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Being Kentucky

DBT

DBT

Club Member
Club Member
Of course, Kentucky is what every basketball fan dreams of for their team. Ten guys who could very possibly play at the next level. But I was thinking. Is it really all that fun being a Kentucky fan? I mean, they will probably dominate every game. All they have to look forward to is the NCAA Championship tournament. Even there, they will likely dominate until, possibly, the elite 8 and on.

As a Colorado fan, I am enjoying this ride immensely. Every game is a game to get excited about just to see how our guys develop. Would Kentucky fans look, with excited anticipation, at their next game in Laramie, Wyoming? Hell no. For them, a walk in the park. But for us, a chance to see our guys handle a tough road trip. A chance to see them develop. So, while I'd love to have Kentucky talent, I think it is a lot more fun, as a fan, to have the Buffs, where every win matters and isn't just another "ho hum" walk in the park.
 
I happen to agree. But I'm also the guy who prefers 2 or 3 year players to 1 and doners, so I feel like I get to know them, root for the guy.
 
Nope. I would enjoy every second and shove my teams greatness down every rivals' throat. I've never seen a team like Kentucky. That being saidthere are too many moving parts and in a tightly called game, a precision, well-oiled team like a Gonzaga could beat them.
 
I love our team. I have grown to know every player and enjoy watching them, but I would trade our team with Kentucky in a heartbeat. Championships are forever.
 
rosstr said:
Nope. I would enjoy every second and shove my teams greatness down every rivals' throat. I've never seen a team like Kentucky. That being saidthere are too many moving parts and in a tightly called game, a precision, well-oiled team like a Gonzaga could beat them.
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Maybe Gonzaga could beat their Blue team, but could they beat their White team? :lol:
 
I think it'd be really fun. If it happened every year, then yeah, it would be boring. But this is a special Kentucky team, that they are not going to have in most years.
 
rolandftw said:
I think it'd be really fun. If it happened every year, then yeah, it would be boring. But this is a special Kentucky team, that they are not going to have in most years.
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Are you sure about that? Kentucky is "One and Done U". Calipari will just bring in the next load of McDonald's All Americans to replace this batch.
 
It's really early but the best two teams I've seen so far are Kentucky and Duke. Their freshmen don't play like freshmen. The ACC is tough though. Virginia, UNC, Duke, Louisville, Pitt, etc. Yikes.
 
Yeah them too. We'll see how good Duke is when they play Wisconsin, be a big game. I don't see anybody touching Kentucky if they play like they did last night.
 
DBT has a point, here. Guys like Ski and Josh are fun to watch. They're invested in this school and in this program to a far greater extent than any of the Kentucky players are to that program. So while yes, it would be fantastic to have a team win a national championship, it's also great to forge a connection to the players, watch them develop, and witness their passion for the college game. The best possible outcome is to watch a team of guys like Ski and Josh win a national championship.
 
DBT said:
Are you sure about that? Kentucky is "One and Done U". Calipari will just bring in the next load of McDonald's All Americans to replace this batch.
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Yes. Special year because 3 guys who would have been 1st round picks in the last draft decided to come back despite Coach Cal advising otherwise.

Also, being a UK fan would be a blast. I do think it could turn you into the type of fan UCLA has, though, that sees a Final Four appearance as a mild disappointment.
 
rosstr said:
Nope. I would enjoy every second and shove my teams greatness down every rivals' throat. I've never seen a team like Kentucky. That being said there are too many moving parts and in a tightly called game, a precision, well-oiled team like a Gonzaga could beat them.
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Kentucky is very impressive so far, but I'm not ready to crown them yet. And I do agree, I haven't seen a College team with this much size, talent and athleticism either.

One team that comes to mind from a size perspective are the 90-91 Tarheels, who lost in the final four that year. They fielded 8 McDonald All-Americans. They were big, not as Athletic as this years UK, but I bet this Tarheels team would beat them in a shooting contest. Sparking a little nostalgia for those who remember, they were loaded, check it out.

- Eric Montross at 7'0
- Matt Wenstrom at 7'1
- Cliff Rozier at 6'10
- Pete Chilcutt at 6'9
- Pat Sullivan at 6'8
- George Lynch at 6'7
- Rick Fox at 6'7
- Huber Davis at 6'4
- Derrick Phelps at 6'4

Now, going way back to a team most widely known as fielding one of the most athletic rosters ever in College Basketball, the "Phi Slamma Jamma" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc-zZNDdCsU). They were insanely athletic and talented as all 5 starters could jump out of the gym.

- Michael Young at 6'6
- Clyde Drexler at 6'7
- Hakeem Olajuwon at 7'0
- Larry Micheaux at 6'9
- Benny Anders at 6'5

Maybe UK is a mixture of both teams I've mentioned, without the experience of course. So, it got me wondering how the hell do you beat this UK team. I don't think you can play UK man to man for a full game, because the two units are too talented and would wear down the other team's starters and overwhelm it's bench players.

With that said, there are three great equalizers in the College game.

1) The 35 Second Shot Clock.
2) The 3 Point Shot.
3) Ability to play Zone defense.

A team that has good size, plays a really good zone defense, and gets hot from the 3 point line can upset UK. If an experienced team can get them in a close game, it'll be interesting to see how this UK team responds.
 
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Grew up in Indiana rooting for the Hoosiers (still root against the other big ten schools, and most certainly have always rooted against Kentucky). Yes, times have certainly changed encouraged primarily by the NBA and immediate earnings potential for short term students. To me, the "known one and done" players are unlikely to grasp the lore, or participate in it. Mercenary championship would be hollow to me.

