Playing For Keeps!

What a great day to be a UK basketball fan! Say Amen!

It is the day after UK showed the world just how could they COULD be! Not a misprint!!! How good they COULD be!

I have been reading the comments from the BBN and every comment is good. The BBN has so many knowledgeable avid basketball fans and I enjoy posting with all of them. That said, those comments combined have given rise to this post.

It is so obvious to all (even the jealous ones) (eat your heart out Bobby Knight and Digger Phelps among others) that not only is this edition of UK Wildcat’s talented, but the coach on the sidelines is a great coach. How many coaches can recruit players like Cal has and THEN get them to play together? How many coaches can manage egos like Cal has? How many coaches can get so many highly talented and pampered players to share the ball and enjoy doing it? How many coaches man get those same players to play such great defense? How many coaches (and this is critical) can develop players at such a pace they will continue to develop until tournament time (are you listening TX)?

The answer is not many. There are some great coaches out there like Tom Izzo that gets his players to keep getting better all year and look at MI State now. I posted in another article that they would be a #1 seed and now the pundits are saying it as well.

Cal is in a league by himself right now. Of course it helps that he is at a program where everyone cares, but bottom line is he is getting it done. He hasn’t won the big game yet, but he has come so close. He almost got it done at Memphis and UMass. His first year at UK Wall and Co. came within a failed three or two to making the final four and I believe win it all. Last year the same thing with a team not as talented as this years edition. I hate to say that, but this years edition has all the intangibles to get to the big dance in New Orleans. There are some really good teams out there waiting for the youngsters, but I believe they believe they can get it done. There is such a quiet arrogance in their demeanor which is a good thing. They believe in themselves and each other.

Last night I watched the Ms State game and watched State throw everything they had in the game. I mean they gave it their all and I give them credit for a fine game, but it wasn’t enough when Miller and Company decided to turn up the heat.

State had the adrenaline going, but time after time when they thought they would put UK away they just kept coming back and back until State started folding their tents (along with the fans). You could see it in their faces. Their coach lost that arrogant smirk on his face which was replaced by a look of disbelief and fear. It was like he knew the end was near and the devil was calling him home. Dee Bost the same thing. I loved every camera shot toward the end of the game.

UK showed they still had some work to do and the announcers loved every minute of it. Brad Nessler was at his best. His voice was tuned it to every point State made. Dykes wasn’t much better, but a little (after all a color guy has to do some positive work, and he did) (I don’t care for Nessler, but I still kind of like Jimmy Dykes), however; it was plain to see they thought and wanted the boys in blue to go down to defeat. Toward the end Nessler ran out of gas and his voice returned to the ‘looks like another comeback for the Cat’s’ mode.

Here is my take on the game after having a good nights sleep, ha!

Yeah Teague didn’t have a stellar game. What upset me was his driving to the basket and not completing the shot when he could have dished to an open guy. He also drove into the lane without a plan B. He missed some shots, but Cal wants him to take them in order to draw the defense to him. The same goes for Davis when he missed several shots from outside. He was trying to pull the tank from his encampment to open up the inside. When he did a foul was sometimes called on the big sweaty guy. Davis made him look silly and probably removed what little chance he had of making it to the NBA.

Lamb, of course, had to keep shooting and sometimes a drive to the basket does the trick for him. Miller too, I mean jeepers some NBA team is going to get a go-to guy and be glad they got him. Perfect person to lead this team of fancy Cat or Swat Team I like to call them. Miller has no ego or if he does he hides it well, but man he has been a terror when they needed a terrorizer! MKG, can enough be said about his tenacity. I remember writing about him early before the season started saying he would bring it every game and he has, especially last night.

Notes:  1. That technical on Davis should not have been called.  If he hadn’t of steadied himself after flying through the air at a high rate of speed aided by the push from the defensive guy (the foul should have been on him not Davis).  2.  The technical on Teague I believe happened because he was hit where he shouldn’t have been by a quick flip of the wrist by the defender Hood.  That was reminiscent of a shot given by Garnet of the Celtics which resulted in a suspension.  The referees looked at the monitor to see what happened but not a word about that incident by those inept zebras.  Can’t stand Show or Valentine, period!!

It is almost time to play for keeps, but I believe even better games are in store for this latest breed of Cat and the delighted UK fans.

Yep, players play and coaches coach and I am telling you I like what we have.