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UofL vs UK match-up once again proves its worth

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Knucklehank1

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The premier annual non-conference college basketball game once again proves it worth in the ESPN lineup relative to other basketball match-ups. ESPN will air the game at 7pm on Wed Dec 21. This slot is the one available spot that doesn't coincide with a bowl game, which always generate huge TV ratings. The folks at ESPN plan to have this hugely rated basketball game as a lead-in to its 9pm bowl matchup. They know that historically this game will bring in a huge audience that will hopefully then stay tuned for the football game. Because Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on a Saturday, it wasn't possible to slot the basketball game where it could generate as much exposure given the decision to hold major bowl games on New Year's Eve this year (Citrus, Gator, Peach, Fiesta).

From a UofL fan perspective this is also a big win because this game will not intersect with any of our potential bowl opportunities. Of course UK football doesn't have to concern themselves with this issue.
 
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Dec. 20: Marmot Boca Raton Bowl (American vs. CUSA)
Dec. 21: LPT game + Poinsettia Bowl (BYU vs MWC)
Dec. 22: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (MAC vs MWC)

Yeah, that's the neighborhood I wanna live in. In some situations, they call that a $hit sandwich...
 
zipp said:
Dec. 20: Marmot Boca Raton Bowl (American vs. CUSA)
Dec. 21: LPT game + Poinsettia Bowl (BYU vs MWC)
Dec. 22: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (MAC vs MWC)

Yeah, that's the neighborhood I wanna live in. In some situations, they call that a $hit sandwich...
Click to expand...

From a TV ratings perspective, it's actually a pretty good upper middle class neighborhood, while the rest of college basketball hangs out in the slums.
 
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A mange of marmots!!


images
 
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Knucklehank1 said:
From a TV ratings perspective, it's actually a pretty good upper middle class neighborhood, while the rest of college basketball hangs out in the slums.
Click to expand...
Keep telling yourself that. Better than the slums, I got it.

And if it's bowl games you want, you had it right when you staged it around New Year's...
 
Let them play Duke I could give a damn. With our line up they need the win against us more than we need anything from SuCk. BB isn't the king now that happens to be FB. So that slot is as good as it gets. Yeah it's a state rival and that's it. Win or lose it has little impact on us other than to keep Bubba from pestering us.
 
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TheWyldKat said:
Let's all be realistic. Coach Cal's record is 7 -1 vs Louisville during his tenure at Kentucky. Wouldn't it be better for everyone including Louisville if Kentucky played a better opponent that weekend giving Louisville the opportunity to play a lesser opponent to possibly get a win to pad their record?
Click to expand...

Well the wins over UofL have usually been the best or at least one of the better wins on Uk's resume for their entire season lately. The Cards have plenty of opportunities for big wins in the ACC. Uk in the SEC...not so much.
 
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shadow force said:
Well the wins over UofL have usually been the best or at least one of the better wins on Uk's resume for their entire season lately. The Cards have plenty of opportunities for big wins in the ACC. Uk in the SEC...not so much.
Click to expand...


Actually the more I think about it I agree with you. Ball busting aside Louisville is a top 10 program. Last year's win did help our resume.
 
TheWyldKat said:
Hmm, all of the sentences you could put together and you come up with this response?
Click to expand...

Your original post appears to be a weak trolling post. Show some respect when you come to visit and you'll be shown respect back. That being said, my response wasn't appropriate and was worthless. I'll move back to arguing with Zipp now.
 
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Knucklehank1 said:
I will say this. I think that Pitino being at UofL has been good for UK basketball and Cal being at UK has been good for UofL bball. As fans, we have all been the beneficiaries.
Click to expand...

When asked if Cal has pushed Pitino since coming to UK, he actually admitted he feels like Pitino's success at Louisville pushes him.
 
They don't like each other. That's easy to see as a fan. Has that been good or bad for the rivalry? That's the question to debate.

