Kentucky

[Jacks02]

Re: Kentucky

I just heard from a friend that Champ's Sports Bar in Sioux Falls will be having the Kentucky game and have reserved a table "in front of their biggest TV" for Sunday night at 7:00 for the game. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it as I'll be up north deer hunting this weekend, but I'm hoping to get back to my parent's place early enough to watch it on satellite.

Go Jacks!

[Jacks99]

Re: Kentucky

Thanks for the news. Good luck deer hunting, I'm heading north next weekend and will have to listen to the Jacks win the conference on the radio ;D

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Kentucky

I'm off to Kentucky for the game. I will return next Weds with my full report. Hopefully, by next Weds we will all be talking about wrapping up a Great West Conf Champ and our second win in Men's Basketball.

[filbert]

Re: Kentucky

I'm off to Kentucky for the game. I will return next Weds with my full report. Hopefully, by next Weds we will all be talking about wrapping up a Great West Conf Champ and our second win in Men's Basketball.

Now is the time to speak the unspeakable:

This Is A Game The Jacks Could Win.

Why? There are five players on the court for each side at any one time. If one team plays together, plays smarter, and has a bit more luck than the other team, they have a chance to win.

Will the Jacks win? History, experience, common sense say no. But sometimes, just sometimes, history, experience, and common sense are wrong. Those moments are the magical moments in sports.

Ask Jimmy Valvano and North Carolina State. Ask Rollie Massimino and Villanova.

If SDSU and Kentucky play ten games, Kentucky probably wins all ten, maybe even eleven, they're "soooooo much better than the little cow college from somewhere up there."

They play one game, anything can happen. The Jacks have an opportunity to create one of those magical moments that are talked about for decades after the event.

All you can ask for is the opportunity. Maybe you win, maybe you lose. But You Have The Opportunity.

Throw the ball up, let's play some hoops!

Go Rabbits!

[jackmd]

Re: Kentucky

It appears the Kentucky game will also be available tape-delayed on FSN south, DirectTV and DIsh network.

From UK website:

Also delayed on FSN South and DirecTV channel 639; Dish Network channel 448

http://www.ukathletics.com/index.php...ange_well_id=2

[jackmd]

Re: Kentucky

Quotes from Tubby Smith press conference:

"As far as the game against South Dakota State, everyone is excited about playing their first game of the year. It’s the first time we’ve played in one these tournaments that play back-to-back in a while. I know a lot has been made a big deal of us playing against teams that aren’t considered top Division I programs, but I know Coach Nagy will have his team ready to play. He is one of the bright young coaches in the business. When you take a team from Division II into Division, I you know its going to take time to build the program. I think they are building their teams the right way and they are going to come in here and compete as every athlete does. I’m sure they are preparing their team as hard for us as they would anyone else.

"I don’t think we’re settled on who is going to start right now. The team we started the other night did a good job for us. When start to get into the regular-season, we’re going to go with the best individuals who will make the best team. That’s still being developed. SDSU has got a great player named Steve Holdren and I know from watching him on tape that I’ve been impressed with how he plays. They got some good returning players and they have signed some good junior college players. I like the kind of stuff they do. They push the ball up the court and they look to take the first good shot they have. They’ll play a lot like Georgetown. They’ attack us, try to deny us the lane and try to pressure us out of our offense. Georgetown was a big help and I’d like to thank Coach Osborne, his staff and his players because they exposed some things we need to get better at like handling pressure and boxing out. Those are things we have been working on the last couple days as we’ve prepared for these back to back games

[filbert]

Re: Kentucky

Bad for Kentucky is good for the Rabbits:

http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll...24/1017/NEWS02

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Until the NCAA divulges when Randolph Morris will be eligible to compete, the University of Kentucky enters this season without three of its top four scorers and its top two rebounders from last year.

Morris, a 6-10 center, started all but one game and was fourth in scoring with 8.8 points and second in rebounding with 4.2 per game as a freshman.

After easily winning two exhibition games, it's not surprising that UK's biggest deficiency will be in the middle until Morris returns.

The ninth-ranked Wildcats begin the regular season by hosting independent South Dakota State at 8 p.m. Sunday at Rupp Arena in the first round of the 16-team Guardians Classic.

[JBNJBQ]

Re: Kentucky

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...36/1002/SPORTS

The real D-I: SDSU at Kentucky today


CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com

Article Published: 11/13/05

LEXINGTON, Ky. - For all of the talk about Division I the past two years, South Dakota State has yet to experience anything in its 100 years of basketball that measures up to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Seven national titles and nearly 1,900 victories. Basketball royalty like Adolph Rupp, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley and dozens of All-Americans who landed in the NBA filling the record books. Rupp Arena, filled with 22,999 fans (and usually one Ashley Judd) all screaming and decked out in blue and white.

Still, when SDSU tips off at 7 p.m. CST today against the ninth-ranked Wildcats in the opening game of the Guardians Classic, the Jackrabbits plan to focus on one thing.

"There's no doubt in my mind we can beat them," SDSU sophomore Steve Holdren said. "If they come out flat at all and we come ready to play, we can jump on them."

That might sound like overconfidence, but it's exactly the kind of bluster that Coach Scott Nagy wants his Jackrabbits to exude heading into their first full Division I season. He's not one to surround himself with players content with losing.

"We're not talking to the kids about staying within 20 or anything like that," Nagy said. "I don't think any coach would be worth his salt if he even let on to his kids that he didn't think that they could win the basketball game. There have been bigger upsets in college basketball, certainly."

The Kentucky program is one of the country's basketball titans, alongside powerhouses like Duke, and North Carolina. So is there any way the Wildcats could fear Division I newcomer SDSU?

