UK Basketball 8th Edition

[dabvu2498]

Also, and I hate to be the one who says this, but if Julius Mays has to play 10+ mpg at Kentucky, they're not going to be very good. He was at the correct level for his skill set.

[WMR]

Gotta disagree with you on this one, dab. Cal would not have brought him in if he didn't believe he could play and help the team.

He shot 42% from 3 pt range last season...

Keep in mind he is joining a team with a much, much higher talent level than the teams he played on at Wright State. Defenses will not focus on him like they did at Wright State and I expect him to get a ton of open looks. At the very least, he will force defenses to stretch the floor which will make it much easier for our other elite athletes to operate and attack the rim.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

Also, and I hate to be the one who says this, but if Julius Mays has to play 10+ mpg at Kentucky, they're not going to be very good. He was at the correct level for his skill set.

I agree, dab, assuming Mays doesn't have some hidden skill not yet seen. He has to be better, though, than Polson and the other flotsam behind Goodwin and Harrow.

This would be a good year for Jon Hood to discover his shooting touch. When he came out of high school, his reputation was as a dead-eye shooter with a quick release. So far his career has seen more injuries (one) than impact moments.

Mays is at least a body to practice against.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by WMR

Cal would not have brought him in if he didn't believe he could play and help the team.

Stacey Poole agrees with you.

This is one thing that gets old. Not every guy that UK brings in has to be a big time player. Some of their guys might not even be all that good on occasion. And that's OK. Guys filling a roster spot is OK. Guys being good team guys and good practice players is OK. The donors that give all that money to endow scholarships like to see kids get that money instead of empty seats on the bench.

He shot 42% from 3 pt range last season...

And 34% the two years he played in a real conference. And this goes to another point... This will be his 3rd college team in 5 years. Pretty impressive!!!

Keep in mind he is joining a team with a much, much higher talent level than the teams he played on at Wright State. Defenses will not focus on him like they did at Wright State and I expect him to get a ton of open looks. At the very least, he will force defenses to stretch the floor which will make it much easier for our other elite athletes to operate and attack the rim.

He'll also be guarded by guys 2+" bigger and a bunch more athletic than dudes that were guarding him in the Horizon League. The couple times I saw Wright State this year, he didn't seem to be able to get around anyone.

Just my opinion.

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by WMR

All of the experts disagree with you but your opinion is pretty typical for an Indiana fan I would guess.

Let's look at UL: Lost to South Florida on Senior night... Several head scratching results throughout the season... Fans wanted to run Pitino off before the run in BE Tournament and NCAAs.

IU: Lost some absolutely horrible games away from Assembly Hall. Nebraska? Really? Hoosiers need to show they can win without home cooking.

If these are your "best" teams, it is a down year for hoops.

This is why they play the games...

Could easily see a mid major winning it next year like Dab said; a senior-laden mid major especially.

It has nothing to do with me being an IU fan. If you want to see the definition of "blind bias" just take a look in the mirror.

I personally feel that the college game has been down for quite a while now. Last year was not a spectacular year period. I expect to see the same next season.

IU and Louisville are legit teams aside from any of their "struggles" last season. Notre Dame returns every starter, NC State could be next year's Mizzou. Michigan, Michigan St, and Ohio State lost some key guys but have solid foundations.

I do think there are a couple of Mid-Majors that will play into the mix. Creighton will be tough with their stud. Butler was pretty dang good last year, let's see how they do playing in the A-10.

[New York Red]

Looks like it's going to be Kentucky @ Georgetown in the SEC/Big East Challenge. The schedule isn't complete yet, but as of now our OOC slate will include:

vs Duke (neutral site)
@ Louisville
@ Georgetown

We'll also play Maryland in the first ever game at the Nets new arena in Brooklyn.

[cumberlandreds]

Originally Posted by New York Red

Looks like it's going to be Kentucky @ Georgetown in the SEC/Big East Challenge. The schedule isn't complete yet, but as of now our OOC slate will include:

vs Duke (neutral site)
@ Louisville
@ Georgetown

We'll also play Maryland in the first ever game at the Nets new arena in Brooklyn.