IMO It's created more vile and nasty attitudes between the fan bases. There used to be a level of respect between the two fan bases that has dissipated since Pitino went to UofL, and has completed melted down since Calipari went to UofK. UofL fans have never liked Calipari because of how he has always cut corners (in UofL and UofK fans minds before he went to UofK) and his arrogance as a person, which has increased with his success at UoK. On the other hand, UofK fans (in general) still have not forgiven Pitino for taking the UofL job in the first place. His own level of arrogance was on full display when he snubbed the loyal UofK fans and became a villain in their eyes by going to the red side.

This soap opera feel between the two coaches has added to the rivalry, and is the reason it's still one of the most watched regular season college basketball games each year. It's a built in story line for the announcers to hype the game. It creates interest, and the TV ratings prove that.
 
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I will go a step further. I sincerely believe that calipari's drive to be remembered more than Pitino is what motivates him and the recent games against U of L. Not a super bowl syndrome. When Pitino went to UK the fans were tired of Hall's complacency and Sutton's willingness to cheat. They were looking for a savior to restore them to the best BB program in the country. They thought they had that with Pitino. So now with not much of a memory of Rupp, it was Pitino that needed to be knocked off that pedestal and now even though pitino's image has been tarnished by the fact he is coaching at their arch rival, the drive to be better has been filled with hate and how dare you. Pitino on the other hand has no such motivation as long as he can continue to make Sweet 16s and FFs.
 
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Hard to argue with that rational line of thought nccardfan. It sure seems to fit.
 
I agree with the takes above. I also celebrate the fact that Pitino always has understood the role of entertainment in basketball. That he plies his trade for the team I like is a luxury of living in this age which I dutifully appreciate. That overall perspective was not some "egotism" to my mind - his coming here - but was also confidence and a sense of challenge, the fruits of which we are all grateful. The crazed and panicked hatred of the man at UK revealed the excesses I believe he was determined to expose, actually. And certainly, if not determined, then destined to expose. Where we see some measure of distaste and condemnation almost everywhere we look regarding McGee's hooker pageantry, there is no destination in the galaxy that we know of where 20,000 posts and a million looks could ever more reflect their obsession with the man. It is a completely unprecedented level of obsession.

At UofL, Pitino knew he could entertain a knowledgeable and supportive fan base once he got the motor running. It is wholly ironic and completely satisfying to me that level of entertainment he has supplied. It has been 360 degrees of the best the sport has to offer, from the overachieving of under rated squads, to the disappointments if the over rated ones.

Pitino has a sense of pageantry - it is a glorious thing to watch, including his press conferences, lol, where laughs are as often as commentary. He consistently delivers entertainment, grit and competitive fire for a city which has come to appreciate him more and more as time goes by. Certainly this corner, anyway.

He exists in a galaxy of unparalleled success - his coaching tree is a Sequoia. His players tend to love him. He teaches and embodies Tough Love.

There is no reason to wait to appreciate one of the most impressive legacies in the sport. What is even better is how he acknowledges his excesses and mistakes. He has let us grow with him. There in nothing half-assed in this legacy - even his failures were spectacular.
 
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shadow force said:
Well the wins over UofL have usually been the best or at least one of the better wins on Uk's resume for their entire season lately. The Cards have plenty of opportunities for big wins in the ACC. Uk in the SEC...not so much.
Click to expand...
Precisely why this game has asymmetric outcomes: it usually now benefits them more than it does us.

And that's across all sports except riflery.

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
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Cue Card said:
They don't like each other. That's easy to see as a fan. Has that been good or bad for the rivalry? That's the question to debate.

IMO It's created more vile and nasty attitudes between the fan bases. There used to be a level of respect between the two fan bases that has dissipated since Pitino went to UofL, and has completed melted down since Calipari went to UofK. UofL fans have never liked Calipari because of how he has always cut corners (in UofL and UofK fans minds before he went to UofK) and his arrogance as a person, which has increased with his success at UoK. On the other hand, UofK fans (in general) still have not forgiven Pitino for taking the UofL job in the first place. His own level of arrogance was on full display when he snubbed the loyal UofK fans and became a villain in their eyes by going to the red side...
Click to expand...
Time tends to fade memories. If you're as old as me, you can recall times prior to Pitino and Pitino Lite.

