Will Kentuckyrun the table? They are going to have to be real off to get beat or the injurybug will need to set in the way I see it. I say they lose one game during the regular season and then win the tourneywith one loss. It is men againstboys.
Going into the season Louisville, Texas, and Kansas were the 3 games I thought they'd most likely drop. They won by a collective 52 points. Obviously I'm a huge fan so my view is biased, but they won't trip up until the tournament now. The SEC is worse than last year and Florida went undefeated last year. That said, I'm still not convinced they win it all. The best team usually doesn't actually when it comes to basketball. Last year an 8 seed lost to a 9 seed in the championship. Best collection of talent on one team in my lifetime. A starter/future NBA player goes down with a torn ACL and they somehow look even better afterwards with more minutes going to his backup.
His backup is a better offensive threat. This team has the intangible of defense. They don't have to depend on shooting to win so that gives them a real shot of running the table. Florida might get things figured out and beat them but right now, it looks like they SHOULD run the table.
I am impressed how Cap has gotten these guys to play such great team D based on what I have seen. Too often these 1 and done players only like to play hard on one end of the floor.
They have played well against big highly ranked teams but poorly against no name schools. Their biggest threat will be underestimating supposedly weaker SEC teams who come in and have a good game. Don't underestimate Florida or some of these other SEC teams for a second. We need to bring it every game.
UCLA's record will not be broken with one and done and no they will not go undefeated. I am guessing it's more likely they end up with all losses in about 36 months.
It doesn't really matter how we as fans estimate a team though. I agree the players shouldn't underestimate any opponent, but UCLA's Steve Alford said it best IMO... Once this thing hits 18, 19 or 20 games, look out. They will get hungrier for it as it becomes more realistic/attainable. Overlooking a scrub team at 3-0 is easier to do than 30-0 closing in on a perfect season that you can taste by that point. On the UCLA note, I was at that game up in Chicago. Most dominating single half performance I've ever seen. The facial expressions/body language of a high scoring UCLA team was completely demoralized. I've never before felt sorry for an opposing team, until that game.
I agree that their biggest opponent will be themselves and not playing up to their potential instead of down to the competition.
I find it humorous you cite the team KNOWN for cheating in recruiting as the record holder (when Indiana is the actual last undefeated team in 76) while making a jab at the current team who have been scrutinized with zero proof of cheating. Must be because Cal coached a player who took money from an NBA agent... or maybe the player who was cleared by the NCAA but later found to have possibly cheated on his SAT while in HIGH SCHOOL. lol Cleared by name in both investigations yet he receives the blame for both still to this day. People talk of Calipari cheating at Memphis, not Derrick Rose the one who actually cheated while in High school. If you want to see cheating at a never before seen level, look down the road at UNC. University of Non Compliance.
I thought you would understand I used UCLA for that purpose. I would not use a clean program as comparison. I was not referring to an undefeated season either, I was referring to 88 games in a row. If you don't think Kentucky & dirty get used in the same sentences, by all means Google the two words and start reading. The good ole U of K has done this to themselves over the years & I laugh at how my buddies get upset when I mention how dirty they are perceived by the public.
As a unc fan and my whole family a uk fan i hope they dont lol. But uk is a good team i just think they just have to easy of a confrence, any good team could go undefeated in the sec lol. So with them playing alot of them easy teams there not gonna be use to playing alot of the good teams theyll face in the tournament which will throw them off one bad game and will lose in the elite 8 is my prediction.
Ive said long ago they will be one of the best teams we will ever see in college hoops. I dont' see them losing in the regular season. Like Tembry said, the longer it goes the hungrier/better they get.... pretty scary for the opposition. The more experience they collectively get and the more they see from teams trying to beat them different ways, they just will get better. I think they run the table. If not it will take an epic collapse of a game from KU (not likely) and an epic game of a lifetime from someone else (not likely) to beat them. As far as the tourney? Who the heck knows? Crazy things are more the norm in March Madness. I would think they would win it all, but wouldn't bet on anything in that tournament.
Name one single storied program without a blackeye over a 100+ year history.... Go ahead, I'll wait. It doesn't anger me, it humors me when people see things so lopsided. (Crosses fingers hoping you try and mention UNC, UCLA, Indiana, Duke, or KU) If the ACC wasn't so top heavy this year I think just as many people would be talking about Duke running the table this year too. They are absolutely stacked as well.
Normally I would say no they wont. It is too hard to do and it only takes a couple of kids to have a bad night for it to end. But this team is so deep that 4 or 5 guys could have a sucky night and the bench can come in and win it for them. Unless someone jumps up really big on them early and they feel pressured I think they are going to win out.
Bad mouthing other colleges does not make Kentucky look any better and I think Calipari might make the record books, he will three peat this year, he will have 3 final four runs vacated. Heck of a coach.
That's the funny part, trying to seperate the head coach from the team and players. This has not happened just once he is working on his 3rd time. I love watching it unfold.
