I have not watched much UK this year (I get tired of watching 1 year players come and go) and know nothing about their Frosh. How do we match up with them this year? Curious to hear what people think.
UK - how does UL match up?
- Thread starter tn00nan
- Start date
Here is my breakdown
Guard play
Lee, Lewis, Q, Mitchell - advantage in shooting.
Murray, Ulis, Briscoe - advantage driving to the basket.
Center
Onuaku is stronger on the boards than SL, but is more foul prone. SL is better at shooting from 10 to 15 feet. Adv Onuaku if he stays out of foul trouble.
Power forward
Spaulding, Johnson vs Poythress, Willis
A push imo, I think that this position will dictate who the winner is.
Guard play
Lee, Lewis, Q, Mitchell - advantage in shooting.
Murray, Ulis, Briscoe - advantage driving to the basket.
Center
Onuaku is stronger on the boards than SL, but is more foul prone. SL is better at shooting from 10 to 15 feet. Adv Onuaku if he stays out of foul trouble.
Power forward
Spaulding, Johnson vs Poythress, Willis
A push imo, I think that this position will dictate who the winner is.
The biggest issue will be the atmosphere and how the players handle the vile, nasty, classless fans they're going to encounter. If the kids can drown that crap out and stay focused on the game itself, then they'll have a chance to earn a nice out of conference road win.
I think rockycard's breakdown above is good, but I disagree about the PF position being the difference maker. I think our wings win the day, and maybe in a big way. I'm not saying UK's guards aren't good. I just think we're going to see the experience factor really come into play in this one.
As I think about it, I think two things are going to determine whether UL can win or not. 1) Our guards ability to withstand their pressure and drive into the lane and score or dish and 2) Our big men staying out of foul trouble. Onuaku has to play at least 25 minutes I think to make up for Mathiang being out.
I've got way more concerns about #2 than #1.
I've got way more concerns about #2 than #1.
Here's how I see it:
Louisville was an after thought before the season started because of personnel losses...They got ZERO respect from the schedule they played up to the MSU game...It was EXPECTED that Sparty would blow Louisville out...When it didn't happen it was because MSU was tired from the road trip!
The MSU game gave others a better insight into what Louisville was/is/can be...More Talented than given credit for. Except for the MSU game, Louisville has done what was/is expected of them from the teams they've played...They've BLOWN Out those teams...And they are the ONLY team that has DOMINATED the teams they were supposed to!!!
Kentucky's win over Duke is a good win...NOT a Great win...Duke has two losses before Christmas...NOT a Normal Duke team...So to has Kentucky...And those two losses to UCLA and Ohio State are BAD Losses for the Wildcats...And there were Several UGLY games at Rupp that Kentucky won!!!
Murray is a player...Everyone else is more hype than NBA Ready...Good, but NOT overpowering. Willis is the Sleeper for this game...Has a Very Good outside shot and can go low post, but Cal REFUSES to use him like he should!!!
Louisville has Two Really Good 5th year Seniors, and some Really Good Young Talent that play Together as a TEAM...And other than the last 4 minutes against Michigan State, they Communicate with each other well!!!
I see Louisville doing a lot of zone press...Half Court Traps...And switching from a man to man, to a match up zone, to confuse and tire out Kentucky. I think Louisville will win the Boards, Foul Shooting, Fast Break and Second Chance points!!!
Louisville 81
Kentucky 70
SmokinSmile
Louisville was an after thought before the season started because of personnel losses...They got ZERO respect from the schedule they played up to the MSU game...It was EXPECTED that Sparty would blow Louisville out...When it didn't happen it was because MSU was tired from the road trip!
The MSU game gave others a better insight into what Louisville was/is/can be...More Talented than given credit for. Except for the MSU game, Louisville has done what was/is expected of them from the teams they've played...They've BLOWN Out those teams...And they are the ONLY team that has DOMINATED the teams they were supposed to!!!
Kentucky's win over Duke is a good win...NOT a Great win...Duke has two losses before Christmas...NOT a Normal Duke team...So to has Kentucky...And those two losses to UCLA and Ohio State are BAD Losses for the Wildcats...And there were Several UGLY games at Rupp that Kentucky won!!!
Murray is a player...Everyone else is more hype than NBA Ready...Good, but NOT overpowering. Willis is the Sleeper for this game...Has a Very Good outside shot and can go low post, but Cal REFUSES to use him like he should!!!
Louisville has Two Really Good 5th year Seniors, and some Really Good Young Talent that play Together as a TEAM...And other than the last 4 minutes against Michigan State, they Communicate with each other well!!!
I see Louisville doing a lot of zone press...Half Court Traps...And switching from a man to man, to a match up zone, to confuse and tire out Kentucky. I think Louisville will win the Boards, Foul Shooting, Fast Break and Second Chance points!!!
Louisville 81
Kentucky 70
SmokinSmile
I am the flip side of the OP. I know my team (UK) but have not watched much of UL. I caught part of the MSU game and a few fragments here and there. Based on that small sample UL is kind of similar in that they have really strong guards but question marks across the front line.
Looking at the stats, you guys are taking more 3s (215 vs 182) but making them at a higher clip (38% vs 30%). Yeah, our outside shooting has been abysmal. If it graduated to decent I would be thrilled. Briscoe has been struggling from deep and from the line (shooting 38% from ft) so aside from defense and just being an all-around competitor, he is not giving much. If he were able to drive the lane and draw some fouls and turn that into points, I would worry less about his outside shooting. In previous years we have been able to rely on above average defense to help when our offense stalls. This year our defense ranges from iffy to good. That does not bode well against a team like UL.
Eh, I am biased and I think the home court advantage will help UK pull out a close one. I will not be shocked if UL wins either….I will be mad but not shocked.
Looking at the stats, you guys are taking more 3s (215 vs 182) but making them at a higher clip (38% vs 30%). Yeah, our outside shooting has been abysmal. If it graduated to decent I would be thrilled. Briscoe has been struggling from deep and from the line (shooting 38% from ft) so aside from defense and just being an all-around competitor, he is not giving much. If he were able to drive the lane and draw some fouls and turn that into points, I would worry less about his outside shooting. In previous years we have been able to rely on above average defense to help when our offense stalls. This year our defense ranges from iffy to good. That does not bode well against a team like UL.
Eh, I am biased and I think the home court advantage will help UK pull out a close one. I will not be shocked if UL wins either….I will be mad but not shocked.
