Hog Fan That Was on the Floor in Rupp Yesterday

[ra2ford]

This is the best KY team I have ever seen (my 3rd trip to Rupp).   Their inside size and outside length is a deadly combination.

Hogs played hard but game reminded me of the UNLV/Hog game in Barnhill - Men vs Boys

It's easy to hate UK, but they are the mecca of NCAA basketball.  One trip to Rupp and you'll instantly understand why.

Mike is building piece by piece and we are on the rise.  IMHO this years team has come together nicely and still has upside for achievement this year.

Go Hogs !

[Lanny]

I said this after the Kentucky vs Kansas game.  I don't see anyone beating the Wildcats this year

[1highhog]

I said this after the Kentucky vs Kansas game.  I don't see anyone beating the Wildcats this year

I really don't see Kentucky winning the NCAAT this year, they're a good team no doubt, but if teams like Ole Miss can almost beat them and Texas A/M took them to two OT's, I think they'll slip up somewhere along the way.

[Razorfox]

I really don't see Kentucky winning the NCAAT this year, they're a good team no doubt, but if teams like Ole Miss can almost beat them and Texas A/M took them to two OT's, I think they'll slip up somewhere along the way.

I have no idea if they'll win it all or not.  But at the same time, I don't think, "they almost lost a couple of games" tells us anything.  Even the best teams have off nights where their motivation levels slip.  I mean if nothing else, the great Bama football teams of the last few years should tell us this, that you can almost lose a game along the way, but still destroy the 2nd best team in the land when it counts. 

[MountieDawg]

I really don't see Kentucky winning the NCAAT this year, they're a good team no doubt, but if teams like Ole Miss can almost beat them and Texas A/M took them to two OT's, I think they'll slip up somewhere along the way.

Do you think previous NC's had no close games? Did you know that Duke, UNLV and the 94 Hogs all lost games, so let's assume they had some close ones.

[Biggus Piggus]

If Cal hadn't gotten his team up for that game, what would it have taken? Regardless, his team had what the previous ones lacked, depth.

[z1on]

I really don't see Kentucky winning the NCAAT this year, they're a good team no doubt, but if teams like Ole Miss can almost beat them and Texas A/M took them to two OT's, I think they'll slip up somewhere along the way.

They will most likely win the National Championship game by 20+. When they get up for games, they are unstoppable.

[Biggus Piggus]

They will most likely win the National Championship game by 20+. When they get up for games, they are unstoppable.

Let's see. They beat Arkansas by 17. Mississippi State by 18. Tennessee by 18. LSU by 2. Florida by 7. Georgia by 11. Alabama by 15. Missouri by 16. South Carolina by 15. Vanderbilt by 8.

And Kentucky is going to win the national title game by 20+. Mmmmkay.

[Marshfieldhog]

I think we have a decent shot at them in the SEC finals. Provided we actually masked it that far.

[Biggus Piggus]

Note this: Kentucky had some difficulty beating the most efficient defensive teams they've played. That would be Louisville, Florida and LSU. None of those teams ranks any higher than 74th in offensive efficiency. Florida's 155th.

Question is - How many teams are excellent on both ends of the court?

Virginia, Arizona, Villanova have the best credentials.

Kansas does too, though UK blew them out very early on.

Others with good stats but questionable schedule strength -- Utah, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Gonzaga, Baylor.

Here are Kentucky's shooting stats in close games:

Texas held them to 1-12 outside, 45% inside
Columbia - 2-17 outside, 47% inside
Louisville - 42% inside
Ole Miss - 35% inside
TAM - 25% inside
Vanderbilt - 40% inside
Florida - gave up 58% inside but only 3-14 outside
LSU - 52% inside but 2-12 outside

Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have no more height than Arkansas does. It's defensive style.

Kentucky's going to get the best draw in the NCAAT. I hope that at some point they have to play somebody who can defend the paint + also runs a great offense. The SEC's top-rated defensive teams besides UK -- Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia -- are mediocre to bad on the other end. The league's better scoring teams -- Ole Miss, Vandy, Arkansas -- rank 111th, 109th and 78th in defensive efficiency.

[Biggus Piggus]

I think we have a decent shot at them in the SEC finals. Provided we actually masked it that far.

The thing that bothers me is that Kentucky had only nine turnovers on Saturday. Arkansas had 12. The Hogs shot 42% inside, 28% outside, were 29% on the offensive boards, 63% defensive rebounding. Gave up 56% inside, 29% outside, and blocked no shots. The pressure defense forced some quick shots but generally was ineffective.

[Hogfan1660]

If anything our "pressure" defense cost us about 10 points. It looked like a dunk contest for a stretch in the second half. It's really hard to pressure a team like Kentucky that is not only big but very smart AND athletic.

[hawg IQ]

This is the best KY team I have ever seen (my 3rd trip to Rupp).   Their inside size and outside length is a deadly combination.

Hogs played hard but game reminded me of the UNLV/Hog game in Barnhill - Men vs Boys

It's easy to hate UK, but they are the mecca of NCAA basketball.  One trip to Rupp and you'll instantly understand why.

Mike is building piece by piece and we are on the rise.  IMHO this years team has come together nicely and still has upside for achievement this year.

Go Hogs !

In spite of just a lack of overall talent, this hog team can play better. We still have a guy or two that just don't put the team first IMH. The other issue is once you get to the board, you have to finish, Kentucky did that very well.  For pity's sake somebody step up on our three point shooting, I can't believe we went 0-9 there.
   We are not as good as Kentucky by no means. Kentucky is good as their ranking.  But this hog team is better than what we saw Saturday.

[Inhogswetrust]

I really don't see Kentucky winning the NCAAT this year, they're a good team no doubt, but if teams like Ole Miss can almost beat them and Texas A/M took them to two OT's, I think they'll slip up somewhere along the way.

One truism of betting is when there is obviously one team head and shoulders above the rest and they are the obvious choice to win a championship and you can do so then bet the field. Very few teams go undefeated and win the NC. Almost all of the NC winners undefeated or not had some struggles somewhere along the way. 

[texas tush hog]

I said this after the Kentucky vs Kansas game.  I don't see anyone beating the Wildcats this year

If Kentucky loses, it will not be to a team who has their undivided attention, like we had yesterday. A team that they come out sleep walking against, on a neutral court, might catch them off guard, but only if they play a perfect game. Somebody could slip in under the radar, Ole Miss and A&M come to mind, but not when Big Blue has their focus. We can only hope we fall on the opposite side of the bracket in the tournament, and somebody else slips up on them. Otherwise we don't have a prayer, when we are in their cross hairs.