29 hours and counting.

Duke and Virginia knocked out of the ACC tournament.

Last night was GREAT, Carolina wins and Coach Ratface and his pretty boys get beat.

I'd say it's Kentucky's to lose.

I love watching all buzzer beater games.

Mike

KY is smothering AUB right now.

Boilermakers making it tough for the Badgers!

Laffin...."coach ratface"....

North Carolina and Notre Dame tonight, oughta be a barn burner.

That was TFF! Laffin as well.

So, by Duke and UVA losing, those teams get an extra day or so of rest and the ACC gets four teams in (at least) with fairly decent to high seeds.

Yup! Because they are definitely in the tourney. And Virginia can use the rest.

Bucky had little problem with Purdue.

Win by 20 and only 3 turn overs in a game? Wisco plays with DISCIPLINE and they're tournament tested. They'll be dangerous to every team - including KY. Not saying they win it all but there isn't a team that will make the tournament that will be able to look past them.

Yup--I put Wisconsin in the final 4. Bunch of big, fast, smart white boys.

Wisconsin can play; up tempo or slow. They are a really solid team.

Duke is always dangerous. UVA - healthy - can do damage. Now with UNC and ND getting in, they can make some noise.

THIS is what CFB needs!

They only had 5 fouls against Michigan too.

I've never seen a team play so fundamentally sound in regards to turnovers and fouling. You're simply not going to get a ton of free points against them - typically.

They are a fundamentally sound, tough, well coached, smart team. Those teams generally go deep into the tournament (Duke, time and again; UNC; Wake back a few years ago; Syracuse). Add in that they play up tempo well and slow/grind well, and they can score inside and out. They have an excellent chance at the whole thing.

If UVA gets all their key people healthy they will be a handful in the Big Dance.

UNC has been schizophrenic all season. One night they can beat a great team and make it look easy. Next time out they can't beat their meat without a blueprint.

I got Coach Ratface from a friend. I wish I could take credit for it.

UNC has the talent; they just can't stay hot. UVA will be a handful. Duke is Duke, and always dangerous. Then there's ND and Louisville; they'll make noise.

Duke and UVA will still be 1 seeds; UNC and ND just improved their seedings.

I think UVA gets screwed, though, and ends up with the killer bracket this year.

1s? KY, Wisconsin, Duke, UVA. If either Duke or UVA fall from a 1-seed, watch them get the 2 seed in KY's bracket.

"Rat face" has 1k wins, and arguably THE quality, class program in the country. There might be three other schools in the country that wouldn't sell their mothers to have him as their coach.

Ratface is a GREAT coach and runs a great program but he still well. . .. Ratface

If you had a son, would you be upset with him playing for "rat face"? Didn't think so.

I'd like it better if he played for Carolina but Duke wouldn't be a bad second choice. The UVA coach is showing a lot of promise too.

I would not want my son to play for Calipari at KY.

Calipari knows what it takes to win, and winning is all that matters.

Bennett at UVA? Jury is still out. He's building something and has potential, but does it have the chops long term?

Coach K? Proven, and his grads are GOOD men. He instills more than just winning. Roy Williams at UNC? Ditto.

For the record, I loathed Dean Smith.

Dean Smith was a GREAT coach but far, far too liberal for me.

OMG too funny. Coach K will always be ratface to us now.

I like Bennett a lot!!

BTW I may have to pull for Wofford. You think they have a shot??

I think Kentucky could beat every team in the top 10 8 out of 10 times. But the question during tourney time is,...will they play one of those "8" games or will they slip up and play one of the "2" games?

Also,..as good as Kentucky is, I've yet to see them play a game where they're as good as they should be. Two or three players always seems to be having a bad night. Kentucky can get away with that because they're 9 deep minimum and have both an inside and an outside game.

Basically, Kentucky could put together 2 top five teams out of their roster.

Well they played like pro's today. I was especially, impressed by there always being a backup to anything that got through to paint.

Yeah,..they looked good today, but Auburn spent themselves with the game they played yesterday and had two key players out of the game,..so it really wasn't a very good test of Kentucky's abilities.

If UVA or Wisconsin face KY and have all their people healthy and playing well the Wildcats are going to have their hands full.

On a given night Ratface and his pretty boys could beat them and maybe Carolina if all the stars align just right.

I've never understood the allure of Ghetto Tennis...especially the "Madness" part of it...But you all have fun!

Whatever else you may think about Calipari, he does right by the boys that play for him.

That's why Kentucky has 9 McDonalds All Americans on the team,..and every one of them will tell you the same thing about him. He didn't promise them anything when he recruited them except the best training they can get in order to play professional basketball.

That's what the Kentucky basketball program offers and Cal makes no bones about it.

If you have the potential to play pro basketball, Kentucky is where you want to play your college ball.

KY is the best NBA farm team going right now. I think it would be interesting to see how Calipari could do as a coach without all the one and done players.

Kentucky should cruise through...but having said that I remember the Houston team of '83 getting knocked off by valvano's upstart Wolfpack club.

Anything can happen. That year was proof.

Needless to say, I've been watching Kentucky all year and there's been 2 or 3 times when a team that didn't even belong on the court with them gave them all that they could handle. Ole Miss would have beaten them if their point guard hadn't cramped up in the final minutes of the game and had to go to the bench. LSU gave Kentucky all that it could handle as did Arkansas.

Basketball is a game of momentum. That's why it's fun to watch. It moves fast,...and a team with nothing to lose can get hot and start playing *way* above its head. You see it all the time if you're a Kentucky fan. First off,...the SEC has better teams than they're given credit for,...and secondly,..generally speaking, there's no shame in losing to Kentucky in the SEC. So every team that plays them just plays out of their heads, wide open,...and if Kentucky doesn't turn it up, they get beat.

Basketball is a funny game that way. That's why it's interesting.

A&M took KY to double overtime. That was the only game that I seriously believed they might have lost.

