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[Mrbob]

I know what you're saying (and I agree), but they lost to Nebraska in the final regular season game of the year when they were playing for a potential 1 seed and got utterly dominated by a team that has essentially 0 basketball prominence or talent. You could say it didn't matter to them or that Nebraska played above their level or whatever, but there was also a lot on the line for Wisconsin. Either way, I'm stoked for the game and it'll be a great one (I'll more than likely be there =D).

Just to clarify, I'm from Nebraska and I've followed the team my entire life. It's amazing what Tim Miles has done for the program, but I don't think they're at some even semi-elite level yet where they can win against good teams consistently (see losing in the first round of the conference tourney and NCAA tourney). They absolutely played way beyond their level in that game, but they also showed how you can shut down Wisconsin.

That Nebraska game was at home and it was a game that would get them into the NCAA tourney. You are making too much of it. There was nothing on the line for Wisconsin that game. They had the two seed locked up.

 

[pxleyes]

All this pointless arguing and Florida is going to take it all. Y'all are cute.

 

[nillapuddin]

That is a little shocking. We couldn't hit shit from the outside during the season.

preseason Cal said we were a perimeter shooting team that would work inside out, like you said, that disappeared during the season, but Aaron has refined his game so much in the 2/3 of the season.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Gotta say, Kentucky has been part of 3 of the best games of this tournament.

I think two of them were great and one of them really really really really really sucked. But that's just me.

 

[L-gon]

It's someone who doesn't watch B1G basketball, I guess. Uninformed opinions are funny to read.

I wouldn't be so specific - from his comment it would seem he doesn't watch basketball at all.

 

[RellyRell28]

Wisconsin lost to fucking Nebraska. Then again, so did Michigan State. I just have a hard time seeing Wisconsin beating Kentucky, especially after the teams/experiences this team has had to go through to reach the Final Four. They've played one of the toughest roads to a Final Four (IMHO) against far talented teams. It'll be a damn good game either way.

Michigan was the only team to win in Nebraska. That's a hard place to win at plus they needed that game more to get in the Tourney. Wisky at that was doing no worse than #3 seed at that point.

 

[Fjordson]

You guys can throw out any bad loss Wiscy had. We lost to NIT bound Arkansas twice and South Carolina. We certainly have a chance, but I don't give us any real advantage.

We also lost to Baylor and Wiscy owned them.

 

[Grover Cleveland]

Gotta say, Kentucky has been part of 3 of the best games of this tournament.

The committee being asleep at the wheel ended up giving us great games

 

[Broank]

UK shoots 64% from 3 point line

UM shoots 39%

I can guarantee you, in the entire world, not a single person could have called that.

I was sure Walton was going to hit one of those 3s in that craziness, he's been nailing those clutch shots all year but missed about three wide open looks at the end there.

 

[braves01]

FL's pretty much a title lock at this point, right?

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Only chance Florida has is if they played Kentucky

 

[iori9999]

Only chance Florida has is if they played Kentucky

Wut?

 

[CronoShot]

Who would've thought half the Final Four would be from the SEC.

Spoiler

Go Wisconsin.

 

[Seth C]

All this pointless arguing and Florida is going to take it all. Y'all are cute.

One more win each then we can be mortal enemies again.

 

[lazybones18]

FL's pretty much a title lock at this point, right?

believe in the 7/8 matchup

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Wut?

UF lost to UConn and Wisconsin.

 

[theprodigy]

On more win each then I'm rooting for Florida the first time in this tournament.

fixed

 

[Grover Cleveland]

2 SEC
1 B1G
1 AAC

ACC nowhere to be seen

#weafootballconferencenow

 

[pxleyes]

On more win each then we can be mortal enemies again.

Wouldn't that be something. In a football conference, in a down year in our secondary sport.

 

[theprodigy]

2 SEC
1 B1G
1 AAC

ACC nowhere to be seen

#weafootballconferencenow

AAC AAC AAC AAC

:jnc

 

[jjasper]

Only SEC team to lose. We embarrassed the conference

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Only SEC team to lose. We embarrassed the conference

yall supposed to be SEC

 

[Fjordson]

My tattoo might not look so bad now

 

[iori9999]

My tattoo might not look so bad now

That can't be you right? You srs?

 

[Seth C]

That can't be you right? You srs?

It's not him. Went viral a few weeks back. Seemed completely embarrassing then. Now only really embarrassing.

 

[bachikarn]

Damn, UK was 64% from 3. Didn't expect that.

 

[Fjordson]

That can't be you right? You srs?

Nah just some insane UK fan lol.

 

[RellyRell28]

Damn, UK was 64% from 3. Didn't expect that.

That will probably cool off next week. Wisconsin's a better defensive team than Michigan.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 17m
Dakari Johnson on Aaron Harrison: "He's got big nuts, to be honest. He can't even walk right now." Ha!

