Kentucky could've gotten someone better than Ford, surely. Thad Matta and Jamie Dixon were both interesting names to me if Cal wasn't possible.
Kentucky could've gotten someone better than Ford, surely. Thad Matta and Jamie Dixon were both interesting names to me if Cal wasn't possible.
As to the game tonight...
Kentucky did not play particularly well, yet still won. I am still waiting on that breakthrough moment/game when everything finally clicks all at once.
Cousins is a straight up beast.
John Wall's ability to impose his will on a game at the end, even when he hasn't been especially effective throughout the game, is a very, very special talent.
Bledsoe is actually quite troubling to me right now. He is lazy on defense. Straight up lazy. Watching him play ole' defense when he is clearly physically capable of much better is troublesome. He also goes for the fancy steal too often, leaving him constantly exposed to backdoor cuts... I dunno, he is a great player, and I really enjoy his game, but if he would remedy those two shortcomings he would be an even better all-around talent.
I had forgotten how good it feels to escape Memorial Gym with a victory. I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching that Vandy crowd go home mad. They have a great home court advantage, there is no doubt about that. It's funny, they could easily afford a fancy, state of the art gym, but they'll never leave Memorial because of the intrinsic advantages it provides them.
I think the game where everything clicked already happened. That was Arkansas. Unless it happens again during the NCAA tournament, I don't see it happening again anytime this season.
Bledsoe is interesting. You pretty much summed it up, but Cal is usually pretty strong when it comes to pulling players who play lazy on defense, especially the case of Darnell Dodson. I'd say next year Bledsoe (assuming he stays), and Orton will be the two who we will see a major turnaround in their games.
Memorial is fancy and state of the art after the renovations of the last 10 years. The locker rooms, practice areas, offices, fan areas are all top notch. Just because the court looks funky, don't judge the overall facility. Besides, new, state of the art gyms aren't all they are cracked up to be. St. John Arena vs. Value City Cavern comes to mind. Except from the revenue perspective.
When all is said and done more is said than done.
Evan Turner > John Wall
Please discuss.
The win against Vandy was a good win from the point it was like an NCAA tournament game. It was played close to the vest and pretty much every possession counted. UK made the big plays when they had to. Wall saved the day once again. If it were not for Wall UK would probably have at least five or six more losses. He always seems to make the big play or plays when they need them the most. He's a very special player and at most he has 13 games left at UK. So appreciate him while he's here.
I don't what Calipari was thinking taking that timeout but it worked out. It's pretty easy for him to take the blame when UK won and is 26-1. I hope he did learn from that doesn't do that in an NCAA game.
Bledsoe will be fine. He's just an inconsistent freshman. He's not quite the talent Wall and Cousins are so he will make more freshman mistakes than they will. He did hit some big shots just a week before against Tennessee so don't write him off yet. The best thing about Bledsoe is that he will be a sophmore next season,if he comes back.
Reds Fan Since 1971
Depends on which context.
To be fair, I think Turner wins POY. I think Wall and Cousins will ultimately cancel each other out.
The difference between Ohio State and Kentucky though is that Evan Turner has to do EVERYTHING for the Buckeyes, evidenced by their struggles once he got hurt. Wall has a supporting cast to where he doesn't have to carry that much of the load. On a given night, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, or Eric Bledsoe can step up and take the pressure off. Who can do that for Turner?
At the end of the day, the POY award is given to the best player regardless of where they finish. I'd compare Evan Turner to Tim Duncan in that regard. Great player who did everything for his team, but in the end, Duncan's team was knocked out in the second round of the tournament.
Tim Duncan was steam rolled by 20 points by the best team in History, the 96 Kentucky team. March 24, 1996 It was the Mideast Regional final.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-773890.html
1st pick of the 2023 baseball amateur draft
I would say Turner actually has a pretty good supporting cast around him. Buford and Diebler are good players. Lighty plays great defense. I think the problem when Evan Turner went down is that he does too much on the offensive end. He brings the ball up the floor, so the offense has to flow through him. When he went down, they basically lost their point guard, best rebounder, and best scorer.
I agree with you about Turner being the POY. In the end, John Wall probably becomes the better player of the two, but as of right now Turner is better. I would love to either on my team that's for sure.
I agree completely with you.
Buford and Diebler are having ok years... but soley due to the fact that Evan Turner is incredible. And I haven't seen an OSU team lack depth this badly in quite some time.
Turner is POY IMO, but that's not to minimize what John Wall has done, as a freshman. Two fantastic players who are going to have great pro careers, no doubt.
Compare Turner's supporting cast to Wall's and its not even close. That was the point I was trying to make. Buford and Diebler are good but as evidenced when Turner went out, nobody could really step up and Ohio State lost those games.
Turner will win POY and I can give three reasons to back up that claim to any UK fan:
1. The Naismith has only been given to a freshman once, and it was not Greg Oden. Kevin Durant won it in 2007, and that was because that freshman class simply dominated.
2. Better overall stats at this point. Turner is beating Wall in points and rebounds, and they are equal in steals at 1.9. Wall does have the advantage in assists.
3. In addition, I don't even think Wall is the best player ON HIS OWN TEAM. That title is something he shares with DeMarcus Cousins, which is why I think they will cancel each other out.
Ohio State is going to have problems in the NCAA tournament. I could see a team like Kentucky letting Buford go for 40 points and then work to shut down Diebler and Buford. With no depth to speak of, Buford could score 40 of Ohio State's 55 points and get beat by say 15.
Don't underestimate Ohio State's defense. It is very good, in fact it has been best in the Big Ten since the conference season started up.
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/...?articleid=940
Furthermore, by Pythag, Pomeroy has OSU and UK as equals. I do think OSU might struggle in the tournament, but that concern mainly stems from their starters playing so much and whether that can be sustained in the tournament. Also, I am a Purdue fan with no love for Ohio State, so I have no dog in this hunt.
New Bracketology. Not a fan of this one:
EAST (Syracuse)
(1) KENTUCKY (26-1)Opening-round Game
(8) Clemson (19-7)(9) Louisville (18-9)
(5) Texas (21-6)(12) SIENA (22-6)
(4) BYU (24-3)(13) MURRAY ST (24-3)
(6) Texas A&M (18-7)(11) Florida (19-8)
(3) Georgetown (18-7)(14) COLL OF CHARLESTON (19-9)
(7) RICHMOND (22-6)(10) UAB (21-5)
(2) DUKE (23-4)(15) UC SANTA BARBARA (15-8)
Possibly playing Louisville, Texas, and Duke on the way to Indianapolis.
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