[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

The game just kicked off, can’t wait to see how Randle and the rest of UK does

[Steven]

can you do me a favor (and hopefully other users) and just give an update like every 10 minutes or so of the game. cause i dont get espn3, and im not streaming it. thanks

[Steven]

can you do me a favor (and hopefully other users) and just give an update like every 10 minutes or so of the game. cause i dont get espn3, and im not streaming it. thanks

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

After only two minutes into the game, Randle has a foul and a turnover, Cal takes him out of the game.

KU is having a hard time scoring but their defense is solid.  Better than I thought it would be, then again, it’s only UNC Asheville.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

After only two minutes into the game, Randle has a foul and a turnover, Cal takes him out of the game.

KU is having a hard time scoring but their defense is solid.  Better than I thought it would be, then again, it’s only UNC Asheville.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

UK is still struggling to get it together.  Randle is a man-child but the rest of the crew isn’t playing up to par.  They are playing down to their opponent so far.  Coach Cal just chewed them out though.

 

Julius Randle could play an NBA game right now.  He’s a big kid

UK seems to get to the line every possession but they’re leaving so many points on the line.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

UK is still struggling to get it together.  Randle is a man-child but the rest of the crew isn’t playing up to par.  They are playing down to their opponent so far.  Coach Cal just chewed them out though.

 

Julius Randle could play an NBA game right now.  He’s a big kid

UK seems to get to the line every possession but they’re leaving so many points on the line.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

UK has gone for 3 alley-oops tonight and failed all 3.

WCS is pure hustle and is outplaying everyone on both ends.  He’s guarded the 1 thru 5 tonight.  He’s reminding me of (in this game) a young Joakim Noah.  4 BLK, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL in about 10 minutes of playing time.  

If WCS and Randle play this way all season, Dakari Johnson will be glued to the bench.  James Young is a sniper, he’s sparked up the offense with his threes.  The Harrison twins are attacking the rim at will.  

UK is getting it going.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

UK has gone for 3 alley-oops tonight and failed all 3.

WCS is pure hustle and is outplaying everyone on both ends.  He’s guarded the 1 thru 5 tonight.  He’s reminding me of (in this game) a young Joakim Noah.  4 BLK, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL in about 10 minutes of playing time.  

If WCS and Randle play this way all season, Dakari Johnson will be glued to the bench.  James Young is a sniper, he’s sparked up the offense with his threes.  The Harrison twins are attacking the rim at will.  

UK is getting it going.

[Steven]

 nice. idk if your getting info on the duke game, but jabari parker is looking like the real deal. obviously its only the first half, but hes looking sharp. 

[Steven]

 nice. idk if your getting info on the duke game, but jabari parker is looking like the real deal. obviously its only the first half, but hes looking sharp. 

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

HOT TATERS!

Syracuse, at home, losing to Cornell 38-32!

Cornell is dropping all kinds of 3s and outrebounding The Cuse!

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

HOT TATERS!

Syracuse, at home, losing to Cornell 38-32!

Cornell is dropping all kinds of 3s and outrebounding The Cuse!

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m just checking the boxscore every now and then and statistically, he looks good.

UK is playing in streaks, they slowed down and let UNCA get back in the game for a bit after building a lead.

Marcus Lee is playing with great energy as well as Alex Poythress, these guys are so deep with talent.  

Free throw shooting is still an issue, 13-23 from the line.  23 free throws is a lot but if you’re not making them, what’s the point

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m just checking the boxscore every now and then and statistically, he looks good.

UK is playing in streaks, they slowed down and let UNCA get back in the game for a bit after building a lead.

Marcus Lee is playing with great energy as well as Alex Poythress, these guys are so deep with talent.  

Free throw shooting is still an issue, 13-23 from the line.  23 free throws is a lot but if you’re not making them, what’s the point

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Halftime

So far, UK is playing down to their opponent and only playing in streaks.  They cannot seem to make free throws consistently but are getting to the line whenever they want.  Their defense is decent but much better when WCS is in there instead of Johnson or Lee.

The Harrison twins love to run the ball any chance they get, and they’ve gotten more than a few chances.  If Kentucky can make their free-throws, I don’t see how they don’t win by 20-25 by the end of the night.  If they don’t, it’s going to be a long season at the line.

Reminiscent of Memphis ’08.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Halftime

So far, UK is playing down to their opponent and only playing in streaks.  They cannot seem to make free throws consistently but are getting to the line whenever they want.  Their defense is decent but much better when WCS is in there instead of Johnson or Lee.