I much prefer CFB, and one of the things I enjoy about CFB are the upsets.

it's even more common in bball ime.

a great, well disciplined team can, if not often, at least not rarely, beat superior athletes.

or as Bristoe noted, whole teams get in the zone and play above their normal capabilities.

I'm glad in the March tourney it's 1 and done, 1 loss and bye bye.

otherwise if they ran like the NBA (yech) you might as well start inscribing Kentucky's name on the trophy

don't see many teams out there that I think are capable of beating them 3 out of 5 games.

but 1, oh hail yah.


and while I hate to sound racist (laffin), those white boys from Wis. could be one of those teams.

kind of a marvel in this day and age to see that many white guys make up a team and be competitive at that level

that's a well coached team, with some disciplined, smart players that have a fair amount of talent

I'm also hoping the caucasians from wisconsin go deep.

That big man of theirs got skilz. Got game.

And then there is Arizona.

Yup...I believe AZ is the sleeper. Just like UConn last year.

So it just seems natural to say GO HEELs. Beat the Domers.

BTW who let those mid-west guys in the ACC anyways???

This sleepy little burg nestled in the heart of the Bluegrass represents three things,....outstanding aged corn likker (bourbon), Thoroughbred racing horses,...and the birth of modern "bais-keet-bowl",...

Yup and all 3 are as good as it gets!! Pretty country as well!!

Domers could very easily take this tourney from the Heels. They're on fire.

This will be a barn burner.

Lots of unathletic folks can't comprehend tennis and basketball, carry on.

Hmm University of Wyoming kicked San Diego State's butt tonight

Speaking of butts. Cowboy Ken?? Saw that tonight in the backcourt and thought WTH!!??? He ain't even wearing pants!!

Friend of yours!?

Hunting camp cook why?

Go Kats!

Tarheels look like crap or ND is good!

For sure Domers are the kind of team that can run and gun 3 pointers all night. These big in the paint guys are going to have to go out and get Domer shooters.

In defense of Calipari at Kentucky.......he came to Ky. in 2009 with the program in shambles after two years of Billy Gillespie;

First year.........lost in elite eight
Second year....lost first game in the Final Four
Third year........won the National Championship
Fourth..............did not make the tournament
Fifth ................lost in the Nat. Championship game
Sixth year........currently 33-0, outcome unknown

That is not too shabby, and yes, if my son had a chance to play for him, I would be thrilled. Ask his former players what they think of him..........Rant over. Go Cats.

Wahaha...ok...that MUST be it.

Notre Dame is a good team that is playing well and tonight is another one of those nights where Carolina can't beat their meat without a blueprint.

Oregon-Arizona---WTH dressed these 2 teams? Must have been NORML.org!

Wyoming's path the NCAA Tournament:

If you are interested and get a chance, watch "Outside the Lines" on ESPN today. Good show about the Kentucky Wildcats (33-0) and the attitude a lot of folks have about Calipari. Go Cats!

Great Anthem performance by the Oakridge Boys in TN!

Cats are obviously the number 1 seed regardless of this outcome.

Badgers-Spartans = Great game! Going to first OT! 69 all.

Wisconsin and Michigan St just went into OT..

CBS.

WI is lucky that OOB was not reviewed. Honestly, I don't even know if he was out or not.

Couple of 3s and Wisconsin is in the drivers seat now.

I doubt they'll get a #1 seed though.

Blowout city in OT.

WI 80-69, final.

I kinda thought that Qualls kid who plays for Arkansas was alright,...but he's a chitbird,...shoulda been kicked out of the game on 3 different occasions. This one was pretty flagrant.

https://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg...mp;mid=211247868&sid=888&style=2

UCLA in???? Huh, didn't see that coming. Anyone else thing the "power conferences" get favored a bit too much because of the built in strength of schedule?

CBS/ESPN were reporting last night that there could be as many as 74 teams in.

Guessing like everything else that those in a decision making position can do what THEY decide on the fly.

#1 seed in the West. First time in school history, 17th trip in a row to the tournament.

Congrats to Bucky.

That chittbird looks like that ant in the movie Antz.

Badgers earned and deserved it! Good call for sure!

How can any watch this chit ???? all your doing is supporting the next ni****er generation

They kicked Arizona's butt today. Hey, I can't help it if my direct TV had it listed as such. They could play again in the Semi-finals, but Bobby Portis is going to have to play better than he has in the last two games. He was definitely off his game. Those big men in the middle on defense has some to do with it,but not all. miles

They did let them play rough. Seems that you like it when your team gets the best of things, but not when it goes the other way. Lots of no calls on both sides of the ball. I miss the way it used to be called, when you could not palm the ball and use your off arm when you are dribbling. What they do now would result in a lot of double dribble calls and walking, by sliding your pivot foot around. That technical call on Arkansas for the player hanging on the rim was BS too. They could call that after most dunks but rarely do so, since they starting making better backboards. miles

No.

Rough play is hacking shooters arms and putting bodies on them when they go up for a shot. The defender takes the foul to prevent the play. Lots of teams play rough,..Texas,...Louisville.

Arkansas takes cheap shots,...elbowing the defender in the nose,..slapping in the face,....that kind of bullshit.

Fortunately,..thanks to the excellent slow motion replays that ESPN provides, Arkansas established itself as one of the premiere "cheap shot" programs in the college game today.

I think the NCAA noticed it too. Arkansas got stuck in a killer position in their bracket.

They start out with Wofford who is no pushover.

Wisconsin is a damned good team and whoever gets them is going to have their hands full and better be on top of their game.

With that said Kentucky has so much talent and depth they should have their asses kicked if they don't win it all.

The Refs looked on replay, and did not agree with you. miles

The refs for todays game are known far and wide as being the sorriest crew in the SEC. Especially Doug Shows.

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/23/2950242/uk-notebook-referee-known-for.html

Why are games in the south region played in Portland, OR and west region games played in Jacksonville?

