Rhom Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Joe B Hall went 12-1 against Kansas. So I'm guessing the 70s - early 80s were a dark time for Jayhawks basketball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 I'm going to be at a friend's house tonight during the game. (Wives planned a get together without checking the basketball schedule... luckily they are UK fans as well.) I have told him that one of our friends has already been banned from hosting any gathering during UK athletics of any kind and if tonight does not go well, he will be added to the list. I think I've mentioned here before, but I hate watching UK games in groups. I just want to tell people to sit down, shut up, and get out from in front of the TV. I'm much happier watching alone at home with immediate family around. However, I do understand the social necessity to put the anti-social tendencies aside and participate in the group cheering ritual. So, if things go poorly tonight... just know that my absence from the thread is not because I am cowering in fear! I know the Jayhawks are looking to beat us by 30 tonight if at all possible as retribution for last year and that Iowa State has returned a sharp focus to the team. Two weeks ago, I thought this looked like a surefire blowout; but the Cats have looked better in their last two games (against admittedly inferior competition) and so I have regained that most elusive of qualities for a fan: Hope. Saw a stat yesterday that said this is the first time in 62 games that UK has not been favored to win. My prediction on the game tonight is KU 80 - UK 74. Best of luck on a good game tonight REG. When the two winningest programs of all time get together, the real winners are college basketball fans everywhere. Now, all that said... Bring it on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Went out on a good note with that post, but read Cal's pregame comments and thought they were pretty unique on his perspective on coming back to Kansas. Quote On playing in Allen Fieldhouse "Well, they have lost three games now at home - in the last like 10 years. You have really good players. You have really good fans that push you over the top many times. You have a team that's comfortable in that environment. I think that's both schools. To win those kinds of games as an opponent you've got to be careful of runs and 3s. "A team like that can score a bunch in 12, 15 seconds, and that's what you've got to guard against. Really in a game like this you're just trying to give yourself a chance to win the game. You're not trying to go and blow anybody out because it's just unusual." On his best memory of his time at Kansas "Meeting my wife. You knew I was going to say that. Met my wife there. I had nothing. I had no aspirations for anything other than to learn basketball. Felt so blessed that I had an opportunity to start on that campus. The guy who invented the game was their first coach. (Then) Phog Allen, who coached Adolph Rupp, who was, you know. Wilt (Chamberlain). I mean, you can go on and on, but I was just blessed to have that chance. "Made no money. When they offered me the position, Coach (Ted) Owens said, ‘I'd like you to stay in the volunteer assistant slot.' I said, ‘Really? How much does that guy make?' And then Coach (Larry) Brown asked me to stay. I was blessed to be able to stay with him for two years and I look back fondly. I had nothing except basketball. I think I had a Plymouth Arrow at that time. Do they still make Plymouth Arrows? "I don't think they do. But no worries. I didn't haveâI stayed with Randolph Carroll, who was a part-time assistant. He let me stay with him. It was a great time for me because, can you imagine being 23, 22 and your first opportunity to be around the game is in a program like Kansas? I just felt every day I woke up, I was like, ‘I can't believe this.' And I had the same feeling when I got this job. And John Robic looked out and saw Kentucky across that wall out there and it was glitter and I'm like, ‘Can you imagine that we're here at Kentucky?' "It's the same thing. Kansas is exactly the same kind of program." On last season's UK vs Kansas game influencing this game "I mean, look, I think Bill (Self) is not going to make anything personal because he knows if he does that your team can't win the game when it becomes a personal thing. But he will remind them that a different Kentucky team got them pretty good last year. I'm not worried about last year's game; that's totally different. We're going into a hostile environment. "I'm going to tell you, our building, I can remember when we played North Carolina here and we won on the last play, and I'll tell you it was so loud. Allen Fieldhouse is louder. Like, much louder. Acoustically it's built like that (gestures to evoke an arched roof) so the sound hits it and it comes right back at you. "And it literally moves you. If you're standing and they really get loud, it will move you. I was there. I coached there and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can feel it.' It's like you're at a concert and you're near the bass. Boom! Boom! You feel it. I mean that's how it is there. It'll be interesting for these guys, especially these young guys, to walk in and to feel it. I love the tradition of it. I'll go through (the arena). "I've got to take a picture of Bob Marcum - the former (UMass) AD - is one of my dear friends and his portrait is on the wall somewhere. I'll take a picture of it and send it out when we get there tonight. Our people need to go out to look at it and see how they have it set up because it's really neat." ... On how many games he's seen in Phog Allen since he left as a coach "In that building? I don't think I've seen any. I've only been back there a couple of times. My wife is coming with us. She usually doesn't travel unless it's the NCAA Tournament. So, she's going back. Her parents are going to meet her. She grew up two-and-a-half hours from there. She'll probably go back with her parents after the game. I've been back a couple of times. Let me just tell you about the campus. "The campus, every stone - unless it's changed - every stone on every building is from the same quarry. Think about that. Every stone on every building is from the same quarry. I mean, it is a unique place. It's special. That state takes great pride in their school. And they take pride in that basketball program and what's gone on there. What we want to talk about is the home record. How about he (Bill Self) has won more league championships than losses at home? "I mean, what are you talking about? It's Kentucky and Kansas. Like you said, it's going to be a hyped game. We're finally starting to do some stuff. We're finally starting to become a team that I'm like, ‘OK, that looks like somebody I coach.' But, this will be one that, ‘Alright, you got hit in the mouth. Now how are you doing? Are you going to foul yourself out? Don't you foul yourself out. You gotta play.' I mean this will be a war." ... On seeing teams crumble at Allen Fieldhouse "Oh yeah. I saw when we were coaching there. Like, you know, until you just, you know. You have the game and all of a sudden they make a play, another play, you miss a play, and all of a sudden, literally, you're like feeling this sound come at you. This is one of those things, it's like people coming to Rupp, where they love coming to come to play in Rupp because they can say, ‘I played in Rupp.' "So going to Allen Fieldhouse, these guys will experience something they will never experience in their life in that building. There is no pro arena like that. There's no other arena we're going to walk into that's going to be that bad. We walk into great arenas, but not (like that). I'm just telling you, I was in there. I think the building was built in the 50s. Now let me say this to you, when I was in there in the 80s, you could eat off the floors. "Now that means it was 30 years old. Literally, they had people that just mopped. Like, ‘Where were you?' ‘I gotta make sure there's not one little thing on this floor.' And that's the whole (place). It's like a shrine. It's great." