Kentucky Game Thread

[TheRef]

Tip in about an hour and the students are having to move to the upper deck because the lower section is full. Otherwise, I would guess about 80% UK fans in here right now.

[TheRef]

Travis Daniels rolled his ankle in practice yesterday and is listed as a game-time decision tonight.

[MabenMaroon]

You think we might be "rope-a-doping" UK tonight?***

[TheRef]

While the students showed up, it seems that no other MSU fans did. mostly Kentucky blue in here right now.

[Coach34]

I may be locking this thread early tonight.

[TheRef]

I may be locking this thread early tonight.

I hope not...

[Barking 13]

is it on TV? I'm in GA

[Coach34]

SECN

[RougeDawg]

I for some odd reason think we can keep this thing close.

Either Way I am certain of one thing tonight, our team revenue should see a nice boost that should make some feel better on here.

[Dawg61]

Kentucky is -19 tonight.

[Barking 13]

crap.. hotel doesn't have it on direct tv

[Dawg61]

I like the StarkVegas shirts by Adidas

[chef dixon]

Lol is all I can say to the start of this one.

[Dawg61]

crap.. hotel doesn't have it on direct tv

You can watch it on iPad, laptop. ESPN3

[Dawg61]

Two timeouts already?! wtf

[msstate7]

Fred is a total liability on offense

[RougeDawg]

crap.. hotel doesn't have it on direct tv

May be a good thing for you based on first 45 seconds. Down 4-0 and already used two timeouts. The old Achilles Inbounds is already rearing it's ugly head.

[msstate7]

Wow... Ware got raped there trying to defend

[chef dixon]

We are gonna need 40 from Sword

[msstate7]

Towns is a bull

[chef dixon]

I don't know why Ready can't just blow by Cauley-stein on that mid court press

[Dawg61]

Nice shot by Black

[msstate7]

Love the move by black

[Dawg61]

Good four minute stretch by us. 8-6 UK Sword at the line shooting two.

[msstate7]

Nice shot by Black

If he can do that move on these guys, then he can do it on anyone

[Dawg61]

Love the move by black

It was a pretty jump hook. I like him shooting those instead of jump shots.

[msstate7]

Gotta be careful in this upcoming stretch. Booker will come in shooting. Can't let them spurt ahead by much

[Dawg61]

Kentucky is gigantic

[msstate7]

Kentucky is gigantic

And those bigs are as athletic as our guards

[msstate7]

We're gonna have to have their bigs in foul trouble, missed FT's, and terrible 3 point shootng by them to have a shot

[Dawg61]

Daniels dribbles the ball off his foot. 3 basic fundamentals.

[chef dixon]

We've got nothing with Sword out of the game.

[msstate7]

Bloodman and Fred in game together... TO's a coming

[Dawg61]

We're gonna have to have their bigs in foul trouble

They have 12 bigs

[RougeDawg]

How was that not a goal tending on Roq's shot he got fouled on? The ball was on the way down and the guy slapped it away. Can you not call goal tending if you are fouled on the shot and ball is still in the air? It was clearly past its highest point.

[msstate7]

They have 12 bigs

WCS and towns... WCS is their best defensive player. Towns, we have no answer for defensively

[msstate7]

How was that not a goal tending on Roq's shot he got fouled on? The ball was on the way down and the guy slapped it away. Can you not call goal tending if you are fouled on the shot and ball is still in the air? It was clearly past its highest point.

I don't know, but God I wish we had some shot blockers

[msstate7]

Our chances of winning are .01. If we miss FT's, that drops to 0.0

[msstate7]

Ray cannot put a lineup on the floor without sword or ready out there. Ray did it and we fell behind bad

[RougeDawg]

Our chances of winning are .01. If we miss FT's, that drops to 0.0

Ware missing 2 already from point blank is not helping. Damn, we could stay in this with just a few breaks. They are shooting 53% to our 30% and we are only down 11.

[Dawg61]

Ray cannot put a lineup on the floor without sword or ready out there. Ray did it and we fell behind bad

Kentucky is just way too big. Nobody can compete against their size. They are the biggest college team I've ever seen.

