Let's Go To Minneapolis: Kentucky/Auburn Game Thread

[GOCAT15]

This year i am not even mad at Cal, we hit freethrows we win, plain and simple. For all the good things PJ did and his development, he walked up to the line with a smirk on his face confident he had this and then missed,. It was a issue last year and he blew it again, plain and simple....

100% agree, he was a heck of a player this year, but for some reason he forgot how to shoot free throws Sunday and it killed us.

[Dwight Schrute]

I think he was just tired - he looked like he was shortarming a bunch of them.

[Lighthouse]

Hard for me to place any of the blame on PJ. The guy had his foot in a cast for week and it was clear he still wasn't quite right. Yet he played 37 minutes and carried the team. It was obvious before he shot free throws that he was gassed.

I wish we would have saw EJ and Nick enough to give some of the other guys a breather. Maybe even block a few of those shots at the rim that Harper and Brown were getting over and over. If not block the shot give a foul and wear them down and make them earn it at the line rather than shoot layups.

UK had 5 guys play 35+ minutes, while Pearl ran guys in and out continuously. To the tune of 9 guys with at least 12 minutes. Combined stats for Spencer, Dunbar and McCormick were 3 points and 6 rebounds, so it's not like they were exactly killing it. But they gave 36 minutes of defense and beating and banging on the UK guys. I'm totally convinced if Nick and EJ had been given 20-25 minutes between the two of them we would be looking forward to watching them play in the Final Four. Instead.......

Great perspective! And I would bet Cal has thought the same things many times since.

[40bill]

Great perspective! And I would bet Cal has thought the same things many times since.

Cal has already said he would second guess himself a lot. Rotating in Richards and Montgomery, pulling Ashton, giving Baker more time.....

Final Fours are tremendously hard to achieve. Too many variables out of a coach's control in a single elimination format. Cats focused like mad on the three and they got backdoored to pieces.
Best free throw shooting team in ten years....until that half.

Cats had an off night at the worst time. Auburn brought it.