Denny was quoted on TV--"that's typical"--in response to a reporter's question why LPT refused to schedule U of L. The drunk-with-the-do, Eddie Sutton, coined the "little brother" reference that some of our fans still can't shake off. As examples, those situations and remarks weren't borne out of mutual respect and simple competitiveness. They're just too far back for many of us to remember that well.

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
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zipp said:
Time tends to fade memories. If you're as old as me, you can recall times prior to Pitino and Pitino Lite.

Denny was quoted on TV--"that's typical"--in response to a reporter's question why LPT refused to schedule U of L. The drunk-with-the-do, Eddie Sutton, coined the "little brother" reference that some of our fans still can't shake off. As examples, those situations and remarks weren't borne out of mutual respect and simple competitiveness. They're just too far back for many of us to remember that well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mayo's comment:

I remember those instances very well. IMO, those remarks were borne out of irrational fear by BBN fans, and insolent arrogance that uk was superior in every measurable possible no matter the facts.

That UofL beat the almighty Rupp in 1959 and then won the Dream game in 1983, challenged their psyche and disturbed the 'way things were' and perceived to be and should be by uk fans.

The 'little brother' reference speaks much more to their state of mind and pettiness than it did/does UofL's. Those on BBN side are the ones who can't get past that denigrating comment, and their history, much more than Cardinal fans in general.

SInce I didn't beat you.....I just won't play you anymore.....and then I can just claim victory because of a false sense of superiority.....easy to keep thinking that if the 2 teams don't play and hard to dispute to the contrary. That 'is what it is' and rational thinking will not overcome that due to pettiness inherent in human nature.
Click to expand...
 
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zipp said:
Time tends to fade memories. If you're as old as me, you can recall times prior to Pitino and Pitino Lite.

Denny was quoted on TV--"that's typical"--in response to a reporter's question why LPT refused to schedule U of L. The drunk-with-the-do, Eddie Sutton, coined the "little brother" reference that some of our fans still can't shake off. As examples, those situations and remarks weren't borne out of mutual respect and simple competitiveness. They're just too far back for many of us to remember that well.

"Elite program", my a$$...
Click to expand...
I remember it well. The outcome in 1983 in Nashville with a final 4 birth to the winner was the start of a level of respect. Before that win by UofL, the UofK program and its fans had always thought of themselves as superior in every stinking way in spite of the win in 1959 which knocked UofK out of the NCAA tourney when they were ranked #2 in the nation.

That first and only dream game laid the foundation for a respectful rivalry then Eddie Sutton blew in and spouted off his drunken mouth and things went sideways in a hurry. He cheated, UofK got caught in Kentucky shame and the worm has turned a few times since. Pitino leaving UofK then coming back to coach UofL, and the Pitino lite wanting to outdo the one coach he has always wanted to outdo got his shot at Camelot, and for now it's working out in his favor during the regular season. Both have won 1 title so far for each program. Time will tell if more are on the way.
 
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Senore2006 said:
I agree with the takes above. I also celebrate the fact that Pitino always has understood the role of entertainment in basketball. That he plies his trade for the team I like is a luxury of living in this age which I dutifully appreciate. That overall perspective was not some "egotism" to my mind - his coming here - but was also confidence and a sense of challenge, the fruits of which we are all grateful. The crazed and panicked hatred of the man at UK revealed the excesses I believe he was determined to expose, actually. And certainly, if not determined, then destined to expose. Where we see some measure of distaste and condemnation almost everywhere we look regarding McGee's hooker pageantry, there is no destination in the galaxy that we know of where 20,000 posts and a million looks could ever more reflect their obsession with the man. It is a completely unprecedented level of obsession.

At UofL, Pitino knew he could entertain a knowledgeable and supportive fan base once he got the motor running. It is wholly ironic and completely satisfying to me that level of entertainment he has supplied. It has been 360 degrees of the best the sport has to offer, from the overachieving of under rated squads, to the disappointments if the over rated ones.