A couple of mid-majors that will be on the schedule will be Portland and Samford. They have three year deals with those two schools.
It would be great if the GTown game works out. I might have to try to get tickets to that one since they will be in my neck of the woods.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by Assembly Hall

I personally feel that the college game has been down for quite a while now. Last year was not a spectacular year period. I expect to see the same next season.

Nonsense. You judge teams on their historical impact, how they'd match up with previous champs, and the talent they send to the NBA.

Historically, Kentucky is among the most talented teams that has ever been assembled. Same with North Carolina. Syracuse lost only three games all year-- none of them at full strength.

Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio State, Syracuse, Missouri-- all had exceptionally good teams with few holes. Even your own IU squad improved enough by the end of the season to be intriguing.

The talent going to the NBA is staggering, too. And it's not just Anthony Davis at the top. Impact draftees dot the NBA landscape. When John Henson, a defensive impact player with an impossible to guard jump hook with either hand is projected to go 20th overall, you know it's a deep draft. Harrison Barnes was a top two or three pick two years ago, if not number one; this year, he might break the top five. Maybe. Tyler Zeller would be a top ten pick any other year-- this season, he's an also-ran at number 14 or 15, barely in the lottery.

Add in guys like Vandy's Jenkins, Ezeli, and Taylor at the end of the first round, and you've got legitimate NBA starters pretty much 1-25 in the draft.

If you don't like the talent, let's just look at past NCAA champs and compare them to teams from 2012.

Eight to ten 2012 teams beat the 2011 UConn champ in a seven-game series, despite the hot-shooting Kemba Walker. Same with Duke the year before.

[cumberlandreds]

A lot of sophmores that stayed around for an extra year because of the projected strike/lockout are leaving for the pros. Add to that the usual amount of freshman and that will lead to a big down year next season for college basketball. It won't mean that it will not be exciting. There's a very good chance that a true cinderalla could win the NCAA's next season. Next year could be the year for a George Mason,VCU or Butler to win it.

[RiverRat13]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Eight to ten 2012 teams beat the 2011 UConn champ in a seven-game series, despite the hot-shooting Kemba Walker. Same with Duke the year before.

Maybe '11 UConn, but not '10 Duke. '12 UK beats '10 Duke, but '12 UNC without Marshall does not, '12 Syracuse without Melo does not, '12 OSU would struggle against '10 Duke's size up front and loses, and '12 Kansas has been called by its own fanbase the second-least talented team in the Bill Self era.

'12 looked like it would be a fantastic season for college basketball, but once the UNC injuries piled up and Melo's grades factored into the discussion it became a pretty disappointing season overall IMO (outside of a really, really good UK title team). OSU was noticeably worse in '12 than '11 and yet made the Final Four. The same can be said for Kansas. '12 UConn fell apart. The '12 CBB season just didn't live up to my expectations at all.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

Stacey Poole agrees with you.

This is one thing that gets old. Not every guy that UK brings in has to be a big time player. Some of their guys might not even be all that good on occasion. And that's OK. Guys filling a roster spot is OK. Guys being good team guys and good practice players is OK. The donors that give all that money to endow scholarships like to see kids get that money instead of empty seats on the bench.



And 34% the two years he played in a real conference. And this goes to another point... This will be his 3rd college team in 5 years. Pretty impressive!!!




He'll also be guarded by guys 2+" bigger and a bunch more athletic than dudes that were guarding him in the Horizon League. The couple times I saw Wright State this year, he didn't seem to be able to get around anyone.

Just my opinion.

I never said Mays is going to be a big time player.

I said UK desperately needed a shooter and they got a shooter. He hit 42% from 3 last season. Discredit that all you want, but it's a fact. As a basketball player, he should be at least hitting his absolute peak.

Purdue and Matt Painter wanted him badly (Painter did not recruit him out of H.S., btw). Matt Painter apparently thought he could play in the B1G.

