I'd say so. I feel Jerry Green was big for that program back in the day as well. Forgot what happened with him.
I'm not saying Barnes is bad at all either, I just think Pearl is unjustly underrated.
SEC race is going to be a good one between UK and UT...
- Thread starter ABVolsFan92
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I'm not saying Barnes is bad at all either, I just think Pearl is unjustly underrated.
So missing one decent player is enough to cause a home loss to a bad team, but losing to Florida isn’t possible?
🤣😆
Btw, it does matter that they haven't won the league in years. The SEC was bad the last time Kentucky won it. It's much improved over the last three years.
So your projections for the SEC race is just current rankings then?
I think Florida will finish much better than they were predicted, but I'm not sure they shoot well enough at the moment. I don't think we'll be an easy out for anyone though.
This Florida team plays more like some of the older LSU teams. Size, post points, Aggressive guards, but not great at the ft line or 3ball. We've been so soft in the paint for so long its refreshing to see.
Florida was missing a key player in 3/3 of their losses, but that's just part of the game. You're not going to have a full squad every game.
I just think it's a bit arrogant to think the conference will be a two team race when almost every year the conference is competitive.
Fun fact... In the last 3 seasons, neither of the top 2 preseason ranked (SEC) teams finished in the top 2 of the SEC standings at years end.
No, I'm not basing my predictions in the current rankings, but damn, there are two teams ranked in the top 10, the rest… .aren't. It’s really not that hard to predict who the best two teams are right now and aldo.look at the talent and size both teams have and make a prediction based on that.
If those two teams stay healthy, they should end up 1 and 2 going into the SECT.
If you have a different order of finish, I'd love to see it.
What's so different about the SEC now than it was in 2020?
There are two teams that have seperated themselves, the rest have piled up the losses, or simply haven't played anyone and are hiding (Ole Miss and Auburn).
Yeah, but these aren't pre season rankings we're looking at. This isn’t October, it's late December bruh.
This year, there are 5 SEC teams ranked higher on Kenpom than the highest-ranked team in 2020 (#29 Kentucky). Three in the top 10.
Your top competition in 2020 was #33 Auburn.
You don't think there's a difference?
Are you using end of season KP rankings from 2020 and comparing them to December rankings in 2023?
For the record, KP and NET ratings, are inaccurate as hell right now. Do you really think Iowa State is a top 10 team?
So throw out December Kenpom ratings completely, but December AP/Coaches rankings "prove" who the top teams are. 🤣
With a full season of data, Kentucky ended 2020 at #29 on Kenpom. Yet won the SEC by 3 games. Do you think a 29th rated team could win this year's SEC by three games? Yes or no.
So answer the question, are you using March/April Kenpom ratings and comparing them to December 2023 KP ratings? I mean, just answer the question.
As far as UK's 29 rating in 2020, they shit their pants against one of the worst teams in all of college basketball in November that year. They were a top 10 team in March with a bad loss that weighed them down.
But right now, the AP and coaches polls, are more accurate than the metrics are. Once you get into conference play, those metrics are going to flip for a lot of teams.
But right now, there are 2 teams in the SEC that are worth a damn, there are snother 4 or 5 that are good/okay and the rest suck. Which is what it was in 2020 too.
Of course I’m using the current Kenpom ratings. What else would I be using?
You said that the human polls “prove” who the top teams are. They don’t prove a damn thing. They’re just as flawed right now as any computer ranking. Early season rankings are heavily impacted by where teams started in preseason. Teams that started out unranked have to achieve a lot to break into the top 25, much less the top 10.
You can’t seriously think that Kentucky’s SEC competition was as strong in 2020 as now. Tennessee alone is far better than anyone they had to deal with that year.
As for whether Iowa St is deserving of their rating…I don’t know. Why not? They have a good coach who turned them around dramatically in one year and went to the Sweet 16 in his first season.
I don't know what Exit said because I have his ass on ignore, but in 2020 UK ran away with the SEC and won by 3 full games over Auburn and LSU. The NCAA shut down the tourney's so we will never know what would have happened.
That UK team had elite eight written all over it.
Nice try, the issue isn’t the fact that you are using KP ratings from December 2023, no, the issue is you are comparing those ratings to the final ratings from 2020 and acting like the accuracy is the same.
Or are you basically telling me you don't undrtstand how metrics work? Just let me know.
Now, you're trying to act like 2020 is a long time ago, it was 3 years ago.
Here's another fact for you, in the SEC, they don't play a round robin like the BIG12 does. No, it's an unbalanced schedule.
