Ostensibly Hoops

[eCat]

This is nothing new though - Robert Morris is playing the defending national champ in their own gym. These guys are playing out of their minds but they'll eventually calm down and the NIT team that they are will show up.

Doesn't mean UK will win but adrenaline will last only so long

[Bluecat]

Yeah, but the Cats aren't answering the call. Jimmy Dykes had a great line -- if these kids can't answer the bell in this kind of atmosphere, they need to go somewhere else because they don't deserve to have Kentucky across their chests.

[AlabamAlum]

Other scores from NIT action:

Maryland 35, Niagra 35 (half)
St. Joe's 32, St. Johns, 26 (half)
Florida St 26, LaTech 21 (1:10 left in the 1st)
Robert Morris 19, Kentucky 15 (8:15 left in the 1st)

[eCat]

whaddya gonna do?

Cal is already in a rock and a hard place - even if Noel wants to come back, Cal may talk him out of it just to keep scholarship spaces open.

Goodwin and Poythress aren't going anywhere - that would just mean another 2 years before their NBA shot unless they went NAIA (not happening)

Wiltjer is the guy I'm most down on right now. Talk about not answering the call, I've seen him mouth "fuck you" to Cal twice when walking away from him during a timeout (once was on the bench and he said "fuck him" to Harrow). The kid was on the national championship team but he has been worthless when the team needed him - not that there is a shortage of that on this team but he isn't a freshmen.

[AlabamAlum]

NIT Update: Florida State 28, LaTech 24, at the half.

[AlabamAlum]

Wiltjer is the guy I'm most down on right now. Talk about not answering the call, I've seen him mouth "fuck you" to Cal twice when walking away from him during a timeout (once was on the bench and he said "fuck him" to Harrow). The kid was on the national championship team but he has been worthless when the team needed him - not that there is a shortage of that on this team but he isn't a freshmen.

You've gotta be kidding. Did Cal see it? If he did, how the fuck is he still on the team?

[The Anti k*]

Just to clarify, Blue, I'd root for the real Devil vs. the blew devils. I was just messin' with Augie on that post.

Question: Why couldn't UK play this game at their old Memorial Gym?

[eCat]

I don't think Cal is above saying Fuck You to his players either

but the "fuck him" was definitely on tape and there was a thread about it at KSR for a few days.

[AlabamAlum]

Well, the whole respect for authority, team cohesion thing seems like it would keep the audible "fuck you's" down.

If a player said "fuck you" to Saban, I can pretty much guarantee that the player would never be seen on the field again.

[AlabamAlum]

And Kentucky takes the lead 25-24.

[crotch]

Question: Why couldn't UK play this game at their old Memorial Gym?

They said the people who work the Rupp Arena tourney also work the Memorial Coliseum. Not sure I buy that explanation. My guess is they didn't want to get their tales kicked and boo'd at home.

[eCat]

Well, the whole respect for authority, team cohesion thing seems like it would keep the audible "fuck you's" down.

If a player said "fuck you" to Saban, I can pretty much guarantee that the player would never be seen on the field again.

well he didn't say it to his face, the camera just stayed on Wiltjer as they broke from time out. The first one, Harrow was getting his ass chewed on the bench with Wiltjer sitting next to him, as Cal walked off, Wiltjer leaned over, said something and ended it with "fuck him" and you didn't have to be a good lip reader to see it

The second Cal was in his face, they broke the huddle and as Wiltjer turned his back to Cal and was walking onto the court you could see him say "Fuck you"

But who knows - this team isn't as good as their parts, so that tells you there is a serious problem somewhere that will probably show up about a month from now in the message boards. I'd be surprised if Wiltjer is the only one throwing f bombs around at this point.

Not that I don't agree with you but Cal will handle it as he sees fit - and he's always thinking about the kid coming in next and how what he does today effect that kid, not so much the one he has on the team at the moment.

[AlabamAlum]

Fair enough.

[AlabamAlum]

NIT UPDATE:


St. John's beats St. Joe's with a buzzer beater, 63-61
Florida State and LaTech are knotted up at 60 with 3:40 left to play
Maryland taking it to Niagra now, 86-68
Kentucky 31, Robert Morris 40 with 13 minutes left to play

[aTm]

What a terrible league.

[crotch]

That is one pathetic team... especially those 3 NBA first round picks. Any GM would be nuts to draft that bunch of losers. Total embarrassment as it should be.

[Jungle Rat]

Oh My

[AlabamAlum]

Final: Maryland 86, Niagra 70
Final: LaTech 71, Florida State 66

Alabama up early on Northeastern, 13-3

[hedge]

"Cal need to call another timeout , give the team plain white t-shirts to wear and make them take off the Kentucky top."

Maybe he should have them write "KILLER" across the front with a sharpie...

"Jimmy Dykes had a great line -- if these kids can't answer the bell in this kind of atmosphere, they need to go somewhere else because they don't deserve to have Kentucky across their chests."

Not so sure about that. This team reminds me quite alot of the product that UK put out for most of the past 15 or so years before Cal came onto the scene. Don't get me wrong, I like it. But it's pure tomfoolery to pretend like this isn't not only something we haven't seen out of UK in recent memory, but what we are very, very well used to. Good times. Cheers!

[AlabamAlum]

Alabama up early on Northeastern, 24-9.