Lemme guess - your sport is soccer..

LMAO.. Maybe you should have 'watched (some of) this chit'.. I think the WI team is about 90% white...

+1 That damn ant dude was punching and hooking all nite.

The odds of nailing a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 Quintillion.

That's 9.2000000000000000000!!!!

i say kentucky wins it all
but somone always steps up there game during march madness.

I think Ky on a bad day can beat the next best team having good day. Ky is that darn good this year.

I want to see UK and Wisconsin in the final 4 again, Badgers should have T Jackson back and up to speed again by then...

Local golf course has a deal - you don't even have to be perfect, just have the best one out of the entrants and win free green fees for life.

I'm gonna enter.

I'd like to see Kentucky play Wisconsin, Virginia, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Duke,..

It's a shame that there's no way to make it happen.

It's be 2 or 3 more years before Kentucky has another team this good.

Those teams could not handle the Cat's this year. Twins and Stein will return in a shocking announcement.

lol,...I doubt it.

Willie Cauley Stein
Aaron Harrison
Andrew Harrison
Devin Booker
Trey Lyles
Karl Towns
:gone:

Dakari Johnson
Marcus Lee
Alex Poythress
:Maybe gone:

Actually, I expect to see Dakari, Marcus, and Alex return,...but money talks.

What about that little spark plug guard?

I really couldn't give a flippity flappity f ukk about a bunch of coons chasing a pumpkin around a barn floor...........

Root for Wisconsin. That's what I'm doing.

BYU is putting on a good show.

They were 54 minutes ago.

Well,..everybody's bracket is shot to heck, now.!

#3 Baylor just got knocked off by #14 Georgia St.

#3 Iowa St got knocked off earlier.

Kentucky will win it all.

Hoping Wofford beats Arkansas tonight!!

Here's the game winner by Georgia St. The coaches son scored the last 13 points of the ballgame including the big 3 at the end.

He busted his ass too. Only saw the highlights.

Yo Bristoe! Your coach looks nervous! Sweating like a pig on market day!!

"It ain't communism??"


Wofford is holding onto Arkansas!!

Ky looking bad and still winning by 20.

yeah but the big C may have a massive stroke before this game is over!!

Looked like he had already taken the Gatorade victory lap. He's soaking wet!

I agree with you guys. Do not like ant head and the little pigs play a little dirty.


Portis....pfft!

No worse than any other team.



I will take some more like him. miles

Cal is always animated. I don't think he was nervous. He was just pissed because the Cats started off slow yet again.

The biggest problem with this years team is they're just too casual. They don't kick it up until they have to,..and it drives Cal nuts.

They're gonna have to get over that before Saturday. Cincy plays hard and they play thug ball,...always have.

From here on out, if the Cats come out slow, they'll get beat.

That Chievous guy that plays for Hampton is one of the big stories of the day. He sprained his ankle bad day before yesterday,....had to be helped to the bench. But he's a senior and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that this was the last game of his college career,..and he was determined to play.

He got a double/double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. That would have been remarkable if he had been healthy.

He was hurting bad by the second half but he refused to come out,...even after it was apparent that the game was a lost cause.

Cats-Bear Cats at 2:20. This could be a good one! I expect Cincy to be very physical against KY!

Agreed. That kid played hard and with everything he had. That's impressive at every level. I wish the kid well and I hope someone at an NBA front office paid attention to his game and drive. He's a throwback player with a ton of grit and determination.

Larry Brown said the Cats could beat any team in the East and contend in the playoffs.

Barkley said Brown was crazy!

Anyone keeping an eye on Arizona??

It's real obvious that these 2 teams do NOT like each other.

Ugly game so far.

That's a great deal!! How's it working out for you?

My bracket is at about 80% now. Maybe a little lower.

Kentucky played their best game of the year today,..played physical against a very physical team and took 'em to school. (and this Kentucky team isn't known for physical play)

Entertaining stuff.

These teams better hope Booker does not get hot.

Yup! KY is playing well because as you said they are staring to play muscle ball just like everyone else. But they are doing it clean.

Also, as a team they are playing well at both ends of the court across all players. Will be hard to beat.

Go Cats!

Wolfpack on the verge of taking down 1 seed NOVA.

But 3 State starters with 4 fouls.

Good game!!

Or that Cal realizes that he needs to keep Trey Lyles in the game longer...

The ghost of Jimmy V was alive tonight. The Pack got the job done.

Good win by NCSU...ACC is making a strong showing thus far

Good article on *this* Kentucky team. Not really surprising to those of us who follow them. They're actually good kids. Some of them are downright bashful.

http://www.wdrb.com/story/28576156/bozich-kentucky-has-the-look-and-the-vibe-of-a-champion

excerpt:

Ask the Hampton Pirates, the team Kentucky dispatched, 79-56, in UK's opening NCAA Tournament game at the KFC Yum! Center Thursday night. The Hampton players were more impressed by the way Kentucky behaved than the way the Wildcats played.

“They didn't do too much trash talking,” Hampton guard Gregory Hayden said. “They weren't arrogant. They just came out and played basketball and did what they had to do.

“They were polite. They were actually cool and dapped us up. They said, ‘Good game, keep your head up.' That's really surprising from a group of guys that caliber.

“Most people think they're the number one team in the nation, McDonald's all-Americans and cocky. That group of guys aren't like that. They're very humble.”

I interviewed four Hampton players after the Wildcats defeated the Pirates. All four said they expected Kentucky to win the NCAA Tournament. All four said that John Calipari's players did not say one discouraging word to a team that was obviously outmanned.

“They're a great group of guys,” said Emmanuel Okoroba, Hampton's reserve center. "They didn't talk trash at all.

“While they were beating us, one of them actually stepped on my shoe and said, ‘Excuse me.' That shocked me.”

That player, for the record, was Dakari Johnson, Kentucky's back-up center.