In 2022, UK finished 1 game behind Auburn, but guess what, those 2 teams played 1 time that year and it was at Auburn. So lets not act like UK has been some deadbeat.
If the BIG12 played unbalanced scheduling, KU would not have gone 10 years without coming in 2nd, or 3rd.
He’s try9ng to say the SEC is currently much stronger than.it was just 3 years ago.
He's using the final kenpom ratings from 2020 and comparing them to December 2023 Kenpom ratings to make his point. Even a 5 year old knows that the current Kenpom ratings (or any metric that uses true game results) will drastically change as teams get into conference.
He’s just trolling like he always does.
I guess you don't get the point. If you're gonna try to argue that December rankings "prove" something, then you can't dismiss other ranking systems just because you don't like them. You don't make the rules. Sorry. Pretty childish and lame.
It's interesting that, in every other argument, you claim that the SEC has gotten much stronger in recent years. Now you're saying it's the same. Unless you're trying to say it was great in 2020, which would be a really hard argument to make. It's almost like you just make it up as you go in a desperate attempt to win the internetz.
We've talked about imbalanced scheduling multiple times, and it's sad that you keep trying to use that as an excuse. Again, you understand that Kentucky benefits from it as often as they don't, right? And that KU had imbalanced scheduling for half their B12 streak and many B12 championships before that? But yeah....the round robin was the key!
How 'bout blaming Calipari like you do in every other argument? Is he a reason that they haven't won the SEC lately or is it just that damned imbalanced scheduling that apparently hurts Kentucky and helps everyone else?
Yeah, the SEC has gotten stronger and more competitive in recent years and 2019, 2020 and 2022 fall into that category. 2020 is only 3 years ago, you're trying to make it seem like it was 20 years ago.
Show me a year where UK benefitted from the unbalanced sec schedule. I'll wait.
That UK team played Florida last game of the season and our damn HOME refs threw SMH. That and Fl choked 🤣. That was seriously the last semi decent Fl team too IMO. Before KJ went down
That UK team was good though. Still angry about that game though. Robbed in our own damn house SMH.
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How does 2020 fall into that category? Based on what?
This year is up in the air, but I really doubt that any unbiased person would say the SEC was as strong at the top in 2020 as it’s been last few years. And if we use your logic, the human rankings prove you wrong.
Hold on……you’re saying that the scheduling has somehow put Kentucky at a disadvantage every single year? Are you serious?
Lol @ Florida basketball trying to talk trash
So, tell me, what's so different in the SEC now, or last year from 2020?
Are you thinking because UK won the league by 3 games, that it means the SEC sucked?
UK smoked the SEC in '10, '12 and '15, but it wasn't because the SEC sucked. That 20 team had one of the best backcourts in the country.
Yeah, go compare UK's sec schedules with the other contendors, tell me where UK ever had an advantage. Again, I'll wait.
lol...Florida has played exactly 1 true road game and that is only because they had to (ACC/SEC challenge), not because they chose to schedule it.
Last year’s Alabama, ‘22 Tennessee and Auburn, ‘21 Alabama and Arkansas, etc were all much better than any of the competition in 2020. Are you seriously denying this? Use any metric you want. They’re all going to reflect that.
And didn’t you say that rankings “prove” who the best teams are? Even in December? Then they also prove you wrong here. Can’t have it both ways.
Yeah, it’s ridiculous to believe that December rankings prove anything, but…here we are.
LOL
So Kentucky has, somehow, never had the benefit of playing a good team at home and not on the road? So all the other SEC contenders have easier schedules every single year? Despite the fact that they have to play a Kentucky team that generally has way more talent than any of them? Wow. How’s that possible? Must be a huge conspiracy.
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Yeah I get it. That's why I'm not over here saying I'm I know exactly how good or bad we are. Or that we'll be a contender or not, or suck again. I thought it was a wee bit early to say UK and UT will be a two team race in the SEC.
I think it's funny being rational is "talking trash". Never said anything about Florida fwiw. We play soon don't worry, I'm not sure we're cohesive enough quite yet. I guess we'll see.
Who knows, we will see.
You are up late, you must be retired, or like me work a swing shift and wish I was retired. 😉
Go to bed Mr. Moderator, you also are up past your bed time.You're supposed to say UT sucks.
🤣
Not a chance. This Bama-Zona game is a battle!Go to bed Mr. Moderator, you also are up past your bed time.
Alabama needs to step up, Ucon, Baylor, Oklahoma, and Creighton all went down. They can make it another one.
It was back and forth most of the game. I think an 8 point lead is gonna be too much to overcome and they have been cold for most of this half.