The Harrison twins love to run the ball any chance they get, and they’ve gotten more than a few chances.  If Kentucky can make their free-throws, I don’t see how they don’t win by 20-25 by the end of the night.  If they don’t, it’s going to be a long season at the line.

Reminiscent of Memphis ’08.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m impressed by Poythress tonight, he’s a much better player this season than last.  He puts the ball on the deck, he’s driving to the basket, and he’s relentless on the boards.

UK is starting to pull away now, they’re playing tough defense and starting to get into a nice flow on offense.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m impressed by Poythress tonight, he’s a much better player this season than last.  He puts the ball on the deck, he’s driving to the basket, and he’s relentless on the boards.

UK is starting to pull away now, they’re playing tough defense and starting to get into a nice flow on offense.

[HaleParticipant]

 If Poythress is aggressive he is just as good as anyone in the country.

[HaleParticipant]

 If Poythress is aggressive he is just as good as anyone in the country.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Kentucky up by 32 with 3 and a half minutes left in the game and Coach Cal clears the bench.

They played like freshmen in the first half but boy did they step up in the 2nd.  They gave up 31 points in the first half and have only given up 18 so far in this half.  They shot 17-31 from the free throw line in the first half and improved to 11-14 in the second half.

A few notes on these players (of course, it’s game 1 against a mediocre team so take it with a grain of salt)

Marcus Lee: He’s long and athletic.  We knew that, but he’s a much better finisher than I thought.  Didn’t rebound or defend well but he really got open and finished in the lane.  He’s going to be a recipient of a lot of easy hoops this season.  He’s still a project though, 3 year player.  17 PTS, 1 REB

Aaron Harrison: This kid can get to the hoop whenever he wants.  He is fast and loves to score.  Another thing to note, he played tenacious/clean defense (4 steals to 2 fouls) and made life miserable for the opposing backcourt.  10 PTS, 5 REB, 4 STL

Andrew Harrison: Like his brother, this guy gets to the hoop at will.  He, on the other hand, prefers to dish it out when he’s in the lane (5 assists / 3 FGA compared to his brother’s 0 assists / 8 FGA).  He is fast and plays tough defense.  He didn’t shoot too well from the charity stripe though (6-9) and that’s something he should improve on.  But simply taking 9 FTA shows how much he attacked when he had the ball in his hands.  8 PTS,  5 AST

James Young: This guy is a shooter.  If he’s open, that’s a layup for him and that’s all he has to do on this team.  A few things that I didn’t like about him though is that he struggled to create his own shot, if it wasn’t an open 3, he was having a hard time scoring.  He didn’t shoot well from the FT line either (3-6).  But one thing is for sure thing, he can flat out shoot the ball.  11 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Alex Poythress:  We knew he’s athletic, long, and can be aggressive when he wants to but he’s a different player from last season.  He’s playing with a chip on his shoulder and is playing hard on both ends.  He’s not afraid to put the ball on the deck anymore either.  If he plays this way the rest of the year, he may be the reason Aaron Harrison or James Young sits on the bench.  10 PTS, 13 REB (6 OFF)

Dakari Johnson:  I was excited to watch him and I think he’s definitely an NBA player but it just seems as if this season and this team are not going to highlight his talents.  He’s going to play off the bench this season and when he is on the court, UK loves to run, which counters his slow-down post-up style.  But when he did get a chance to post up, he shows a few moves that guys his age just don’t have.  He should stay another season though, even if it’s just to polish himself up and show what he’s got next season.  5 PTS, 1 REB, 4 FLS

Willie Cauley-Stein:  This guy has improved so much since last season.  He is pure, unadulterated hustle.  Like I said earlier, he reminds me of a young Joakim Noah (before he added those 20lbs of muscle).  This guy was there for every loose ball, every rebound, and every 50/50 ball.  Not only did he crash the boards and hustle for loose balls, but he made the right play every single time.  It’s difficult to hustle and still make the right play, and he did.  If he plays this way all season, he’s a surefire lotto pick and Johnson/Lee are going to have a hard time finding playing time.  3 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 5 BLK

Julius Randle:  I said it earlier in this game, he is a manchild and belongs in the NBA already.  There is no doubt in my mind that he could play in an NBA game this very night.  I’m a huge Randle fan and believe he can and should be the #1 pick in the draft.  He is the real deal.  He does not quit on loose balls or tough to reach rebounds.  If he gets his shot blocked, he grabs it and goes up even harder.  He’s a man among boys out there.  He’s got the NBA body already and he put his skill set to work tonight.  Whether it was snagging a rebound and going coast to coast like a PG or battling downlow with the trees and grabbing rebounds and getting fouled.  This kid is a man.  What I really liked is that he was not happy with an open 10 or even 5 foot jumper, he always went in and wanted to get closer or draw a foul.  23 PTS, 15 REB (5 OFF), 6-12 FG, 11-13 FT.