It's been that way all season. Darrin Horn, an analyst on the SEC Network has worked multiple UK games. Horn said that Kentucky plays like a group of guys who are comfortable on the big stage.

“Our job is not to brag,” Johnson said. “We just come out and play a game that we love, just compete and have fun with each other.”

+1

I really like the sound of that.

Great news for the sport. You can see it in the KY gents on and off the hardwood.

I sense the same out of Virginia and Wisconsin but not to the extent of the writer's column. Especially, when it's a defeated team making the observation. Good stuff four sure!!

Thanks Bristoe!

I sense an upset or 2 today!

Ship them all back...

As an adjunct to the previous, it would be nice if all teams' fans could conduct themselves in a manner that would make the players proud.

Interesting geography lesson: Kansas fan to Iowa State fans leaving the Sprint Center after the championship game, "Thanks for coming down to Kansas and spending your money."

Wille Cauly-Stein has a history that's a bit different than many who end up playing big time division 1 basketball. To look at him you'd think he came from the streets. He's kind of gotten carried away with the tattoo "thing". But in reality, he came from a small community of 800 people in Kansas and was raised by his white grandparents. He's 7' tall and is outrageously athletic,...moves like a 6'5" guard. But basketball really wasn't a passion in his life. He had to be pushed in that direction. He's going to make truck loads of money in the NBA, but you get the impression that he'd just as soon go home to Kansas.

He's an interesting story.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...are&utm_campaign=web-mob-art-bot-264

Never bet against Izzo in the tourney. Mich St looking pretty good against Virginia. The big 10 ain't bad.

Well there go my bracket chances!!

Right!! GO GREEN!!!

Izzo.

13 Sweet 16s since 1998. Incredible.

Down goes Virginia.

I was at 91% Friday night, I'm now at 53%. I had MSU, thank God.

I had them as well.

15 person bracket pool at work - been floating between 1 and 5, depending on the games. MSU moved me back to 3 from 5.

Not super fair - one girl had LSU going to the Championship game but the rest of the brackets were understandable.

Villanova chitting the bed didn't help me any though either.

Yup---The East has gone maverick.

NC State - MI State would be a good matchup.

Pretty sure I just saw one of the SDSU players say congrats Coach Ratface in the post-game. Granted I was reading lips but I think it's reached the tourney!

Kansas is in real trouble down by 11.

8 minutes left.

Virginia



The first one killed my hopes. This one will do me in!

Gonzaga is shredding Iowa.

Absolutely shredding them.

Wisconsin is in a dogfight!

Weren't making their free throws. They should be okay now.

Problem with being in a pool with people from Wisco - when Bucky wins - no one gains ground!

okay,...time to push all of the clutter aside. Important stuff is fixin' to happen.

let me guess it's so important they're gonna do a similar dance next year?


jk, wish MM came was April Madness, that's the dead zone, not enough snow to snowmachine, river not open enough to run.

I could watch some games then, lucky to catch any right now, busy time of year.

Yup---some big names going down tonight.

Just seems right that WVU and Kentucky tip off!! 2 great states IMO!

WVU is the trendy pick today to pull an upset.

I say hogwash, Kentucky by 20.

It'll be much closer than you think,ghost. WVU played them close last go-around.

WVU is physical and unintimidated. They also do not have the discipline Ky has, nor do they have a first 8 who'll go pro, like Kentucky has.

I'd love a WVU win but I'm thinking Kentucky pulls it out but in a closer game than you predict.

I don't like to make predictions. Any team left in the tournament has the ability to win it all. But I'll say this. This Kentucky team *really* doesn't expect to lose,..and when they turn it up, they're very tough.

Most people don't appreciate how tough that Cincinnati team was. It took everything they had to keep Kentucky in sight through the first half. Then Kentucky decided to win the game,..and it was over.

I've been living in Lexington through 4 Kentucky national championships and all of them were very good teams, of course. But I have to go all the way back to the 1978 Nat'l champs to find a team that could overpower an opponent like this one can. They have a lot in common as far as their mentality.

The 1978 team fumbled a couple of games during the season. This team hasn't, but it's come damn close a couple of times when it wasn't playing up to par.

But both the '78 team and this team was and is very deep,...and they both turn it up when it matters.

Kentucky will have to fall apart to lose a game from here on out,.. and they just seem much too poised at this point to just come apart during a game.

In any event, I hope they don't lay an egg before they get a chance to play Wisconsin. I want to see Kaminski play against Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl Towns,...not to mention Trey Lyles, Dakari Johnson, and Marcus Lee.

I'll give great teams (stretch to call WVU that), but great states?

You're on drugs, or you need to be.

I love WV. Lots to do outdoors. Damn near lost my life in one of their many rivers in a kayak. River went from 3 to 8 feet in less than an hour.

Speaking of drugs....got some antibiotics today. They were 700 bucks without insurance. That's just obscene!!!!

Guess I'll root for KY and Wisconsin tonight! I can see the Domers and Arizona going down.

Domers appear to be for real!!

Notre Dame is a double handful.

They play very fast and under control.

What I wanna know is, where did Wisconsin get those big white boys who can dribble and shoot?

Most overall efficient team in college basketball. Kind of ironic huh??

Well maybe not.....

Yup....They're the kind of unified team that will force big guys to come out and get 'em. And if a team can finish--like ND does--then speed can prevail.

Carolina is always tough. Watching a 6'9 white boy dribble down the court and take it to the hoop is uncanny.

They looked like a winner tonight. I haven't kept up with them very much.

I hope they can't play like this every night.

Somebody is gonna have to get a face in that point guard and rebound against their post man or it's gonna be a long night.

Call a f'king time out!

You best dig out your Wolfpack jersey!!

I'm actually rooting for Carolina, just don't tell anybody. I am impressed with Wisconsin tho, 6'9 centers who shoot 3 pointers like it's cool.

Looks like this one is OvAh.

HUGE 3 by Paige!!