[msstate7]

Ware missing 2 already from point blank is not helping. Damn, we could stay in this with just a few breaks. They are shooting 53% to our 30% and we are only down 11.

We miss more point blank shots than anyone I've seen this year.

[msstate7]

Kentucky is just way too big. Nobody can compete against their size. They are the biggest college team I've ever seen.

Oh I know we're completely outmatched, but fred and bloodman at the guards will get us beat by 90% of the country. They can't handle the ball

[BankerDog]

I feel like I'm watching Space Jam in person, they're so much longer than us. And yes, it would take a Michael Jordan for us to even be in this game. I miss being in these games just a few short years ago. Travis Daniels has no business on the court with these guys.

I do have to say though, I have liked what I have seen out of Oliver Black. He will be a decent player one. We really need some shooters and someone to create their own shot. I hope Weatherspoon is all you guys are hyping him up to be.

[msstate7]

Why kentucky shoots from outside I don't know. No one can hold their big men

[codeDawg]

We just need to keep going to the hoop. We should be running in transition when we get a stop instead of setting up.

[msstate7]

Has there been a kentucky team this good since '96?

[chef dixon]

Refs are letting us push their big guys down low and still can't grab a rebound

[Dawg61]

We need a better SF. Fred and Daniels are killing us.

[msstate7]

We need a better SF. Fred and Daniels are killing us.

Houston has to be ready by next season.

[Dawg61]

Has there been a kentucky team this good since '96?

No

[msstate7]

Sword! Think!

[Dawg61]

Houston has to be ready by next season.

Houston needs a lot of work on his dribbling and shooting but he does have NBA athleticism. He'd give Zach Lavine competition in the dunk contest.

[msstate7]

Houston needs more mins. Fred and Daniels are not gonna help us turn the corner next year, but Houston might

[chef dixon]

Houston and Black play with swag. Swag needs coaching refinement, but I like it.

[msstate7]

Kentucky scored 110 sat. Good defensive effort

[Dawg61]

Houston and Black play with swag. Swag needs coaching refinement, but I like it.

Agree. I want to see this lineup start from here on.

PG Ready
SG Sword
SF Houston
PF Black
C Ware

[smootness]

Has there been a kentucky team this good since '96?

I think the Anthony Davis team was better, even if not quite as effective at times simply due to this team's size.

They were similarly difficult for college teams to beat.

[RougeDawg]

Houston has great upside. He has some ups. We need Sword to drive at will in the 2nd half and have Ware off to the side ready for the pass if Craig gets doubled or tripled. Only way we have a chance of beating them is going right at them.

Why is IJ trying to drive and layup on these guys that have at least 12" on him? He needs to understand what we need.

[smootness]

I don't think this UK will win it all, btw.

I think this team has better depth than they do truly top talent. Their depth and size are what beats teams, not their overall talent level.

I think they'll hit a buzzsaw at some point, and they won't be able to overcome it.

[chef dixon]

I'm not sure we have had a game this season without a 5+ minute scoring drought

[msstate7]

I'm not sure we have had a game this season without a 5+ minute scoring drought

If we have, it's very few. What's aggravating is we miss point blank shots all the time. We shouldn't have had a drought that long, but point blank misses

[chef dixon]

Anyone know if Malik showed up to check out Kentucky?

[msstate7]

That may have been our best offensive execution all year. Very nice

[msstate7]

Anyone know if Malik showed up to check out Kentucky?

I hope so. He knows kentucky is awesome, but he'd see we're not as bad as our record indicates

[msstate7]

FT's! Got to have them all

[Dawg61]

Crooming it close

[RougeDawg]

We're going to have to get on Craig's shoulders and hope he can carry us tonight.

[msstate7]

Houston driving... If he can keep doing that, him and sword will be a nightmare to guard

[chef dixon]

We have sort of lulled UK to sleep with a half full arena. Not quite taking advantage of it by hitting free throws here.