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by RiverRat13

Maybe '11 UConn, but not '10 Duke. '12 UK beats '10 Duke, but '12 UNC without Marshall does not, '12 Syracuse without Melo does not, '12 OSU would struggle against '10 Duke's size up front and loses, and '12 Kansas has been called by its own fanbase the second-least talented team in the Bill Self era.

'12 looked like it would be a fantastic season for college basketball, but once the UNC injuries piled up and Melo's grades factored into the discussion it became a pretty disappointing season overall IMO (outside of a really, really good UK title team). OSU was noticeably worse in '12 than '11 and yet made the Final Four. The same can be said for Kansas. '12 UConn fell apart. The '12 CBB season just didn't live up to my expectations at all.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Nonsense. You judge teams on their historical impact, how they'd match up with previous champs, and the talent they send to the NBA.

Historically, Kentucky is among the most talented teams that has ever been assembled. Same with North Carolina. Syracuse lost only three games all year-- none of them at full strength.

Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio State, Syracuse, Missouri-- all had exceptionally good teams with few holes. Even your own IU squad improved enough by the end of the season to be intriguing.

The talent going to the NBA is staggering, too. And it's not just Anthony Davis at the top. Impact draftees dot the NBA landscape. When John Henson, a defensive impact player with an impossible to guard jump hook with either hand is projected to go 20th overall, you know it's a deep draft. Harrison Barnes was a top two or three pick two years ago, if not number one; this year, he might break the top five. Maybe. Tyler Zeller would be a top ten pick any other year-- this season, he's an also-ran at number 14 or 15, barely in the lottery.

Add in guys like Vandy's Jenkins, Ezeli, and Taylor at the end of the first round, and you've got legitimate NBA starters pretty much 1-25 in the draft.

If you don't like the talent, let's just look at past NCAA champs and compare them to teams from 2012.

Eight to ten 2012 teams beat the 2011 UConn champ in a seven-game series, despite the hot-shooting Kemba Walker. Same with Duke the year before.

I am not comparing teams of today to teams of yesteryear. The fact of the matter is, guys leaving early has impacted the whole scope of the college game. I could care less about the NBA landscape.

I want to see all the guys return to UK and defend their title. I dont like it when the powerhouses have to rebuild because the whole starting 5 left early for the NBA.

I aint saying that I dont enjoy watching the sport. I am just saying that the game is down do to early entries. It just doesnt affect the big schools.....mid-majors are affected as well. Geez, last year Butler should have had Shelvin Mack and Gordon Heyward on the court.

To say the game isnt affected is nonsense. Hell, the NBA game isnt as good as it was 20 years ago. I wonder why?

[New York Red]

Originally Posted by cumberlandreds

It would be great if the GTown game works out. I might have to try to get tickets to that one since they will be in my neck of the woods.

I should have worded that differently. The UK/Georgetown game is definitely on the schedule. The only thing left to work out is the date.

[New York Red]

The 2012 season gave us two of the most talented teams to ever step on a college basketball court, and if not for Marshall's injury we might have seen one of the great championship games ever. That won't be the case next year. If IU, Louisville and a totally rebuilt UK team are indeed the three best teams in the country, then it's going to be a very down year for college basketball, talent-wise. IU had zero quality wins away from home, Louisville had one quality win the entire season, and UK will definitely be a notch or two below the squad that won it all this year.

Look around the country -- just about every top program is going to be down compared to their usual strength. UNC, Duke, Kansas, UConn, etc. They will still be ranked, because someone has to fill those spots, but they will be down nonetheless.

Louisville is the perfect indicator of where college basketball will be in 2013. They were so bad for much of the regular season, there were serious rumblings about getting rid of Pitino. They fell completely out of the Top 25 after being ranked 4th at one time (though undeservedly). They lost two of their best scorers (from a team that struggled to score), and they have very little coming in next year. Yet they are preseason Top 3? That's crazy.