But WI just plays precision BB. Man they are scissor sharp.

Yep, even with the defender in his face.

WOW!!!! Paige again!

Another by Paige

Good win by the Badgers.

Kentucky looks good. It looks so easy for them.

Wild start KY-WVU. I'm betting Huggie has a TF called against him before the half.

Great TEAM ball in South Bend.

Badgers played as poorly as I've seen them play in the first 1/2- couldn't buy a bucket.

If AZ thinks they have a cakewalk should they beat Xavier - they have something coming. I don't see Bo's team shooting so poor back to back.

BLUE!!

Man!! 'eers appear to be dead (and afraid) in the paint. Even on D! They may as well be shooting their 3's from the parking lot.

You're right ghost! Bluegrass makes it look TOO easy!!

Best half Ky has played this year.

Worst half WVU has played this season.

Cannot handle the tree's

Ky 77
ND 67

37-0

I guess we get to see how *real* Notre Dame is.

Losing to KY doesn't make a team less "real".

ND's program is progressing - for the longest time people complained that ND always seemed to play nice but bombed out of the tournament in the first round. They just handled the team that embarrassed Kansas.

ND has a real program there for hoops. Will it replace football? No. Is it KY/Louisville/Duke/N Carolina? No. But they're a good team.

That WVU game was embarrassing to watch. You called it ghost.

Men against boys, last night.

I picked the Irish to win it all in my bracket pool. The Irish will not beat Kentucky.

Kentucky would have beat WVU last night even if WVU was allowed 6 players on the court last night.

Never thought the game would have been over at half time.

They might be totally real. Notre Dame beat Duke twice, North Carolina twice and beat Louisville at the Yum Center.

The Kentucky/Notre Dame game could be the game of the tourney.

Notre Dame plays very well together.

Tonight I'm cypherin' the only upset will be Michigan St over Oklahoma.

The Izzo factor. State by 6.

Scratch that, I see MSU is indeed the favorite -1.5.

I really like Izzy. And it appears his players do as well.

Okay my KY bourbon drinking buds. I believe the Cats are about to face the best offense they've seen all season long. This one with ND should be a barn burner and quite possibly the uber epic game of this season's madness.

But first AZ-WI----That one's a toss up but I have to believe AZ will prevail. I mean WI. No AZ....errrrrrr!!!! Tough call!

Yeah, I'm betting on Wisconsin but they could get blown out by 20. I'm clueless on that game.

Kentucky rolls.

I'm curious to see how that bevy of Notre Dame shooters perform when the perimeter is being patrolled by a 7'1" guard. (Willie Cauly Stein)

Should it ever happen, it will take jump shots (remember them?) to beat Kentucky.

True,...but Kentucky starts 2 6'6" guards, a 7' Center, a 7'1" forward, and a 6'10" forward. (Got another 7' center and another 6'10" forward staying fresh on the bench, too)

The people who shoot jump shots against Kentucky have to put an arc on them that they're not used to.

Still,...I have to say, Notre Dame is one of the slickest teams I've seen operating in quite a while.

I don't think they have the size or depth to compete against Kentucky, but I don't believe I've ever seen 5 players of comparable size that could compete against their starting 5 in the college game.

Wisconcin showing some class. Millers Whining to the refs!

Dekkers got game!

if this gets away from AZ they'll never get it back. Thinking that's the magic bullet for KY as well.

Ky cannot be behind with <7 minutes to go against potentially hot ND shooters.

Huge play by Decker right there. Huge!

Did I say Dekkers got game!

He's on fire for sure!!

MONEY!!

2 Final 4's in a row. I'll take that.

Way to go bajjjjahs! Where's that idiot who trashed all of us for supporting a sport that endorsed nothing but Afro-Americans??

idolton or something like that? Buddy those were milk and corn fed white boys that took that one down!! Wisconsin is a classy team for sure.

Bring on the next one. It's gonna' to be a doozie!!

I'm happy for ya, Teal.

They played well.

Frank the Tank gets a lot of press on the Badger team but Dekker has really come on this tournament.

Also - WI has that ridiculous stat over the last 5 years of leading with 5 minutes left. Something like 135 and 4 or something.

I understood every word he said in his modest post game interview. How refreshing!!

BAIS-KEET-BOWL!!

I think UW/UK is the real championship this year. After that, the competition gets weak. Yes, Duke (because it's Duke) could pose a real challenge, but UW/UK is the match up this year.

Irish are relentless. They just don't stop until well after the play is over. But KY will win in the paint every time.

This is a great match-up!!

The only thing that gives me hope of WI over KY is what WI did in the 2nd 1/2.

1.62 points per possession against a very stout defensive team in AZ. That's just crazy.

WOW! ND is hanging tough.

Yep, ND up 22-21.

Freaky schit.

Notre Dame playin' at 90%,...Kentucky playinj' at 70%.

Notre Dame needs to be up at least 15 points to be able to handle Kentucky in the second half.

Calipari bugs the hell outta me.

Great half! Gonna' be a good finish!

Sure hope so!

Notre Dame has showed all they got.

Tied at the half.

Now the game begins.

Felt like both teams were stalking one another....almost like a hunt.

A couple are gonna break loose in 2H.

Willie played defense the first half.

He's gonna play offense the second half.

Aaron Harrison'll start drivin' the basket too.

Anything else will just be gravy.

Here we go!!!!!!!!!

ND showed up in some gold jerseys, good game

wish I was watching it instead of catching scores on puter and radio.

Did more in 1 half than WV did in the entire game...

Kentucky in trouble down by 6.

Hoping I was wrong!!

Man that 3 by Harrison was a bunker buster!!! What a shot!

And back at ya!

Torch the barn!!!

Uber great game!!

YEAH!,....YEAH!

I said it had the potential to be,...and it definitely was,..the game of the tournament.

This team don't like to lose.

Kentucky got outplayed and outcoached. Notre Dame was the only team that could have beaten them. No one else will come anywhere close.

