OT - Brey's post-game quote

[UConnNick]

"We've got as good a shot as anybody."

Shot to do what, Mike? Lose to Kentucky by almost 40 points like WVU just did?

 

[champs99and04]

Notre Dame is going to get rocked. They're a fun team to watch and they have a lot of offensive talent, but the size disparity is too large for me to even entertain the idea of Notre Dame winning. They're going to get absolutely plastered on the boards and in the paint.

 

[caw]

I have more faith in ND than I ever did in WVU. Brey knows how to slow it down and shooters to keep them in the game. Not to mention a fantastic guard. They have to at least fight on the boards and protect their own backboard.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't know. I suppose all the kids on Kentucky could get high before the game and Notre Dame could make 15 threes but I think those people who are predicting a ND win are underplaying just how overwhelming this Kentucky team is. WVU looked like a high school team. Cauley Stein and Towns could have three fouls each in the first half and they're still going to have a fleet of monsters in the paint that Notre Dame won't be able to deal with.

I like Brey, though. He seems like a good guy. I'm glad he finally retired the mock turtleneck.

 

[caw]

I don't know. I suppose all the kids on Kentucky could get high before the game and Notre Dame could make 15 threes but I think those people who are predicting a ND win are underplaying just how overwhelming this Kentucky team is. WVU looked like a high school team. Cauley Stein and Towns could have three fouls each in the first half and they're still going to have a fleet of monsters in the paint that Notre Dame won't be able to deal with.

I like Brey, though. He seems like a good guy. I'm glad he finally retired the mock turtleneck.

I'm not predicting ND will win but their style of play is better than WVUs against UK.

 

[whaler11]

The Kentucky threads here are hilarious.

 

[Fishy]

Brey's probably right.

Kentucky is a Panzer division and if West Virginia tried to fend them off with rakes, Notre Dame will be using stuff like pitchforks and garden shears. So more better...

I've thought for a while that a team like Notre Dame has the best shot at beating Kentucky, but I'm not sure how good a shot that is.

They're a older team, they're efficient offensively - they can go nuts from the arc and they don't give a s--- about rebounding so they might not even notice how big UK is until the handshake line after the game.

The dream scenario is that Notre Dame bombs Kentucky into an early hole and the Wildcats start to worry about the Zero - the longer Kentucky has to think about losing, the more likely it gets.

The reality is that I'm not sure Brey's a particularly good big game coach and he's the most likely person to come out tight on Saturday - right now, I like Notre Dame to cover +12, but winning? They'd have to be perfect.

 

[jfuchs91]

Kentucky's defense is absolutely dominant. They just overwhelm teams with their size to the point that it's not fair.

To give an idea of how good Kentucky's defense is: The difference between Kentucky's defensive effective FG% and #2 in the country is greater than the difference between #2 and us. UConn (we're 29th for what it's worth).

Notre Dame is an extremely efficient offensive team, but I can't recall a defensive unit like Kentucky's in college basketball ever. I think Notre Dame will need double digit 3 pointers to stay in the game.

Edit: More on Kentucky's eFG%. They currently sit at 38.9% on the season. Tracking back through 2002, the next lowest eFG% on record is Memphis is 2009 with 41.4%. UK's defense this year has been otherworldly.

Also, for the record, our defense in 2004 ranks 3rd in that span with a eFG% of 41.5%, and we were also tops in 2007. Overall, we have been in the top 15 in 11 of the past 14 years (including 7 seasons in the top 5). We've had some great defenses here.

 

[sammydabiz]

Notre Dame is going to get rocked. They're a fun team to watch and they have a lot of offensive talent, but the size disparity is too large for me to even entertain the idea of Notre Dame winning. They're going to get absolutely plastered on the boards and in the paint.

My tourney bracket says otherwise......

 

[caw]

Kentucky's defense is absolutely dominant. They just overwhelm teams with their size to the point that it's not fair.

To give an idea of how good Kentucky's defense is: The difference between Kentucky's defensive effective FG% and #2 in the country is greater than the difference between #2 and us. UConn (we're 29th for what it's worth).

Notre Dame is an extremely efficient offensive team, but I can't recall a defensive unit like Kentucky's in college basketball ever. I think Notre Dame will need double digit 3 pointers to stay in the game.

Edit: More on Kentucky's eFG%. They currently sit at 38.9% on the season. Tracking back through 2002, the next lowest eFG% on record is Memphis is 2009 with 41.4%. UK's defense this year has been otherworldly.

Also, for the record, our defense in 2004 ranks 3rd in that span with a eFG% of 41.5%, and we were also tops in 2007. Overall, we have been in the top 15 in 11 of the past 14 years (including 7 seasons in the top 5). We've had some great defenses here.