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 4 hours ago, Rhom said: Joe B Hall went 12-1 against Kansas. So I'm guessing the 70s - early 80s were a dark time for Jayhawks basketball. Yep. Although at nearly every other school Ted Owens would be one their greatest coaches: 19 seasons, 2 Final Fours, 6 conference championships, 7 NCAA tournament appearances (when it was rough to get into the tournament), 2/3 of his games won, many All Americans. But at KU, he's the only coach to have ever been fired, the last coach to have a losing season (back to back, hence the firing), and he only won 2/3 of his games! Have fun tonight! I won't get home until there's only about a half hour left, so I'll be watching on a severe delay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywolf2375 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 UNC is 0-6 at the FT line; I just can't fathom how a player isn't a minimum of 80% at this level. Even the bigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 This is the first time I've really watched Ben Simmons... but damn. I'm inpressed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switchback the Second Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Really good game for the Gators today. This team has been fun to watch this year as there has been clear progression in the areas that were so terrible at the beginning of the year, namely shooting free throws and 3s. Feels like there has been tangible evidence of solid coaching as the year's gone on, and the players are clearly way more invested this year than last year's team was. They've always played with a lot of energy since the beginning of the year, and now they're starting to make shots. And when we're making shots, added to the energy and defense we've always brought, they can be pretty damn good. Still feels like a year away from being a threat in the tourney but also feels like Mike White has got the turnaround from last year moving along at a better clip than I expected. That game was really physical and I was excited to see us match WVU's toughness throughout. The defining point of the game I thought was after WVU went on a 12-0 run to cut our lead down to 4 late in the first half, and using another of White's bizarro lineups we went on a 14-3 run to end the half up 15. That was huge. Go Gators! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have to admit, this SEC-Big 12 thing in January initially gave me a bad taste in my mouth. Disruption to league play. "Games don't count" Yada yada... but when LSU-Oklahoma has me hanging on the edge of my couch, and jumping in excitement with every shot... (and enthusiastically routing for LSU!) I think that's a score. I like it. Keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 That was a really good game. Buddy Hield is without a doubt the best player in the nation right now. Simmons might have a higher ceiling but damn is Hield impressive. Also, VCU has won 11 in a row. If I was a 6th seed, I would not want to play VCU in the tournament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 You know your team is big time when KANSAS holds a t-shirt night when you come to town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsay B. Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 42 minutes ago, Mexal said: That was a really good game. Buddy Hield is without a doubt the best player in the nation right now. Simmons might have a higher ceiling but damn is Hield impressive. Really great game. Hield was ridiculous in the 2nd half. It's crazy what a little fix of a hitch in your shot will do. I'm surprised they didn't go to Simmons more late in the game, Quarterman forced some shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 18 minutes ago, Rhom said: You know your team is big time when KANSAS holds a t-shirt night when you come to town. That's every UK road game right? Whew! Who needs a physical when I made it through that 1st half without a stroke or heart attack? I think that means I'm good. Being honest here, I get much more pumped for UK football (stupid as that may sound) than basketball in recent memory, but not tonight. Not this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 9 minutes ago, Ramsay Blow said: Really great game. Hield was ridiculous in the 2nd half. It's crazy what a little fix of a hitch in your shot will do. I'm surprised they didn't go to Simmons more late in the game, Quarterman forced some shots. He had one shot in the last 10 minutes. That's on him as much as the team. He needs to be more aggressive in situations like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonesy Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 UK hanging tough against Kansas at home is definitely fun to watch here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Of course we're going to OT. Breathe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsay B. Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 That halfcourt shot would've been epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Well done, KU. Let's do it again in March/Early April on a neutral court. But still, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DireWolfSpirit Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Teams with strong records against ranked ( 1-25) opponents this year. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/sort/RPI Oklahoma 4-2 MSU 5-2 Virginia 3-0 Texas A&M 3-0 A few teams to watch very closely in March imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 3 hours ago, Rhom said: You know your team is big time when KANSAS holds a t-shirt night when you come to town. I don't know what the hell that was about. I can't remember the last time we did that. That was the first time we sported those uniforms though, and I thought they were really sweet. 1 hour ago, Ded As Ned said: Of course we're going to OT. Breathe. Very fun game, and I was getting worried our abysmal FT shooting would do us in at the end. Only two road wins in the challenge today, seems about right for this year in college basketball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushroomshirt Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 23 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said: Teams with strong records against ranked ( 1-25) opponents this year. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/sort/RPI Oklahoma 4-2 MSU 5-2 Virginia 3-0 Texas A&M 3-0 A few teams to watch very closely in March imo. UVA is 4-0 after louisville Saturday West virginia, Miami, Villanova, Louisville ETA: 5-0 if you include Notre Dame - they weren't ranked when UVA beat them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.