Bullshit.

It we had gotten outplayed and outcoached, we would have lost.

Notre Dame played as good as they could,..and they came up short.

That's it,..that's all.

That was a slug fest. Can't wait for the game vs. WI next weekend.

+1 This was the Championship game. Go Cats!!!!!!!

That was a great game to watch. I am ND fan and they can hold their heads high.

No doubt about that.

Notre Dame deserves to be in the championship game.

They're a hell of a team.

Pretty much this - to a point. ND could have won that game with the same coaching they had tonight. Too close to simply state it was due to coaching.

I will also state - Wisconsin is better than ND and does have a VERY real chance to beat KY. Not saying they will but you can't look at what WI did to AZ and what happened with ND/KY and say WI has no chance to beat them.

Actually - WI might be the last team in the tournament with the best chance.

ND is 2nd best team in this tournament.

No, no they're not. And I'm a domer fan.

Nonsense, they'e good but they couldn't even win their own conference.

Wisconsin has a real shot if they play like they did in the second half last night. That was a thing of beauty.

I think MSU will handle louisville.

I'm picking Gonzaga over Duke. Crazy talk I know, but those big honkeys are a handful.

IF Wisconsin can go 29 minutes without a turnover against KY, like ND did, they'll have the best chance of beating them.

L'ville-State = good game. I think Sparties have the tourney mojo!

Regardless, any final four with the players left should be outstanding!

Watch this wind up being an all state of Kentucky championship game.

I'm a Sparty fan but you never know who will show up. Right now, they're in trouble.

I'll pick Wisconsin to win it all.

MM

I'm telling ya! Look out!!

Excellent game. I'm satisfied, two Big 10 teams in the Final 4.

The Duke-Zag game should be good.

Just checked my bracket online...I'm up to the 97% mark...as long a Duke wins I'll have all 4 picked right. Then it's Wisconsin over Kentucky and Michigan State over Duke. Wisconsin beats Michigan State for the 4th time this Season and Bo hangs a Banner in the Kohl Center....Book it.

If that prevails then you deserve it.

Sec vs Acc at the big dance.

It's gettin' down to it!

Duke is startin' to put it to Michigan State,...but the big story tonight is Kentucky vs. Wisky.

All the talkin' heads are callin' it fer Kentucky,...but I'm not as positive as they are.

Karl Towns is going to have to be the guy to hold Kominski (spelling?) back and he's foul prone.

This is gonna be fun to watch,...the #1 offensive team against the #1 defensive team.

,...hasn't been a basketball game like this in a while.

MSU is getting shredded by Duke...

I think Kentucky will do the same to Wisconsin.

It was a good run for the big 10, but it ends tonight.

SEC Vs ACC at the big dance.

dayum! trying to get out of work early to watch Kentucky, vs. Wis.


it ain't looking good

Playin' widdat ball!

Gonna be an interesting 2nd half.

I hope the Wildcats can pull it out but Wisconsin is dang good.

If the announcers had their way, U-K would have already won.

Coupla azzholes.

MM

Basketball is a fine sport for young ladies.

I call it the devil's game.


All them people out there and no one to hit, silly people......

Doesn't it seem that two schools like Duke and Kentucky, with their pride, history, and resources, would be able to afford separate uniforms for their respective teams rather than having to share the same set?

Wisconsin got some floppin' fuggers.

I thought they was better than that.

we got a game!

Wisconsin will have a hell of a time beating the refs too!!!

Another damn Wisconsin flop,...

Booker's comin' in,...

well helllooooo Bajahs!

Got er done!

WOnder what excuses the UK fans have..

I predict some vodka may be consumed somewhere in old Kaintuck tonight.

And the Kentucky floppers go down alright lol.

Best team won.

Up Calipari's...............

MM

What a great game.
Monday night should be another epic battle.

Sweet.

Never thought I'd live to see one of my beloved alma maters play for a championship. Wow.

Will

oh well,... Kaminsky gave up several million dollars of NBA money for the chance to win an NCAA championship.

Bo Ryan will play hell getting another of him.

You can say that again.

Like Wow Man! How many Scooby Snacks can you buy for a million dollars?

The badgers are too used up to beat Duke Mon nite.

I probably wouldn't bet the farm on that.

They had a much tougher game than Duke.

There is something materially different about this Kentucky teama and the one that lost to Texas Western back in '66; I just can't put my finger on what it is.

really can't believe they won.


knew their top 5 or 6 could probably hang with Kentucky, but figured they'd run out of gas in the 4th quarter as Kentucky rotated in their deep bench and just wear them down.

it's what makes it worth watching, on any given night.

still don't like any other team's odds of beating Kentucky in a best of 5 series, but it's what makes the college game and pro football playoffs for that matter great!

one and done

congrats to all the Wisconsin fans and of course congrats to the Kentucky team and their fans, they put on a helluva season's show

+1

I've watched 'em come and go.

This year's Kentucky team had an outrageous quantity of talent, but they had a hard time putting it together.

But whatever,....they'll all go to the NBA and Calipari will have fun with the next crop of Mickey-D's all americans that he gets to coach.

Every year is a brand new day for Kentucky basketball.

kudos to you Bristoe, you got a pretty decent take on the gig.

know you like them Wildcats.


really think the difference is those Wis guys wanted this game so badly because of last year, whereas few of the Kentucky guys were even around for last years game.


made for entertainment, bunch of stud young men, with incredible athletic talent, going hard at each other.

whale of a game


don't think Duke will have as an easy time of it next game they play

Wisconsin was the better team tonight. Whether they would beat Kentucky in a series is perhaps unknown at best, but that isn't the way the winner is decided. Wisconsin out-rebounded them bad with with 12 offensive and 22 defensive compared to 6 and 16 for Kentucky. They also made 7 3-pointers to Kentucky's 3. For my money those two stats were the biggest difference in the game because it proved a weakness in Kentucky's strong suit, defense. Wisconsin really didn't do anything much different than they normally do, they just exploited any weakness Kentucky had, however small it was, especially down the stretch.

