I don't know that I've ever been so unhappy with any UK team as I am with this year's team. Billy G's teams were terrible, but I was angry at him and the UK Administration, not the players. Tubby's later teams had a lot of disappointing losses, but they always gave a great effort. Even the dreadful COVID team was more unlucky than terrible, as it lost a whole series of heartbreakers.
But this team is just dreadful. They cannot defend anyone, and defense (at some level) is a matter of effort. At no point since they lost in double overtime to Michigan State -- a game that they blundered away through a whole series of unbelievably stupid plays down the stretch -- have they looked like they knew what they were doing. They were lucky to catch Tennessee on a day when the Vols couldn't make any three-point shots, and everything else has pretty much been one disaster after another.
But here's the point. Even if we can't watch UK -- and I don't intend to watch them for another minute -- there's still a whole lot of great basketball out there. UK didn't make the tournament in 1979, when Michigan State beat Indiana State for the title. UK didn't make the tournament in 1990, when Loyola Marymount made its amazing run, or in 1991, when Duke stunned UNLV in the Final Four. Does anyone think we should have missed those moments?
UK isn't a good basketball program right now. They haven't won an NCAA game since 2019, and who knows when they'll win one again. Certainly no one in Lexington seems to care much one way or the other. And that's all really sad.
But there's still a lot of college basketball to be played, and the KHSAA Tournament looks like it will be very exciting. And after the events of COVID, I don't plan to miss any more tournaments if I can help it.
Alabama goes to Auburn and takes over down the stretch, beating the Tigers 77-69. That runs Alabama's record to 22-3 overall and 12-0 in the SEC. If they can survive Knoxville on Wednesday night, they could go undefeated in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteExcept for UK's brief moment at the top of the polls last season, I haven't watched much college basketball since COVID hit. So I have some catching up to do. Apparently Texas Christian is now number 17 in the country, they play on a court that appears to be covered in scales, and Baylor/Texas Christian is a game of national import.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere along the line Baylor/Texas Christian became the Ohio State/Michigan of our time -- these two schools are apparently great in all sports. That fact says something profound about how America has changed in the last 25 years, but I'm not sure what it means. Consider the following cross-sport rivalries
ReplyDelete1960's to 1980's: Ohio St. v. Michigan
1980's to 2000's: Miami (Fla.) v. Florida St.
2010's to now: Baylor v. Texas Christian
In Omaha, Creighton edges UConn 56-53. Ken Pom had that as the game of the day, because both of those teams are in his top 10.
ReplyDeleteVandy goes to Florida and whomps the Gators, 88 to 80. Vandy now has a three game winning streak, with wins over Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida. The Dores are now 6-6 in the SEC, and they haven't been at .500 or better 12 games into the SEC schedule since 2016, Kevin Stallings's last year in Nashville.
ReplyDeleteLast week, I was pretty Jerry Stackhouse was gone at the end of the year, but now I don't know what to think.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting fact about UK's horrible season: The Cats are 351st in the country in opponents' free throw percentage. Opponents are making 76.6 percent of their free throws against UK, which is really good. Missouri is the best free-throw shooting team in the SEC, and they are only making 75.7 percent.
ReplyDeleteFor the second game in a row, Tennessee loses to a three-pointer at the buzzer. Vandy did it in Nashville on Wednesday, and tonight Mizzou beat UT 86-85 in Knoxville.
ReplyDeleteTennessee is now down to 290 on Ken Pom's luck score. UK is at 225.
ReplyDeleteI know it's bad when USA Today has a column on how UK has to cut ties with Calipari.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the Chiefs!
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed that I did not think to make the previous comment, "Hail to the Chiefs!"
ReplyDeleteVandy picks up an easy win at Colombia, South Carolina, 75 to 64. Suddenly the Dores have won four straight and are 7-6 in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteVandy was looking like UK's last winnable game, but that may no longer be true.
ReplyDelete