1. If I'm an NBA GM, I'm finding a way to get Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on my team. He's not flashy. He is the best player in the country. 2. Jarnell Stokes was a revelation today. He showed no fear and attacked UK's NBA frontline as if he were playing Bearden High. 3. Kentucky has to get better play out of Marquis Teague. If they don't, they'll not meet their expectations. 4. Tennessee missed a couple of open threes around the seven minute mark that would have made a huge difference. You've got to hit those to pull off a big upset. 5. Kenny Hall and Jeronne Maymon held their own against a top flight opponent. Their recent play is reason for optimism going forward. 6. Trae Golden took a couple of horrible shots in key situations. That said, I'm not going to get on him because those appeared to be set plays from the bench. 7. I'm not sure who the participants in the halftime dunk contest were. That's probably because MTG was too busy screeching his And 1 act to actually give any information. 8. Josh Richardson is fearless. He stood his ground at every turn today. His signing will turn out to be a real coup for Coach Martin. 9. Having seen them live, I'm less confident Kentucky will be in New Orleans when it matters. They've got some inherent issues regarding who needs the ball at the end of the game that have to be resolved. Further, Terrence Jones must pick up his play for them to have a chance at the big prize. 10. Overall, a good day for Tennessee basketball. This program is past moral victories. That said, between Stokes' debut and the effort everyone put forth, you can see what the Martin Era should look like.
Good stuff, Hat. Agreed about Kidd-Gilchrist and Teague needing to play better on the offensive end for UK to cut down the nets. Teague, however, did a tremendous job on Golden today. His on ball defense is very impressive.
Really like Richardson. Love the way he plays, and I think he makes just enough shots every now and then to think that's something he'll improve over time.
Key point of the game, IMO. UT with a 4 point lead missed 3 open 3s in two possessions by their best shooters, UK gets a 3pt play on the other end. Misses happen, but it is a completely different game if those go down. What the hell is wrong with Jones? He went from lottery pick to dud.
Jones is a head case that was overrated from the get go, imo. He can only go to his left hand, which, unfortunately, Woolridge decided to let him do with no real resistance. If you noticed, Maymon simply forced him to go off the left shoulder to the right hand, and he can't even get a shot off. And, he's a below average shooter that thinks he's Reggie Miller. Showed some promise last year, but his skillset hasn't improved at all this year.
I had stated that this group of Wildcats isn't as good, so I agree with the assessment. I have no idea why Jones didn't go out last year with that weak group of players. We are still a solid PG away from being a very dangerous team.
I just returned from the Hill and my first KY-Vols BB game. Very good game. I sat in the middle of the KY inbreds. I couldn't figure out why the guy next to me screamed about the refs the whole game? He cheered for KY for about 40 secs of the last minute. I can assure you all those that sat around me had never been to the KY campus.
Thought Stokes was impressive yesterday. Always though he would contribute but didnt know he would be this effective out of the gate.
Funny, most of the UT fans here in Memphis have never been to Knox Vegas either. I dont care who youre a fan of but putting on a shirt and saying rah rah doesnt mean youre a fan. Make the effort to learn about the school/program and attend some games on campus. That shtt annoys me. Same can be said about lots of Alabama fans around here too.
My standards for fandom are a little less strict. More of supporting the team through thick and thin than actually making your way to their campus. Tennessee didn't have any pro sports teams when I was growing up, so I just picked other teams to support for various reasons. Some of those I still support, watch, cheer for, even when they aren't any good. That makes me a fan, whether or not I actually make my way to their city. I don't see an important disanalogy here between professional and college teams
Are these requirements for true fans, or do you have to meet these thresholds to be just a regular fan?
Watching Kentucky tonight, it's pretty obvious UT played really well Saturday. Arkansas isn't good, but UK is making them look like a bad intramural team.
We were very close to being 3-0 in the SEC. I can't believe I would have ever written or said that after losing to Austin Peay and squeaking by Asheville.
Big South. I knew it was something like that. They lost one the other day but it looks like they will win that conference and at least look better on paper.