We'll handle Kentucky

[PhatOrange]

They'll play us man to man and it'll be a track meet which is exactly what we want. Their frosh haven't seen a zone like ours either.

I'm more worried about getting picked off by a LVille or Butler type team. Playing against a stall ball zone type team that can make some 3's is the bigger threat.

 

[dollarbill44]

The mix needed to beat us appears to be a team with at least 2 hot 3 pt shooters, a PG who can drive and find the back-door cutters who can actually finish consistently. I don't think too many teams have that combination. It doesn't appear to be enough to just have 3 point shooters, or just be able to dribble-drive and dish low. You need to have a consistent combination of them all.

If someone wants to play helter-skelter defense and try to smother us, they better be able to go 8-10 deep because we will wear them down. I think the best chance someone will have is to be able to beat us back down the floor and play a sagging man or tight zone and hope we can't hit any open 3s. Lately, that's been a pretty good strategy, but as UConn found out, if we get hot for just 2:00, we can open up a big lead in a hurry.

Do we have weaknesses? Sure, but I think we have enough strengths to go pretty far.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Hopefully someone knocks them off.. I'd rather face just about anyone else.

 

[RF2044]

Hopefully someone knocks them off.. I'd rather face just about anyone else.

I wouldn't mind playing these guys of any elite team. Honestly, UNC and Duke scare me more with their size / rebounding prowess.

Completely agree with Phat's assessment--frosh who aren't use to a zone tend will struggle to execute half court sets against us. They'd need to flat out kill it from three to have a chance.

 

[Marsh01]

All this Kentucky talk is great but in reality the odds of us playing them are very slim as it would be in the NC game. In the world that we live in today with the tournament as big a crapshioot as it has ever been I would be absolutely stunned if the NC game is Syracuse vs. Kentucky. Not saying I wouldnt love to see it (we could call it the Nerlens Noel bowl) but someone will probably get knocked off prior to that.

I agree with RF. UNC would scare me more than Kentucky. Size inside, guys who can make shots, a good PG who really has a handle on the game. I want no part of UNC in the tournament.

 

[CorduroyG]

I could see kentucky throwing the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds then jacking up 3's, completely dumbfounded by the zone. We'd hold them in the 60s.

We shouldnt be worried about kentucky though, probably wouldnt see them till the championship game anyway. Once you make the final 4 cant worry about who youre playing, its gonna be a great team.

 

[br801]

They'll play us man to man and it'll be a track meet which is exactly what we want. Their frosh haven't seen a zone like ours either.

I'm more worried about getting picked off by a LVille or Butler type team. Playing against a stall ball zone type team that can make some 3's is the bigger threat.

Not sure why so many are obsessed with Kentucky at this point. If we meet them at all, it will likely be in the semi-final game at earliest and it will mean both teams have continued to play well. But a lot has to go right for both teams for the match-up to actually happen.

Take one game at time, ignore the media critics, enjoy the journey and let's see what plays out.

 

[AZOrange]

The biggest threat to us is injury/losing a player. Notably Fab.