Kentucky vs. North Carolina: Game Thread

[Joneslab]

Thought it was atrocious in the first half. Second half I didn't notice it at all and thought they did fine.

Probably had nothing to do with why we lost the game, but it is true that if you chart Kentucky's season, the games where we tended to struggle were ones when teams could get to the bench on us. That we had three key players sitting over there in the first half was a huge deal.

That said, Fox's second foul was idiotic. He just reached in and slapped.

It was very bad though on the whole for 20 minutes.

[Westtncat]

The game was more about defense this time. We seemed frustrated with their defense. Not enough patience.

[Joneslab]

The game was more about defense this time. We seemed frustrated with their defense. Not enough patience.

Jackson on Monk was huge. That's a 6'8" guy with a vicious wingspan on a 6'3" guy, and Monk was frustrated virtually the entire game.

[Westtncat]

Jackson on Monk was huge. That's a 6'8" guy with a vicious wingspan on a 6'3" guy, and Monk was frustrated virtually the entire game.

I agree. I felt Monk forced the issue a bit, took a couple of shots that you might as well call turnovers. he really needed some screens or to just be more active. After we played nearly perfect against UCLA I was worried about our mental state vs a team we had already beaten. THey just didnt have the same energy. Bad thing is I feel like that was the championship game. Who ever won that one, wins the title.

[wildcatdon]

It wasnt so much the calls that they made were bad, but it was the no calls that were horrific that turned the tide of the game. I am going to pissed over this one for some time. And the ones they didnt call usually resulted in points for NC..How about Berry using his off arm to push Dom away on the drive to the basket and makes the layup? How about the last shot by Maye? Did he walk? Watch again and see what you think. I've heard that he did. What about Maye's dunk in the first half that he alomost missed. He was hanging on the rim while the ball was in the cylinder wasnt he? I hope the people in Vegas are happy and more wealthy than before. Carolina should not have been in the tournament. If the NCAA ever did anything right they would shut that cheating place down for several years to make up for the 20 plus yrs of horrific cheating.

[KevinHall]

Well....a great game that ended badly for us. Foul trouble obviously hurt UK. I thought a couple of the fouls were bad calls. One on Willis was horrific and another on Bam was very chincey. I thought the goal tends were the right calls. I didn't see the walk on the last shot. If he did it wasn't that obvious and the refs were never going to call that at that point in the game. Like Matt Colvin said it came down to the UK freshman never learned to grab and reach. You will always get fouls called when you do a lot of that. That's just being a freshman too. It's too bad we can't keep any AA's around past their freshman season or we see lot less of these silly mistakes that almost always get UK knocked out of the tournament.

This team came a long way from the Florida game. They got much tougher and improved in nearly every facet of the game after Florida. It's just a crying shame they won't be back together next season and build on this. It's start all over again with a new batch of players. Quite honestly I'm sick of that. Yes UK wins a lot doing it this way but I like a little continuity. I've started pulling away from this some this year. Next year I will be pulling away more. Not just because of the way way Cal does things but because of other things that have gone on in my life. Its time to pull away and concentrate on other things.

[Westtncat]

It wasnt so much the calls that they made were bad, but it was the no calls that were horrific that turned the tide of the game. I am going to pissed over this one for some time. And the ones they didnt call usually resulted in points for NC..How about Berry using his off arm to push Dom away on the drive to the basket and makes the layup? How about the last shot by Maye? Did he walk? Watch again and see what you think. I've heard that he did. What about Maye's dunk in the first half that he alomost missed. He was hanging on the rim while the ball was in the cylinder wasnt he? I hope the people in Vegas are happy and more wealthy than before. Carolina should not have been in the tournament. If the NCAA ever did anything right they would shut that cheating place down for several years to make up for the 20 plus yrs of horrific cheating.

I agree the game was called weird, and I also agree about the no calls. Seemed some of those would be impossible not to call a foul then at teh other end called really close. This coming from someone that hasnt blamed the refs all year.

[Westtncat]

Well....a great game that ended badly for us. Foul trouble obviously hurt UK. I thought a couple of the fouls were bad calls. One on Willis was horrific and another on Bam was very chincey. I thought the goal tends were the right calls. I didn't see the walk on the last shot. If he did it wasn't that obvious and the refs were never going to call that at that point in the game. Like Matt Colvin said it came down to the UK freshman never learned to grab and reach. You will always get fouls called when you do a lot of that. That's just being a freshman too. It's too bad we can't keep any AA's around past their freshman season or we see lot less of these silly mistakes that almost always get UK knocked out of the tournament.

This team came a long way from the Florida game. They got much tougher and improved in nearly every facet of the game after Florida. It's just a crying shame they won't be back together next season and build on this. It's start all over again with a new batch of players. Quite honestly I'm sick of that. Yes UK wins a lot doing it this way but I like a little continuity. I've started pulling away from this some this year. Next year I will be pulling away more. Not just because of the way because of the way Cal does things but because of other things that have gone on in my life. Its time to pull away and concentrate on other things.

