Kentucky Wildcats 2013-2014 Thread

[wildcatchild]

Not sure if you guys keep up with officials but apparently we got the short end of the stick last night in Fayetteville. We're now 2-5 in games officiated by Mr. Roger Ayers since John Calipari took over as our coach. I kind of take it for granted he's got it out for us....but last night's result got real personal when I read about the other official, Mr. James Breeding:

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisvill....html?page=all

Here's the Cliff's Notes version: James Breeding is a UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE graduate.

Are you freaking kidding me?

[redsrule]

Refs were awful for both sides, although I do think it was worse for the Cats. I like the fight I see in this team though. Alex Poythress looks like he is finally "getting it" and found a spot on this team getting rebounds and lobs/putbacks at the rim. The loss hurt, especially since it happened on something that should have been avoided, but it isn't a giant one. I still like this teams chances come March. I will say though if Polson is getting a lot of minutes in March we are in trouble.
It was also nice to see Randle block a couple of shots. When Cauley-Stein isn't in the game I think he should definitely try and do that more often.

[og236]

Alex Poythress actually looked like he had potential last night! Julius Randle has to be more active on defense, but he'll learn with time. The same with my favorite guy on the team , James Young, gotta box out on that missed 3! Smh but I like what I'm seeing from this team, they don't have to hit their stride now, they just have to get hot at the right time & they can beat anybody in the country with this talent.


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[redsrule]

Alex Poythress is looking like he finally gets it. Outside of Randle and James Young he is the most talented player on the team imo. That dunk that I thought was going to be a layup was awesome. If you would have told me before the year that the two sophomores (WCS and Poy) would be going the opposite direction I would never have thought Poythress would be the one getting better/playing better.
Randle is being more active blocking shots now as well, which is great to see. Dakari Johnson is looking like he wants that starting spot as well. He plays below the rim which will hurt him in the NBA but damn if he can't be a dominant post guy in college.
This team has to improve shooting threes and from the free throw line though. If Aaron Harrison and James Young can consistently knock down the three, it will make teams go back to man to man which will open up Randle/WCS/Johnson more down low.
The team hasn't improved as much as I thought they would have by now, but there are flashes that show how good this team really can be.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Very impressed with how fluid the offense looked today against Georgia. The ball movement and off-the-ball movement was downright pretty to watch sometimes. And the defensive effort they showed today gives me high hopes for this team moving forward.

And after I was kinda hoping he would leave after last season, Alex Poythress is becoming one of the better players on the team, even if he is coming off the bench.

[wildcatchild]

There's a verse from a Crossfade song that goes, "Just when I thought I'm invincible....you come and happen to me." Well, that's about how I felt after last night's debacle against LSU.

We now have 5 losses before February. Never saw that coming. Not with this team. Not with this talent.

I have been pretty patient all year but last night finally caused me to seriously doubt it's going to happen this year. I keep hearing, "Yeah, but the 2011 team...." Um, there is no resemblence between this team and that team other than the stud freshmen....2011 was a great shooting team with seasoned wing players in Miller/Liggins, a senior rock down low in Harrellson and a stone-cold killer in Knight. They could actually stop dribble penetration. The Harrisons? Nice offensive games but they can't guard anyone. Seriously, look at all the box scores against teams that have good-to-great guards (Michigan State, Louisville, UNC, Providence, LSU, etc.). The Harrisons have given up a lot of points.

Not totally giving up but I'm almost there. It would take a victory or two over Florida (who just got Chris Walker eligible) and no more bad losses to get my hopes up again.

[redsrule]

That game was absolutely pitiful. I put a lot of it on Cal as well. He talked about not being held hostage this year because he has a deep bench. Then why the **** did he not use it? Why does he insist on staying in man to man when our guards can't guard anyone? Especially with a team that is weak shooting the ball on the perimeter like LSU. We got out played, out coached and out hustled for 40 minutes. WCS has regressed in the last 2 weeks, and arguing with the coach on the sideline is unacceptable.

There is no comparison to any team with this one. This team starts 5 "me" players. Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison pout when anything doesn't go their way and play terrible defense. James Young, Alex Poythress and Dakari Johnson were the only ones that showed up.


That gif is just a microcosm of what I was talking about. That happened right after Dakari DOVE into the stands trying to save a loose ball. James Young looks at him and just jogs back up the court. That is UNACCEPTABLE. Would have MKG or Anthony Davis done that? How about Harrelson or Nerlens? If you don't care about your teammates you have no chance.


It won't happen, but my starting lineup against Missouri would be something like this:
PG: Dominique Hawkins (He has struggled of late, but at least he hustles his *** off)
SG: James Young (Only offensive threat from a distance)
SF: Alex Poythress (Has really flipped it up a notch of late)
PF: Julius Randle (Debated putting Willis/Lee here)
C: Dakari Johnson (Has stepped it up while WCS has played like garbage)


I hate to say this, but look at Kansas, who is a freshman laced team as well. They have bought into their roles and have taken the next step. Kentucky is still where they started. This team has no "leader" so to speak like Jake said months ago. This team is still immensely talented, what team can say they have NBA depth at every position? I still have faith we can turn the corner, but right now the future is bleak for this team. It has to man up and learn to play physical for 40 minutes.

[wildcatchild]

I'll take the win at Missouri today but my same concerns still remain....our guards can't guard! Gave up 33 points to Brown and 28 to Clarkson. Both are solid players but we made them look like LeBron and Wade today. It was encouraging to see some zone though, I think Cal will have no choice but to play that way if we continue to led opposing guards glide through our perimeter defense with ease.

Next up: this guy