LOL

 

[nillapuddin]

That will probably cool off next week. Wisconsin's a better defensive team than Michigan.

umm, duh.

we shot 33% for the season, thats why its incredible

 

[Panda Rin]

Nah just some insane UK fan lol.

not so insane now

 

[Fjordson]

So happy for Marcus Lee. Watched the kid play live before he committed to UK since he's from the San Fran Bay Area and he's super talented.

Funny how our surprise star today was a McDonald's All-American :lol

 

[Kusagari]

So the two teams that beat the Gatas and the team they would have to beat for an unprecedented fourth time remain.

Let's go.

 

[Talon]

What a horrible day for the state of Michigan.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

What a horrible day for the state of Michigan.

What an amazing day for the state of Ohio.

 

[HeisenbergLannister]

umm, duh.

we shot 33% for the season, thats why its incredible

It's a shame we can't win if we're not hitting threes. Oh wait.

If we ARE hitting our threes, we are damn near unbeatable. Even decently hitting them and we're hard to beat.

 

[eBay Huckster]

What an amazing day for the state of Ohio.

well, that and that state that touches the UP

 

[iori9999]

What an amazing day for the state of Ohio.

Touche brother.. I'm proud you decided not to root for the conference like some other fans, because I would have felt just like you had OSU lost..

 

[Fjordson]

Randle goin' back to Texas

 

[StoopKid]

Randle goin' back to Texas

Lol he looks so goofy.

 

[Seth C]

I kept this around. It was the last perfect bracket anyone was aware of. Now it's absolutely destroyed. Not just destroyed nationally, but going to be dead last place even in the small pool it's part of.

https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/quickenloansbracket/2030973

 

[bachikarn]

So we've played every team in the Final Four this season already. Don't think that's happened before.

 

[Grover Cleveland]

Pat Forde copping pleas

 

[Fjordson]

Pat Forde copping pleas

:lol Forde is such a clown. Can't imagine how pissed he must be. College basketball definitely has one of the worst collective media groups of any sport, amateur or professional.

 

[iamblades]

Gotta say, Kentucky has been part of 3 of the best games of this tournament.

I may be biased, but IMO Kentucky has been a part of more great NCAA games the last 5 years than any other team by far. Not just by competitiveness either, but by quality of play as well.

Just think about the Ohio State game in 2011 followed by the UNC and the UCONN game, the IU game in 2012, then this three game run.

Of course historically Kentucky has been part of a huge amount of classic games, and when you are consistently competing at a high level, you are going to have a lot of opportunities for great games.

Seems like a UK game in the tournament is the surest bet for a great game there is. Going back to the great games in the early 90s, the comeback cats run in 98, etc.

 

[truly101]

Congrats UK fans. The run your team is on is impressive to say the least.

 

[DominoKid]

Pat Forde copping pleas

nah he ate his L pretty well here. even UK fans were ready to throw this team in the bushes.

i just want to know what "the tweak" was.

 

[Fjordson]

I may be biased, but IMO Kentucky has been a part of more great NCAA games the last 5 years than any other team by far. Not just by competitiveness either, but by quality of play as well.

Just think about the Ohio State game in 2011 followed by the UNC and the UCONN game, the IU game in 2012, then this three game run.

That Ohio State game in 2011 was so great. People forget how incredible Brandon Knight was in that tournament. Put the team on his back and made nearly every big shot he took. That dagger over Aaron Craft was beautiful.

Sort of feels like the twins have been collectively haunted by Knight's spirit :lol some of the shots they've hit have been unreal. And they even struggled early like Knight did.

I'll be interested to see if they come back. Three weeks ago it was basically guaranteed they would, but I have to assume their draft stock is rising. With Marcus Lee, Dakari, Lyles and Karl Towns in the frontcourt and the twins in the backcourt we'd have another great team.

 

[iamblades]

nah he ate his L pretty well here. even UK fans were ready to throw this team in the bushes.

i just want to know what "the tweak" was.

As far as I can tell the only X's and O's change that I can see is that we seem to use Randle much more in the high post or facing up at the elbow or the wing instead of trying to force the ball into him at the low post. Gives him more space to create things and it takes longer for the double to come, and we are using Johnson in the low post instead. But I haven't done a statistical breakdown of it, so I could be imagining it, but that's what it seems like to me.

What has made the most difference is simply an increased willingness to share the ball though. Actually passing instead of jacking random shitty shots solves a lot of problems.

Also interesting stat:

The last three games UK is getting 1.24 PPP on offense. That is insane efficiency.

Although defensive efficiency has dropped from 21 to 40th on kenpom since losing WCS.

 

[Fjordson]

Not sure if this is a tweak from Calipari, but Andrew Harrison is remembering that he's 6-5, 215 pounds. He's great at driving the ball now and finishing, smaller guards literally bounce off of him.

Free throws have also been a nice improvement. We were a trainwreck at the line in the regular season. Today there weren't a ton shot, but against Louisville we were 22 for 27 and 16 for 22 against Wichita St.