[smootness]

We just need to keep rebounding like we are and continue to avoid turnovers. Only 4 TOs right now, pretty impressive.

[Dawg61]

We're going to have to get on Craig's shoulders and hope he can carry us tonight.

Might be Houston's coming out party. He looks quick to the basket tonight.

[smootness]

That looked like an incredibly weak call, but we don't even get a replay of it.

[smootness]

Have to make some jump shots if we want to have a shot.

[msstate7]

They havent missed a ft. We've missed 7. Lead is 6... We cant beat good teams missing FT's

[oldwave]

Free throws...........

[smootness]

They havent missed a ft. We've missed 7. Lead is 6... We cant beat good teams missing FT's

Well, realistically, we're not going to make every single one. If we could have hit 2-3 more, though, obviously that would be big here.

The problem isn't that we're not shooting FTs well, it's who is shooting them. Roquez getting to the FT line doesn't help us.

[msstate7]

Put black in

[Dawg61]

why does Roq miss every contested two footer?

[chef dixon]

Man Sword is playing his ass off.

[msstate7]

Gotta get that one black

[smootness]

why does Roq miss every contested two footer?

He's not very skilled.

[smootness]

We're getting good looks offensively, we just can't put it in.

[Dawg61]

He's not very skilled.

Lol true story

[CJDAWG85]

We need the rims from the Sad Pad... Goodness our shots are hitting them and flying off

[chef dixon]

Well, realistically, we're not going to make every single one. If we could have hit 2-3 more, though, obviously that would be big here.

The problem isn't that we're not shooting FTs well, it's who is shooting them. Roquez getting to the FT line doesn't help us.

Roq shoots 70% from FT; actually pretty decent.

[Dawg61]

5 second violation

[msstate7]

I'm not gonna miss fred

[smootness]

Roq shoots 70% from FT; actually pretty decent.

But he definitely has stretches like this. I'm just saying, it doesn't surprise when a guy like him misses several. If it's Ready, it's a different story.

[Dawg61]

I'm not gonna miss fred

+1

[rcsteph1]

Well There's your 5+ min scoring drought

[RougeDawg]

Our second 5+ minute scoring drought of the game. Cannot have just one of those a game and hope to win. We have now gone at minimum 25% of this game without scoring a point, with 25% left.

[bluelightstar]

Fortunately, this is the part where Cal feels sorry for us and calls off the dogs.

[Dawg61]

5 second violation again

[Irondawg]

What's amazing is that against the longest, most athletic team we play we can limit turnovers

[rcsteph1]

And we can't buy a free throw

[msstate7]

Fortunately, this is the part where Cal feels sorry for us and calls off the dogs.

Who exactly is he gonna put in to "call off the dogs"?

[smootness]

What's amazing is that against the longest, most athletic team we play we can limit turnovers

Kentucky's a weird team, though. The Harrison twins are tall and long but not overly athletic and not really great defenders. Booker and Ulis aren't that big.

Then you have a bunch of centers, really. They're really athletic for guys 7 feet tall, but they're not really guys who are going to get into passing lanes and get a bunch of steals.

It's just a strange team to me. They're talented, but I think there are definitely teams who can put 5 guys on the court more talented than what UK offers. But at the same time, they're ridiculously huge and it's a guarantee your second team won't match up at all with theirs.

ETA: They miss Poythress for this reason. He gave them an option that was tall and long and could go guard guys on the perimeter and shut them down. He also gave them a slasher on offense. They're missing that right now.

[smootness]

Who exactly is he gonna put in to "call off the dogs"?

Haha I thought the same thing. Their 8-12 would still beat us without too much problem.

[msstate7]

Incredibly dumb move by sword. Did he really think he was gonna dunk over him?

[chef dixon]

Incredibly dumb move by sword. Did he really think he was gonna dunk over him?

What do you really want him to do though? He's playing hard and knows the ineptitude that results when he passes it to someone else who isn't wide open under the basket.

[BankerDog]

At least he had the balls to do it. No one else on this team does.

[msstate7]

What do you really want him to do though? He's playing hard and knows the ineptitude that results when he passes it to someone else who isn't wide open under the basket.