I get what you mean. I would love to see some guys stay and build too.

[KevinHall]

I agree the game was called weird, and I also agree about the no calls. Seemed some of those would be impossible not to call a foul then at teh other end called really close. This coming from someone that hasnt blamed the refs all year.

I will say too these refs looked overmatched in this game. There were a few times I thought they had a bewildered look on their face like What do I do now? But that's how bad officiating has become in the NCAA's. It's as bad as I have seen it in all of my 45 years of watching basketball. It shows no sign of getting better either. I think the NCAA is just relying on replays to correct things and not putting money into making these guys better or trying to get better ones.It's just a shame. Its one of the many things that is pulling me away from watching games. Very frustrating to know when you watch any game, not just UK games, that the officials will probably make a horrible call that will affect the outcome of a game.I honestly don't remember ever thinking that way in years gone by.

[BobS]

I think these Cats went as far, and maybe one round farther, than I thought they would. I guarantee you nobody here or anywhere thought we could get to or past the Sweet 16 after Florida thumped us.

But they learned, kept playing, played defense(finally) and rode Fox as far as they could. Monk was off and on great but let's face it. This was the 3rd year our superstar "shooter" went into a slump in Feb/March. And it hurt us. (Booker, Murray, Monk) We were always terribly weak at the 4. Willis was off and on and Gabriel was never on. The 5 position was sketchy as well. Bam is not now, nor will he ever be, a post up center. He has really bad hands and other than a dunk, has trouble finishing. And he has (up until yesterday) no viable backup.

That's some big weaknesses for a team that won a conference title, won the SECT and came this close to being in the Final Four.

Think about that when someone makes the comment that John Calipari is not an elite coach. I think he is. If you disagree, well, I honestly don't care.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely. Can I find fault in the game from players and coaches? Absolutely. But I think they had a great year and I am proud of the effort from both. Proud to be a UK fan. No fake classes, no whores, no major off court stuff to hide in shame from. These days, that's important, IMO. Those kids and those coaches represented UK and the state very well. Bravo to them.

Next year could likely be a bridge year for the program but you never know with the Cats. Maybe a surprise player returns(Bam) and makes strides. But they will compete, because that is what Calipari's teams do.

I've enjoyed our back and forth. Hope to see you next season. Have a great year.

[J.Jennings]

Someone tell me at the end of the first half how in the world did Fox not get fouled going to the basket......also Willis had a foul called on him and he never touched the guy

now if anyone saw it differentt tell me and I will go have my eyes checked

Your eyes are perfectly fine..

[Dwight Schrute]

It is easy to blame the refs - and they were bad. That goaltending call on Bam, whatever that abomination was where they called the foul on Willis, Fox not getting the call on the last play of the half, all of those were horrid.

But all of that said, we lost by 2 points and missed 8 free throws. That's squarely on us.

[Catsrock]

Seems almost general consensus Bam's goaltend/basket interference was the right call. As the rule is written it was. Replay from right above shows a sliver of ball was still over the imaginary cylinder. Therefore maybe it's petty to complain on that one. HOWEVER, in the spirit of the rule and the way it has been called for decades--once the ball is clearly missing and is not touching the rim--was in the air--it would be easy to let it go and I honestly don't think I've ever seen one called when the player hung in the air that long allowing the ball to get that far out of the cylinder.

Just my take. Truly not one that usually gets called but not flat wrong like a lot of the garbage in the 1st half.

One poster keeps pointing out how close the foul totals were. I've never felt it was on the officials to call the same numbers of fouls on each team. It's on them to call fouls correctly.

[Joneslab]

One poster keeps pointing out how close the foul totals were. I've never felt it was on a he officials to call the same numbers of fouls on each team. It's on them to call fouls correctly.

Yes, foul totals are meaningless. It was the missed/non-calls in the first half that were a difference-maker, not the fouls that were called.

[justford]

Well....a great game that ended badly for us. Foul trouble obviously hurt UK. I thought a couple of the fouls were bad calls. One on Willis was horrific and another on Bam was very chincey. I thought the goal tends were the right calls. I didn't see the walk on the last shot. If he did it wasn't that obvious and the refs were never going to call that at that point in the game. Like Matt Colvin said it came down to the UK freshman never learned to grab and reach. You will always get fouls called when you do a lot of that. That's just being a freshman too. It's too bad we can't keep any AA's around past their freshman season or we see lot less of these silly mistakes that almost always get UK knocked out of the tournament.

This team came a long way from the Florida game. They got much tougher and improved in nearly every facet of the game after Florida. It's just a crying shame they won't be back together next season and build on this. It's start all over again with a new batch of players. Quite honestly I'm sick of that. Yes UK wins a lot doing it this way but I like a little continuity. I've started pulling away from this some this year. Next year I will be pulling away more. Not just because of the way way Cal does things but because of other things that have gone on in my life. Its time to pull away and concentrate on other things.

Going along with your continuity statement: other than Oregon, are there any other one and done players on the other three teams in the Final four?