I'd venture to guess that UConn in both 2004 and 2007 played a much tougher schedule than UK did this year. The SEC was pretty mediocre this year.

 

[The Funster]

The only way to beat Kentucky is to get them to beat themselves. Get out to an early lead, survive the inevitable onslaught and hope the pressure of staying unbeaten gets to them.

 

[B1GEast]

What do you expect a coach to say, we're going to lose?

 

[SixRings]

Brey is SH!tting his pants right now - rightfully so. The post game quote was him trying to convince himself they have a chance. It's really slim and probably anorexic.

Nearly every talking head claimed WVU was either going to win or take UK really close. That is the biggest lopsided sweet 16 win I can ever remember and I wouldn't be surprised if ever.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The team with the best shot of beating Kentucky is Gonzaga.

They have skilled bigs that can both pass and shoot with real size, and a point guard who can legit get his own shot in late clock situations.

Even with those pieces, it might take a Villanova style perfect game...

 

[RayRay19]

Let's be real....No one has a shot....


Everyone is doooomed!!!!

 

[UConn990411]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that quote from Brey.

 

[jibsey]

Would this be a bigger upset than the Lake Placid 1980 US Hockey Team win?

 

[Kembacity]

Does anyone else see the Kemba in Grant? watching him play last night, all I could think was 'this kid is watching Kemba tapes all night'

 

[Mots010]

From here on out, UK is playing teams that are at least ranked higher than they've played all season. I'm just not sure its going to matter with that defense.

 

[tzznandrew]

2

From here on out, UK is playing teams that are at least ranked higher than they've played all season. I'm just not sure its going to matter with that defense.

Right. They had a sh¡tty schedule. They got Kansas in November. UNC and Louisville in December.

Notre Dame will be the first KenPom Top 10 team they play all year (Duke, in contrast, played 5 games). I think they'll take out Notre Dame pretty well unless ND has a great shooting outside game. But they're starting to play really good teams, in succession, for the first time all year.

I mean, in all seriously, Arkansas (KenPom 28) is the best that the SEC had to offer. Their tournament so far has been: 237, 36, 26.

It's about to go: 9, then 2/3, then 6/7/8/11.

That national semifinal will be the best chance for a team to knock them off, I think.

And that, on that big stage, is where I have picked them to lose...although mostly because the only chance you had of winning your pool this year is to have a different champion than Kentucky.

 

[HuskyFich]

Kentucky would win this matchup 9 out of 10 times...but that is what the tournament is for.
To ruin the squid's hopes and dreams.

Look what ND did to Duke. Quick start, slow the game wayyyy down, and deny the ball.
Clearly a hell of a long shot, but I think ND might have the best opportunity to beat them

 

[scrappy2.0]

Only chance ND has--play 40 minutes of zone hit 15+ 3's. Some of this interior scoring ND does will not be there. They will really have to spread them out and use quick passing to move the ball around. Cincy had the rough interior player to atleast make it a game. WV played nothing like Cincy and while ND is good after Auguste they go down to 6-6. Not good when they're are 5 1st round picks who are 6-10 on the other side. I even think if someone how Duke plays Kentucky later on Duke will have to adjust by putting Plumlee at C and moving Okafor to 4 and not getting in FT.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

UK opened as an 11.5 favorite against Notre Dame (Westgate) and that seems like a reasonable line. UK has the size, length and depth to control the pace against a team like Notre Dame.

Notre Dame will want to space UK out on offense to give their guards the opportunity on the wing/perimeter to get quality shots, while giving their defense enough time to get back into that 2-3 zone.

UK on the other hand will attack the paint and utilize their transition game to help break that zone. UK isn't known to be a great shooting team, but they have guards that will be able to feed their bigs for easy buckets.

Grant is a legitimate NBA guard, but I think a lack of front court depth does ND in against the likes of WCS, Towns etc and UK wins this going away by double digits

 

[Scoe]

What do you expect him to say, they will get killed. I think ND will come in prepared, it wouldn't shock me if they even have a halftime lead but I think UK size and athleticism will outlast ND and will pull away with a comfortable margin I would say they win by about 12.

 

[nomar]

50% of the public picked UK to win it all, and I didn't want to do that and pretty much guarantee that I wouldn't win my pool even if I picked the winning team. So I had to pick them to go down somewhere, and I thought ND had "as good a shot as anybody" to pull the upset. That doesn't mean they have a good shot.

My bracket looks good right now -- emphasis on right now. 7 of my Elite 8 picks are still alive (RIP UVA).

I like Grant a lot. He gives them a chance.