Congratulations to Kentucky for a fine season. I feel bad the score separation got as big as it did at the end because it was a much tighter game than that.

White Boys in the big game! I got Duke and the Badgers on my Bracket with the Badgers winning 72-61 Title game...

It probably sounds odd to say about a team that went 38-1,...but this team has always been beatable.

Those of us who have watched them have seen them have to squeak through some games that they should have sailed through.

It was only a matter of time,....and time caught up with them.

Still,....it was a damn fun season,...and I'm too damned old to allow myself to get emotionally involved in the accomplishments of others.

Kentucky basketball is something to break the monotony of winter,...and it does a good job of doing that.

That's all I ask of it.

It's been a hoot this year.

This game was kind of a microcosm of what is wrong with college basketball these days. Those Kentucky guys were incredibly talented, but raw and not that skilled as basketball players. Whisky isn't overly talented but they have tremendously skilled basketball players who are upper classmen and who have been playing together for years.

If this were twenty years ago, that Kentucky team might go undefeated for the next two years as all that talent comes together as a team and the guys mature as basketball players. Now they all be gone next year and it will simply be another year to see if talent can overcome skill and maturity in the tournament.

Build a fire,...shake up a martini,...holler at the TV and let'er snow, by damn.

Winter in the Bluegrass.

Don't care whom you are or what sport. I'd never want to enter a playoff of any kind without a loss. It's good to taste defeat. Makes you angry/hungry...

To give you all an idea of what it's like,...

Kentucky has a recruit from New Zealand coming in next year. His parents both competed in that lumberjack stuff,...so he was christened "The Lumberjack".

So he gets on a plane and flies halfway around the world,...lands in Lexington,...doesn't know a soul,...totally out of his element,..and he's walking through the airport and college kids spot him,...start hollerin' out, "It's the lumberjack!, it's the lumberjack!"

Totally hung him up.

He had no idea what it means to be a high level recruit at Kentucky.

He found out when he made a visit.

That's cool, though dating will be tough for him with no family/cousins around.

Coach Ratface and the Durham Prettyboys are going to have their work cut out for them Monday night.

Wisconsin is a really, really good team and they don't do stupid stuff to beat themselves.

Reminds me of that old story, guy says-

"My girlfriend and I broke up, but like she said, at least we are still cousins"!

Good post.

Difference between Wisco and Tucky? The Wisco player will graduate. Wisco's ex football coach wanted to recruit some moron that had talent and wasn't allowed so he left in a huff. Isn't an edumacation the number1 thing at a skool?

Another difference between Wisconsin and Kentucky is,..If Calipari had coached Kaminski, Kaminski would have been making multi millions of dollars in the NBA this year instead of fiddlin' around playing college ball for nothing but free socks.

No problem, he will just make it next year. Maybe even more than he would have been offered.

And he'll have a degree just in case something happens to him and he can't run with the apes anymore.

Yeah,...but that money he would have made this year is gone. It's not coming back. Athletes have a shelf life and they have to make hay while the sun shines.

Cal kicks 'em out of the nest when they're ready to play professionally,...won't allow them to stay.

If they want to come back and finish their degree after their professional career is over, the university honors their scholarship and pays for their education.

That's why Calipari gets the best recruits. He puts the player's needs first and provides them with the facilities and training to go to the next level,...and as soon as they're ready, he sends them to the next level.

You can get a degree when you're 40.

You don't have a 44" vertical leap when you're 40.

Thats Kaminski's business, and no one else's.

He's a big boy, able to make his own decisions.

His stock has gone way up because he stayed. National player of the year award and a higher draft position will turn out to be a good decision.

The WI players can be found on campus taking real college courses.

Yeah,...and Bo Ryan didn't try to change his mind.

Calipari would have sent him to the league after last year.

Hard to tell. Lots of big men coming out this year.

He's be competing with Towns and Okafor for his place in the draft this year.

Plus he has a chance to win a National Championship.

Not every success in life can be measured simply by your net worth.

Considering the teams involved at the top end of the draft, competition ain't necessarily a bad thing.

He has a chance to blow his knee out for all eternity, too.

If that's the case, then Calipari is a bald-faced liar in every interview he's done on the subject.

Sour grapes only make for good whine.

Kentucky played well, but JoeBob nailed it with the differences on the court last night.

(?)

Absolutely not.

It's his system and it works,..and he tells it straight.

Some people didn't particularly like it when he first came to Kentucky, but now they see the wisdom of it.

Take care of the players,...you get the best players.

It's a fairly simple concept.

The most honest coach in America.

Kentucky...can't solve crimes! There is only one set of dental records and all the DNA is the same!

I am thinking he will probably put some sort of insurance policy in place just in case of that.

Displaying the class that he has always had.

He made a better tv commercial than that fat azz that left for Arkiesaw.
Here's Bullimia doing the hog walk. What a FF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAXTxAFmg3A

Tubby's entrance is the best.

Doubtful Kaminsky would be near the quality ball player if he'd had Calipari as coach instead of Ryan. Frank was at least a 3-year project. Bo has been developing ball players like that his entire career. By necessity mostly. LOL

He finally got a group whose talent matches their desire and coachability.

Fairy tale. Makes good copy, but it's far from the truth. By his own admission he was shocked the Harrison's and about 3 others stayed for this year.

And let's not forget that those players aren't as jaded as some like to project. They got close last year, and wanted to come back and try again for the championship.......regardless of the money they turned down to do it. Can't fault them for that.

If Bo was the coach of Kentucky instead of Cal they would be playing Duke on Monday night.

No fairy tale.

The Harrisons weren't ready to go pro and maybe they're still not. Willy Cauly Stein could have gone pro but he broke his ankle during the tournament last year.

But Cal isn't unique in that.