I really enjoy rooting for kids that are emotionally invested in the program and school. I like things the way they are for the Buffs. Hey Milan won it all against the giant Muncie Central in Indiana high school lore. A truly impossible feat.

A program like CU can still win it all against a mercenary program like Kentucky. Will be fun to see how this year plays out for college basketball and the Buffs.
 
sackman said:
DBT has a point, here. Guys like Ski and Josh are fun to watch. They're invested in this school and in this program to a far greater extent than any of the Kentucky players are to that program. So while yes, it would be fantastic to have a team win a national championship, it's also great to forge a connection to the players, watch them develop, and witness their passion for the college game. The best possible outcome is to watch a team of guys like Ski and Josh win a national championship.
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Eggon said:
Grew up in Indiana rooting for the Hoosiers (still root against the other big ten schools, and most certainly have always rooted against Kentucky). Yes, times have certainly changed encouraged primarily by the NBA and immediate earnings potential for short term students. To me, the "known one and done" players are unlikely to grasp the lore, or participate in it. Mercenary championship would be hollow to me.

I really enjoy rooting for kids that are emotionally invested in the program and school. I like things the way they are for the Buffs. Hey Milan won it all against the giant Muncie Central in Indiana high school lore. A truly impossible feat.

A program like CU can still win it all against a mercenary program like Kentucky. Will be fun to see how this year plays out for college basketball and the Buffs.
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These both state it well. Even when I'm following pro teams, it's much more fun to know the players, even their weaknesses. As a fan I like to see wins and improvement, but I also like that I get to watch the players I've invested some time in getting to know as well. I like it when I know all of the players and their style of play. I'm not a fan of one and done for academic reasons (why have them on a college team at all), but also for this reason. I've liked seeing this team build and develop. If all 5 starters were new to CU this year, I probably wouldn't pay any more attention to b-ball then looking at the score the day after a game.
 
My perspective and the reason I started this thread is just how much fun I'm having watching the Buffs develop and grow as a team. I was kind of wondering if its as fun for the Kentucky fans. I'm sure they get a ton of enjoyment out of having a dominant team. But there perspective is a lot different than Buff Fan's perspectives. Winning is a more difficult challenge for us than it is for them. And meeting a difficult challenge is more fulfilling. To me at least.

But having a dominant football team from the late 80's to late 90's was an awful lot of fun as well.
 
I also love seeing how much love Spencer still has for the buffs. How many of this year's Kentucky players consider themselves wildcats for life I wonder? I obviously don't have an answer to that question, but I'm willing to bet a higher than average number never look back.
 
jsmilkst said:
I also love seeing how much love Spencer still has for the buffs. How many of this year's Kentucky players consider themselves wildcats for life I wonder? I obviously don't have an answer to that question, but I'm willing to bet a higher than average number never look back.
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I've heard John Wall, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins all proclaim tons of love for Kentucky recently.
 
Goose said:
I've heard John Wall, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins all proclaim tons of love for Kentucky recently.
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Yeah. I don't have any doubt that UK players have a blast while they're in Lexington and love it for life.

Winning does that.
 
People here still love Alec and he was only here two years.

Sorry DBT, I just don't get this argument.
 
If you're a lottery talent, you declare. It doesn't matter what school you go to.

It's ridiculous the players on the league that played under cal.
 
Goose said:
People here still love Alec and he was only here two years.

Sorry DBT, I just don't get this argument.
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You're missing my point. I'm not arguing one or two and done. I had no problem with Burks, Spencer or Roberson leaving early. I'm just saying it's more fun and/or satisfying watching a team and its players develop into something special than it is bringing in a bunch of McDonald's All Americans. In a way.
 
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Buffnik said:
Yeah. I don't have any doubt that UK players have a blast while they're in Lexington and love it for life.

Winning does that.
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All accounts I've seen emphasize that Calipari develops relationships really well with most of his players. I think their loyalty is more to the coach than the school.
 
tante said:
I love our team. I have grown to know every player and enjoy watching them, but I would trade our team with Kentucky in a heartbeat. Championships are forever.
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Bet you rooted for the German Panzers over the Polish cavalry, eh??

Championships are forever, only if done right! The fact that Calipari is behind this UK bunch automatically means it wasn't done within the rules applied to everybody else; it's the SEC!.
 
I'll take national championships. This is the way it's going. Even Duke has changed the player they bring in. Michigan State is about the last blueblood hold out.
 
DBT said:
You're missing my point. I'm not arguing one or two and done. I had no problem with Burks, Spencer or Roberson leaving early. I'm just saying it's more fun and/or satisfying watching a team and its players develop into something special than it is bringing in a bunch of McDonald's All Americans. In a way.
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I get that. Old school approach of watching a team grow and develop together over the course of years.

But at the end of the day, winning is what really matters.

And with college sports, this is especially why college basketball coaches are the stars of the programs. At most, you have a star player for 4 years. Coaches can be there for decades. With the timelines, it becomes a lot more about the program than the players.
 
Goose said:
I've heard John Wall, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins all proclaim tons of love for Kentucky recently.
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Yeah, academic-free college experience for all of 'em!

They only had to participate in school academically for one semester and what we now know about how UNC kept their guys eligible, makes you wonder about UK and similarly situated schools.

To call them "student athletes" is a real joke.
 
Buffenuf said:
Yeah, academic-free college experience for all of 'em!

They only had to participate in school academically for one semester and what we now know about how UNC kept their guys eligible, makes you wonder about UK and similarly situated schools.

To call them "student athletes" is a real joke.
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Calipari has had no APR issues. That means that these players are leaving after 1 or 2 years on pace to graduate. I'm not sure how he does it, but he's getting it done. I thought that would be the part that would be un-manageable with the way he recruits, but I was wrong.
 
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