also a highly skilled scorer on the block.
Look what happened the 2 years Oscar was here. 1st round upset loss in '22 and a 2nd round loss in '23 after losing 12 games.
How can y'all not see what's happening? You guys think it’s crazy to use recent history as facts, you want us to forget about 9-16, Saint Peters, 12 losses and one NCAAT win in 3 years.
Yeah, the star power on this team is better, but those stars are based on furure potential, not what they can do now. our youth is a massive problem and so is Cal.
If Ivisic runs the floor and shoots the three then we have a chance. If he's parked at eight feet on the block every minute then we're sunk.
What do you consider bragging and give us some examples.
And that is what some fans expect every year. Hard to do that with the NCAA in charge and the rampant cheating.
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40-0 is a pipe dream but it is fun to think about. I believe what it means is that we have a 75% chance of getting to March with at least one healthy 7 footer. Beyond that it is anyone's guess what it really means.
If everything goes as well as possible I doubt he plays till early December, Bradshaw and O probably won't play till about the same time. We are likely to play with the team we saw in Canada for the first month of the season. I'm am glad it seems he will get the chance to play here but till I see him at the scorers table I will curb my enthusiasm
Why don't you hang on to that prediction and post it at the end of the year?
Geez, since you were born. And here I thought I was an early fan, and that was in big part because I had several older brothers that were big fans. But I can only remember being a big fan since about 1944 when I started grade school.
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