These days if a coach wants to maintain any credibility, he's got to be honest with his players concerning their capability.

You won't be seeing many 7 footers with Kaminski's abilities playing their senior season any longer.

Those who do have been given bad advice.

"They wanted to stay in school," their father, Aaron Harrison, told ESPN by phone. "They wanted to explore their options and see what's out there. They probably made up their minds last week. All the information they got from the draft was that they were middle to late first round."

Middle to late first round is about where Kaminsky and Dekker are right now. Neither is going to be a lottery pick. And both have improved their draft positions greatly this year.

"I'm coming back for a second season in large part because last year's title run was special, but we still have unfinished business," Aaron Harrison said in a statement.

The greatest difference between the above four players draft fortunes is...........the Harrison's had better prospects last year than did Kaminsky........and likely better than Dekker this year. The Harrison's wanted to stay for a championship run.

And that had precious little to do with Coach Cal's input.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2010/news/story?id=5093487

"I didn't want to leave this place," Cousins said Thursday. "I could stay here forever ... it was a hard decision."
_____________________________________________

While Calipari didn't answer questions on Thursday, Cousins said Calipari practically ordered him to enter the draft.

"He told me it's my time to go," Cousins said, then nodded his head vigorously later when a reporter asked if Calipari "pushed" him out.

The thing with Kentucky is,...these kids who play basketball here have rock star status,...seriously. They have to run the girls off and everywhere they go they're adored.

23,000 fans will turn out to watch them play a game of Tiddly Winks.

They love their time here.

It would be very easy for a coach to use that to manipulate them to stay longer than they should,...but Cal doesn't do that.

I thought that we were talking about the fat azz that left for Arkiesaw.

It says a lot about the 23,000 fans.

Anderson got pissed because a recruit was stupid and wouldn't be accepted into Wisconsin.

As did the Fab Five at Michigan. Another commonality is they had their victories vacated.........as did Coach Cal for seasons at both UMass and Memphis.

Here's a little primer about Cal and his "Players First" policy. The coach comes by his controversy honestly.

http://deadspin.com/we-need-to-talk-about-how-we-talk-about-john-calipari-1693992042

Nobody held Poythress back.

If somebody wanted to pick a player's situation to clobber Cal with, they should have found a better example than Poythress.

Poythress has always been kind of "on again, off again". Also, he came to college to go to college.

Some games made him look like an all American. Other times, he barely showed up. He was a long way from being a sure bet in the league,..so he stayed to both work on his degree and play basketball.

He got hurt.

He'll be back next year.

I'm not positive, but I think he'll have to play as a graduate student next year.

He's on course to get his BA after 3 years.

Nah.....ya gotta back off that a little, Bill. It's probably not so cool denigrating the intellect of teenagers without some perspective.

By all accounts Anderson's beef with admissions was UW's requirements for JC transfers as far as credits attained in core courses. The requirements escalate every year, and JC transfers have higher standards than HS graduates......they will have used up some college time and advanced up the requirement ladder.

Also.....as in virtually every University offering athletic scholarships.....there is some leeway or programs available to phase in typically academically borderline or deficient recruits. These programs are difficult to attain at Wisconsin. Been a subject of consternation in some circles for years.

Might not be a stupid recruit. Lesson that might be learned is your time in HS can be pretty damn important.

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/bask...s-not-in-any-rush-to-go-pro-happy-at-uk/

Alex confirmed that he’s still on track to graduate in three years–“a big plus”–and on the court, still has “a lot of things I need to improve on.”

Article from a year ago. He played sparingly in 8 of the first 10 games this year.........never played again.

,....so what's your point?

Go back to the article I cited.

After a strong freshman season, he could have been a lottery pick in the weak 2013 NBA draft, but made a questionable bet, electing to return to Kentucky after what had been a down year for the program.

The coach who you profess to know "kicks his NBA draft picks out of the nest"........didn't offer that service to Poythress. And gladly accepted his return to Kentucky to shore up an off year.

His minutes and touches plunged the next season, though, as the program made room for Julius Randle and other incoming star freshmen. After a disappointing sophomore season, Poythress elected to return again as a junior.

It's important to remember that Poythress already had essentially lost millions of dollars by this point, both in the damage done to his draft stock and in the wages he missed out on by delaying his professional career by a year. If he hoped to restore his reputation with a strong junior season, that's understandable, but the decision backfired horribly.

It certainly was Poythress' decision to make, but "Father Cal's" motives and involvement aren't as altruistic as you define.

The Coach Cal asskisssing is pretty pathetic IMO. Half of UK"s players went straight to the locker room after losing, instead of shaking hands with Wisconsin's team.

Truly a show of no class. Then the classless quip at the press conference with regards to the national player of the year Kaminsky, coming from one of the Harrison boys......more classless antics. Pretty sad to act like that when you get your assss beat.

You're barkin' at the moon.

Poythress is a long way from being a sure bet. I wish the best for him,...but he's still got to show something,...and he hasn't yet.

[/quote]
Lesson that might be learned is your time in HS can be pretty damn important. [/quote]
Oops,
Should have said academically deficient.

And you're avoiding the issue.

The time frame at issue is 2013. Check the mock drafts from that era and tell me he was defined as "a long way from a sure bet".

You probably also thought the Queens would win a Super Bowl..




(Sorry - couldn't resist..)

LMAO! Classic Redneck! I can't wait for tonight. I get to see Tyus Jones-local kid done good, who I got to see play live at Burnsville (and yes-he is THAT good) and my neighbors, Wisconsin go for a national chmpionship. It's gonna be a fun night. I hope it's a good game, and I'm pulling for the Badgers and the Big 10. Boy, the talking head's are gonna be spinning if the Big 10 takes the football AND basketball national championships in the same school year.

Just a thought for you...WHEN Wisconsin beats Duke tonight they will be the first team EVER to do it by beating the highest possible seed in ALL 6 GAMES....tell me again how great Kentucky is...