Pitino has a sense of pageantry - it is a glorious thing to watch, including his press conferences, lol, where laughs are as often as commentary. He consistently delivers entertainment, grit and competitive fire for a city which has come to appreciate him more and more as time goes by. Certainly this corner, anyway.

He exists in a galaxy of unparalleled success - his coaching tree is a Sequoia. His players tend to love him. He teaches and embodies Tough Love.

There is no reason to wait to appreciate one of the most impressive legacies in the sport. What is even better is how he acknowledges his excesses and mistakes. He has let us grow with him. There in nothing half-assed in this legacy - even his failures were spectacular.
Click to expand...

This may well be the post of the year. Cards fans we live in exciting times! Final 4 on the horizon....
 
Knucklehank1 said:
The premier annual non-conference college basketball game once again proves it worth in the ESPN lineup relative to other basketball match-ups. ESPN will air the game at 7pm on Wed Dec 21. This slot is the one available spot that doesn't coincide with a bowl game, which always generate huge TV ratings. The folks at ESPN plan to have this hugely rated basketball game as a lead-in to its 9pm bowl matchup. They know that historically this game will bring in a huge audience that will hopefully then stay tuned for the football game. Because Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on a Saturday, it wasn't possible to slot the basketball game where it could generate as much exposure given the decision to hold major bowl games on New Year's Eve this year (Citrus, Gator, Peach, Fiesta).

From a UofL fan perspective this is also a big win because this game will not intersect with any of our potential bowl opportunities. Of course UK football doesn't have to concern themselves with this issue.
Click to expand...
This rivalry would be worth a lot more to the fans if we would beat UK regularly in basketball. This is the biggest game of the regular season for the fans. Asking for wins against them at the YUM isn't asking that much.
 
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eastwood45789 said:
This rivalry would be worth a lot more to the fans if we would beat UK regularly in basketball. This is the biggest game of the regular season for the fans. Asking for wins against them at the YUM isn't asking that much.
Click to expand...
I'm getting some "L'il Bro'" T-shirts printed up if anyone's interested...
 
BPGhost said:
You'll save a fortune if you only give them to your friends...
Click to expand...
No doubt, but I would like to know in advance when a L'il Bro is approaching. You can't always tell when they've peed their pants...
 
zipp said:
I'm getting some "L'il Bro'" T-shirts printed up if anyone's interested...
Click to expand...
Best to have them printed in blue. UofL was founded in 1798. UofK was founded in 1865 I believe. That should explain who the real little brother is.
 
Knucklehank1 said:
From a TV ratings perspective, it's actually a pretty good upper middle class neighborhood, while the rest of college basketball hangs out in the slums.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Most of America would watch ANY bowl game over an NCAAB game in December. Having the game on by itself, immediately before a bowl game (even if it's the John Deere "Imma Lern Youns!" Bowl) is a nice setup for folks to tune in.
 
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Morgantown Card said:
Agreed. Most of America would watch ANY bowl game over an NCAAB game in December. Having the game on by itself, immediately before a bowl game (even if it's the John Deere "Imma Lern Youns!" Bowl) is a nice setup for folks to tune in.
Click to expand...
But since just about any two teams bouncing a basketball make that cut with ESPN--that's what the evidence shows--someone's got a lotta ground to cover touting that opportunity as the result of U of L-LPT being a marquee matchup.

I wonder if the four-letter network will ever wanna stage Duke-UNC basketball during Xmas bowl week?

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
zipp said:
But since just about any two teams bouncing a basketball make that cut with ESPN--that's what the evidence shows--someone's got a lotta ground to cover touting that opportunity as the result of U of L-LPT being a marquee matchup.

I wonder if the four-letter network will ever wanna stage Duke-UNC basketball during Xmas bowl week?

"Elite program", my a$$...
Click to expand...

Strangely enough the only 2 games that rated above UofL vs UK two years ago was Duke-UNC and UNC-Duke
 
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