 

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Kentucky up by 32 with 3 and a half minutes left in the game and Coach Cal clears the bench.

They played like freshmen in the first half but boy did they step up in the 2nd.  They gave up 31 points in the first half and have only given up 18 so far in this half.  They shot 17-31 from the free throw line in the first half and improved to 11-14 in the second half.

A few notes on these players (of course, it’s game 1 against a mediocre team so take it with a grain of salt)

Marcus Lee: He’s long and athletic.  We knew that, but he’s a much better finisher than I thought.  Didn’t rebound or defend well but he really got open and finished in the lane.  He’s going to be a recipient of a lot of easy hoops this season.  He’s still a project though, 3 year player.  17 PTS, 1 REB

Aaron Harrison: This kid can get to the hoop whenever he wants.  He is fast and loves to score.  Another thing to note, he played tenacious/clean defense (4 steals to 2 fouls) and made life miserable for the opposing backcourt.  10 PTS, 5 REB, 4 STL

Andrew Harrison: Like his brother, this guy gets to the hoop at will.  He, on the other hand, prefers to dish it out when he’s in the lane (5 assists / 3 FGA compared to his brother’s 0 assists / 8 FGA).  He is fast and plays tough defense.  He didn’t shoot too well from the charity stripe though (6-9) and that’s something he should improve on.  But simply taking 9 FTA shows how much he attacked when he had the ball in his hands.  8 PTS,  5 AST

James Young: This guy is a shooter.  If he’s open, that’s a layup for him and that’s all he has to do on this team.  A few things that I didn’t like about him though is that he struggled to create his own shot, if it wasn’t an open 3, he was having a hard time scoring.  He didn’t shoot well from the FT line either (3-6).  But one thing is for sure thing, he can flat out shoot the ball.  11 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Alex Poythress:  We knew he’s athletic, long, and can be aggressive when he wants to but he’s a different player from last season.  He’s playing with a chip on his shoulder and is playing hard on both ends.  He’s not afraid to put the ball on the deck anymore either.  If he plays this way the rest of the year, he may be the reason Aaron Harrison or James Young sits on the bench.  10 PTS, 13 REB (6 OFF)

Dakari Johnson:  I was excited to watch him and I think he’s definitely an NBA player but it just seems as if this season and this team are not going to highlight his talents.  He’s going to play off the bench this season and when he is on the court, UK loves to run, which counters his slow-down post-up style.  But when he did get a chance to post up, he shows a few moves that guys his age just don’t have.  He should stay another season though, even if it’s just to polish himself up and show what he’s got next season.  5 PTS, 1 REB, 4 FLS

Willie Cauley-Stein:  This guy has improved so much since last season.  He is pure, unadulterated hustle.  Like I said earlier, he reminds me of a young Joakim Noah (before he added those 20lbs of muscle).  This guy was there for every loose ball, every rebound, and every 50/50 ball.  Not only did he crash the boards and hustle for loose balls, but he made the right play every single time.  It’s difficult to hustle and still make the right play, and he did.  If he plays this way all season, he’s a surefire lotto pick and Johnson/Lee are going to have a hard time finding playing time.  3 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 5 BLK

Julius Randle:  I said it earlier in this game, he is a manchild and belongs in the NBA already.  There is no doubt in my mind that he could play in an NBA game this very night.  I’m a huge Randle fan and believe he can and should be the #1 pick in the draft.  He is the real deal.  He does not quit on loose balls or tough to reach rebounds.  If he gets his shot blocked, he grabs it and goes up even harder.  He’s a man among boys out there.  He’s got the NBA body already and he put his skill set to work tonight.  Whether it was snagging a rebound and going coast to coast like a PG or battling downlow with the trees and grabbing rebounds and getting fouled.  This kid is a man.  What I really liked is that he was not happy with an open 10 or even 5 foot jumper, he always went in and wanted to get closer or draw a foul.  23 PTS, 15 REB (5 OFF), 6-12 FG, 11-13 FT.

 

[Author]

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