I'm not mad at sword. I don't even fault him for trying, but I really wonder if he thought he was gonna pull that off

[Dawg61]

Kentucky pushed Kyle Wiltjer out the door. He just scored 45 for Gonzaga the other day. He wouldn't be in their top 10

[msstate7]

At least he had the balls to do it. No one else on this team does.

Houston does

[smootness]

Gotta love the obvious 3-step layups that aren't called.

[smootness]

Kentucky pushed Kyle Wiltjer out the door. He just scored 45 for Gonzaga the other day. He wouldn't be in their top 10

Oh, yes he would.

[Rayburn8]

They really out talent us, but I find it funny that when we cut to four the refs swallow their whistles and let Kentucky maul us.

[Dawg61]

Houston!! I love this kid!

[BankerDog]

He just did didn't he? Haha. Once he can become consistent he'll be a player.

Fred looked good right there those two possessions. Nice 3 and a nice shot that he created. I can't believe how a guy who shot 37% from 3 in a career hasn't done that well in college. I think he has been thinking way too much.

[msstate7]

Houston has to play more from here out

[Dawg61]

He just did didn't he? Haha. Once he can become consistent he'll be a player.

Fred looked good right there those two possessions. Nice 3 and a nice shot that he created. I can't believe how a guy who shot 37% from 3 in a career hasn't done that well in college. I think he has been thinking way too much.

He's a very poor ball-handler. He can not create his own shot making his offense very limited.

[Dawg61]

Booker is damn good

[smootness]

He just did didn't he? Haha. Once he can become consistent he'll be a player.

Fred looked good right there those two possessions. Nice 3 and a nice shot that he created. I can't believe how a guy who shot 37% from 3 in a career hasn't done that well in college. I think he has been thinking way too much.

Fred's ok. He's now 2-4 from 3 tonight and is at 33% on the season. Not what we thought he'd be, but an ok shooter who can get hot. I agree that it's a little strange he's never taken off but I don't know what the answer is.

[msstate7]

Booker is damn good

Pro shooter in college

[msstate7]

On a team of bad shooters, bloodman takes the cake

[Rayburn8]

On a team of bad shooters, bloodman takes the cake
That bad?

[MabenMaroon]

HA!! 17*u Vegas, 19 pt. favorite my ass!

[RougeDawg]

Vegas was spot on, once again. Amazing how close they are, even with these large spreads.

[MabenMaroon]

Ain't that the truth!

[tcdog70]

Incredibly dumb move by sword. Did he really think he was gonna dunk over him?

Chicken attacking the Rim is what kept us close. He was trying to get to the free throw line.

[tcdog70]

Houston driving... If he can keep doing that, him and sword will be a nightmare to guard

Put them in together and let them attack the rim. That would be our best option for offense.

[msstate7]

Put them in together and let them attack the rim. That would be our best option for offense.

I agree.

[msstate7]

Chicken attacking the Rim is what kept us close. He was trying to get to the free throw line.

I guess so. He just had the ball cocked back like he was gonna dunk on that monster

[tcdog70]

We miss more point blank shots than anyone I've seen this year.
7 just a question have you ever played down low and had guys 4 inches taller contesting all your shots. It ain't as easy as you think.
We have a 4 playing a 5 and a 3playing 4.

[tcdog70]

Agree. I want to see this lineup start from here on.

PG Ready
SG Sword
SF Houston
PF Black
C Ware


Why not, I thought so ten games ago.

[msstate7]

7 just a question have you ever played down low and had guys 4 inches taller contesting all your shots. It ain't as easy as you think.
We have a 4 playing a 5 and a 3playing 4.

No, I havent. I don't think ware is a 4 though

[Bully13]

I miss drugs, no discipline, bitchin' about no sweet 16's and fights in HI.

[tcdog70]

No, I havent. I don't think ware is a 4 though

He is a power forward , his best shot is. 12-15 jumper. He is a Wiley Peck - Russell Walters- type player. He is 6-8" going tonight against 7'.