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***Official Champions Classic Thread***

Depaul fans don't know ball.

blew a 20 point lead at home vs UNC.

Was neck and neck with unranked Michigan State till the last few minutes.

I'm sure Kansas will get better, but they don't look like a #1 team right now.


early 90s Kansas came to Chicago and played DePaul. such a big game even the Minnesota Timberwolf mascot was there for some reason. Stadium gave out mini b-balls to every one. My buddy threw his ball onto the court and right between Scott Pollard's legs while he was shooting a free throw and he missed and as a result we only lost by 8. Don't tell me DePaul fans don't know ball!

My other buddy got kicked out for nearly getting in a fist fight with The T-Wolf mascot who finally had enough and came after my buddy after having to listen to him the entire game yelling at him " you ****ed Christian Laettner in the ass!"
 
Flagg tried to do too much on his own at the end.
Well, tbh, coaches get raked over the coals when they lose a game because they didn't put the ball in the hands of their best player. Flagg performed brilliantly up until those 2 mistakes. I can't blame Scheyer for putting the game in his hands. UK struggled to stop him.
 
Duke is going to be really good by tournament time, while the old men at Kentucky are peaking right now 😀
I bet this UK team improves greatly by tournament time.
-Jaxson gave us zilch last night
-We missed a ton of free throws
-Missed a bunch of open 3's
-Defense sucked in the 1st half
-Williams went like 4-23 in the paint, give Pope a little time with hime and that weakness will he a strength.

I think this team has a higher ceiling than your typical veteran squad.
 
Some thoughts...

Flow to the game was clunky. Good defensive efforts on both teams. Refs were inconsistent. A lot of whistles in the first half. Only 9 combined fouls the first 18 minutes of the second half. The game was super physical. Probably could have called 50 fouls that game. I can think of at least 3 instances were Duke blatantly should have been called for a foul. There were 2 no-calls that went against Duke that were huge. First possession of the first half Carr-Maluach were going for a rebound - Carr slaps both the left and right arm of Maluach, hip checks him, and then falls on his leg. How do you not call that? Maluach was a bit gimpy after that - and wasn't himself in the 2nd half (obviously the cramping played a big factor, too). And then the Amari Williams moving screen on Sion James. Brea nails a three - and Sion James is out for the game. Huge momentum swing.

We essentially played the final 13 minutes with 6 guys (And Gillis didn't offer much). Duke guys looked especially winded the last 6-7 minutes to me. Not a huge fan of the iso-ball, but when you go 4-23 from 3 with relatively clean looks, I can't blame Scheyer for going to Flagg possession after possession down the stretch. Kentucky made the big plays in the closing minutes, and Duke did not. UK was deserving of the win. Still think this Duke team has a really high ceiling. Just need to be way more consistent on those open perimeter shots.
Yeah, the officiating was a night and day difference from half 1 to the second half.

Both teams got away with some things in the 2nd half, but too many touch fouls were called in the first half.

Question, how much does Proctor weight? 200lbs maybe? Jaxson Robinson's extended left arm is obviously incredibly strong, he was able to launch Proctor across the paint from the right baseline. Charge call. That one got me.

But, UK benefitted from a very similar call late in the first half, so no harm done.

That was a fantastic game though. I doubt duke drops in the rankings much. That’s a title winning roster right there. I'm amazed at how well coached they are. They certainly didn't look young.
 
iu
OMFG, my stomach hurts. Holy shit.
 
Well, tbh, coaches get raked over the coals when they lose a game because they didn't put the ball in the hands of their best player. Flagg performed brilliantly up until those 2 mistakes. I can't blame Scheyer for putting the game in his hands. UK struggled to stop him.
maybe there was a better way to get him the ball rather than just clear out and let him try and take a guy 20 feet from the basket?
 
maybe there was a better way to get him the ball rather than just clear out and let him try and take a guy 20 feet from the basket?
Oh yeah, if they put Flagg and King-Nipples in pick-and-roll action, they would score at will.
 
I remember when guys like Paxson and Kerr hit game winners. Now it's clear out for the star to take a crap shot.
 
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Some thoughts...

Flow to the game was clunky. Good defensive efforts on both teams. Refs were inconsistent. A lot of whistles in the first half. Only 9 combined fouls the first 18 minutes of the second half. The game was super physical. Probably could have called 50 fouls that game. I can think of at least 3 instances were Duke blatantly should have been called for a foul. There were 2 no-calls that went against Duke that were huge. First possession of the first half Carr-Maluach were going for a rebound - Carr slaps both the left and right arm of Maluach, hip checks him, and then falls on his leg. How do you not call that? Maluach was a bit gimpy after that - and wasn't himself in the 2nd half (obviously the cramping played a big factor, too). And then the Amari Williams moving screen on Sion James. Brea nails a three - and Sion James is out for the game. Huge momentum swing.

We essentially played the final 13 minutes with 6 guys (And Gillis didn't offer much). Duke guys looked especially winded the last 6-7 minutes to me. Not a huge fan of the iso-ball, but when you go 4-23 from 3 with relatively clean looks, I can't blame Scheyer for going to Flagg possession after possession down the stretch. Kentucky made the big plays in the closing minutes, and Duke did not. UK was deserving of the win. Still think this Duke team has a really high ceiling. Just need to be way more consistent on those open perimeter shots.
On a positive note, Duke almost beat UK shooting well under 20% from 3. Gotta think that will improve.
 
On a positive note, Duke almost beat UK shooting well under 20% from 3. Gotta think that will improve.
If their guards and wings develop into a respectable 3 point shooting core, they will absolutely wreck teams.
 
blew a 20 point lead at home vs UNC.

Gotta have a 20 point lead to blow it, chief.

Last night kinda sucked, but another way to look at it is they got nothing offensively from anybody other than Dickinson and still beat a decent team.
 
On a positive note, Duke almost beat UK shooting well under 20% from 3. Gotta think that will improve.

I would hope so. We've got some decent shooters. Knueppel is supposed to be a knock-down shooter. Foster, Proctor, James, and Gillis should be reliable, as well. Feel like we should at least be above 35% this season.

From the limited time I've seen him, Darren Harris has a really nice looking shot, too. He's buried on the bench right now, and didn't play last night. He might be our second best shooter behind Knueppel. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a few minutes if everyone else is struggling.
 
All time Champions Classic records:

KU 9-5
Duke 8-6
Kentucky 6-8
Michigan St 5-9
Really hope IU gets in before too long. A good fit despite our poor showing of late and would boost the viewership bigly. Iu would instantly become the top or 1a attendance team.
 
I just love knowing that it’s killing a few posters (you kno who you are😘) on this board that UK won.😂

All jokes aside Duke will be really good come March. I’ll be ok if we don’t have to play them again.
 
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