"Well, I don't think you can ever coach under fear. We respect people," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "It's all about respecting your opponents, respecting yourself. I know we're going to get a great effort, and they're going to have a well-coached team."

The Wildcats went 28-6 a year ago, barely missing a spot in the Final Four with a 94-88 double-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Austin Region final of the NCAA Tournament.

Minus sophomore center Randolph Morris, whose eligibility is in question after not getting drafted by the NBA, Smith is concerned about how his post players will finish around the basket and if they are able to run the court in Kentucky's up-tempo offense.

Kentucky returns starting guards Rajon Rondo and Patrick Sparks from last year's squad. Rondo, who averaged 8.1 points a game as a freshman, has been labeled one of the nation's most exciting players by many experts, while senior Sparks is the top returning scorer with an 11-point average.

Smith said Friday he was uncertain of his starting lineup.

For SDSU, redshirt freshmen Andre Gilbert, at point guard, and Matt Cadwell will start in the backcourt. Though it's their first college action, Nagy feels adding the Twin Cities products will make a major impact after last year's 10-18 squad.

Nagy also will start junior college transfer Mohamed Berté at center, flanked by top returning scorers Holdren (12.5 points per game) and Ben Beran (13.6) at forward.

"We just have to work together as a team and come to a common goal," Holdren said, "and that's winning and playing hard together. I think we have the talent to do it."

Nagy has tried to get his players to envision the enormity of playing in front of a packed Rupp Arena crowd. And after a week of bad practices, he hopes getting on the court and playing in an actual game will sharpen their focus.

"If you have just one kid who doesn't think you can (win), then he hurts your basketball team," Nagy said. "Even though we're young and inexperienced, I think our kids feel like they're going to go in there, compete and play hard. I don't see any fear in them."

Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.

[jackmd]

Re: Kentucky

If we shoot the lights out and they play flat we can be there at the half, maybe even lead.  However, we just aren't deep enough with talent to stick with them for 40 minutes.  If we score 70 I'll be suprised.

I expect a close first half but Kentucky will pull away midway through the 2nd.  Too much talent and depth.

[filbert]

Re: Kentucky

I dunno...UK beat Georgetown (KY), an NAIA school. 85-63. You'd have to think we've got better athletes than them--we're probably a lot younger too so maybe that balances out.

I'll stay with a 96-77 prediction with SDSU running with the Wildcats for most of the first half, a big UK spurt at the end of the half, then again staying with the Cats for about the first 10 minutes of the second half before running out of gas.

On the other hand, if we keep UK from making the big runs and stay within 10-12 most of the game, who knows what could happen?

[jackmd]

Re: Kentucky

I dunno...UK beat Georgetown (KY), an NAIA school. 85-63.  You'd have to think we've got better athletes than them--we're probably a lot younger too so maybe that balances out.

I'll stay with a 96-77 prediction with SDSU running with the Wildcats for most of the first half, a big UK spurt at the end of the half, then again staying with the Cats for about the first 10 minutes of the second half before running out of gas.

On the other hand, if we keep UK from making the big runs and stay within 10-12 most of the game, who knows what could happen?

Kentucky has got some great defensive backcourt players who will make it tough for the Jacks to get into their offense, enter the ball to the post, and penetrate. We will have to run hard the whole game if we are going to put up 77 and we aren't deep enough at the guard and 3 spots to do that right now.

I look for a similar game flow but less scoring. Tubby is one hell of a coach and he won't sweat it if the game is tight. He trusts his kids and they know how to play. They are the 9th ranked team in the nation, at Rupp, and we have a team of kids basically playing their first game together. If we can make this competitive I'll be happy.

[joeybrownerhof]

Re: Kentucky

I'm off to Kentucky for the game.  I will return next Weds with my full report.  Hopefully, by next Weds we will all be talking about wrapping up a Great West Conf Champ and our second win in Men's Basketball.

MJA- do me a favor and tell Ms. Judd that i apoligize for not calling her back. Have a great time, the Rupp is a great place to watch basketball.

[filbert]

Re: Kentucky

Kentucky has got some great defensive backcourt players who will make it tough for the Jacks to get into their offense, enter the ball to the post, and penetrate. We will have to run hard the whole game if we are going to put up 77 and we aren't deep enough at the guard and 3 spots to do that right now.

I look for a similar game flow but less scoring. Tubby is one hell of a coach and he won't sweat it if the game is tight. He trusts his kids and they know how to play. They are the 9th ranked team in the nation, at Rupp, and we have a team of kids basically playing their first game together. If we can make this competitive I'll be happy.

I wouldn't be totally surprised if Tubby doesn't pull a few strings to keep the game a bit closer than it otherwise would be. For instance, on UK's web site, the game writeup PDF doesn't have Rajon Rondo in the starting lineup. This is exceedingly odd. Now, I fully expect Rondo to start, but this is kinda strange, you must admit. I haven't seen anything anywhere about his being hurt.

http://www.ukathletics.com/doc_lib/mbb_notes_111105.pdf

[Jacks_NL]

Re: Kentucky

From a lexington paper
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...y/13155141.htm

i love one of nagy's quotes --He described his team, affectionately, as "young and dumb."

nagy is being nagy even for the kentucky paper

[jackmd]

Re: Kentucky

Awaiting the start of the 05-06 Jackrabbit season. Sounds like the warm-up game is done. Not sure who won that scrimmage but the main event is about to start. It will be interesting to see how these guys play together against a solid, if not top, DI team this year.

They are definitely at a disadvantage from a depth and talent standpoint and we will have to see how they do through the adversity of one hell of a tough early season schedule. Nagy will have them prepared and he can motivate almost anybody. If he can't motivate them, they won't stick around.