UK Falls to North Carolina
#8 UK faced #11 North Carolina today in Tarheel country and came up on the short end of the score. UNC was up by 20 at one point, but UK managed to close it to 6 a couple times. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough in them to come back at the end of the game. UNC’s experienced players were just too much for us. It wasn’t a very pretty game, either, with lots of turnovers on both sides. UK made it even uglier by making some really bad shot selections, forcing it up when they really didn’t need to. I guess that comes the lack of experience. We had a lot of foul trouble, too, with Hayes, Rondo, and Bradley all fouling out. On a positive note, Azubuike had a good game, scoring 24 points with 12 of them from 3 point land. Surprisingly, Alleyne looked pretty good, too. He’s been a good surprise for us this season. Hopefully our freshman gained some experience from this game, experience that will be needed come March.
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Dec 4th, 2004 at 15:09:16
The box scores seem to show a lot of why the outcome was the way it is. We have the talent, but just a little young. It did seem like there were a lot of ticky tack fouls that may have been onesided, notice the guards and their foul counts. But hopefully this was a good learning experience.
Dec 4th, 2004 at 15:20:41
I missed the game today… now I’m a little more ok with it.
Dec 4th, 2004 at 23:33:56
I missed the game as well. I figured that this would be a tough one. I wish I could have seen it but my caring heart offered to help a friend and her husband move into their new house.
THerefore I cannot critique the game. Though I think that it was a good loss prior to the Louisville and Indiana games. Plus you can only beat a good time like UNC so many times in row before they come back and beat you. I am shocked that it was not closer than it was.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 00:08:36
I SAY THEY CHEATED! (I’m just venting here…)
Dec 5th, 2004 at 02:03:39
Alleyne is going to be a terror on the defensive end if he keeps playing the way he is. He was a little timid at times, though. If he gets more aggressive, he’ll get a double-double in blocks and rebounds every game!!
Dec 5th, 2004 at 12:25:55
The good thing is uk gets back to its “play us here or no where” home of Rupp for Morehead state. Now we see why uk is chicken to play any real team, and anywhere else besides rupp.
How many home games? How many weak no-name teams?
Dec 5th, 2004 at 14:35:02
Sorry Jeff, but you are a typical Hilltopper. Both my brothers went to Western and all they did was say UK was too afraid to play them. OK, how many National Championships has Western won? And you say there afraid? They’ve beaten UNC the past, what, 6 or 7 years? C’mon, your just jealous because WKU will never be as good as UK! I’ll give you they have a better mascot. Big Red rocks! But that’s it!
Dec 5th, 2004 at 19:47:53
Just stating a fact. UK plays a pethetic OOC schedule, and every UK fan fusses about it… so I am not saying anything new. They leave the comforts of their cake home schedule and go n the road, and they lost.
Just facts Jermemy, just facts.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 19:58:12
Jeff, don’t forget that the SEC is one of the toughest conferences in the country, so while they may have an easy OOC schedule this year (easy is relative, remember…some of these teams may be tough for the likes of other teams, like Western), they’ll have their hands full come conference time. I think playing in a tough conference like this makes it a little more acceptable to have some “cake walks” beforehand. I do think this year’s OOC schedule is easier than in years past, though.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 20:07:06
Whatever..
I’ll just avoid this. Brainwashed people are hard to deal with. Must be in the water.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 20:20:40
P.S.- the reason Uk won’t play western…
65-52
Nov 15, 2001
YES, CHICKEN.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 20:20:53
oops… 64-52.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 20:26:10
Oh, come on, we’re not scared to play you. I’m really not sure why UK doesn’t play EKU or WKU more often, but I seriously doubt it has to do with UK being chicken. Who’s to say that it’s WKU that doesn’t want to play UK…
Dec 5th, 2004 at 21:13:57
I *KNOW* because we call and offer to play EVERY year. I *KNOW* this.
Kentucky is chicken. They don’t want to play an instate school like WKU. They know we can beat them. Maybe not every year, but we can beat em. Same goes for Murray.
UK sticks with Morehead and Easten and Northern, schools that have no chance.
uk is CHICKEN. accept it.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 21:21:35
That’s funny Jeff! You say UK fans are brainwashed, yet WKU fans are the ones who think their team is better than they really are. If their so good, why don’t they get out of the Sunbelt Conference and join a conference like the SEC or ACC? Let’s see how big they are then.
Oh yeah, they won ONE game….good job. Western’s not the first team to beat UK. It’s just the fact that they beat other teams a lot more than they get beaten. That’s why they are the winningest program in college basketball…..just the facts!
Dec 5th, 2004 at 21:28:00
I don’t get how you can call UK chicken for not playing WKU. We play nationally ranked teams, like UNC, Kansas, Michigan State, etc. every year. We play Louisville, an in-state and another nationally ranked team, every year. We also play Indiana every year, and that’s usually a tough matchup whether they are ranked or not. We’ve played and lost to Dayton, WKU, and other “lesser” teams before, so I don’t see why UK would “be afraid” of WKU… Your reasoning makes no sense Jeff. You can be a UK hater if you want; that’s your perogative.
Dec 5th, 2004 at 21:35:38
I think it’s a requirement that WKU students think their team is better than UK. I’ve yet to meet one that doesn’t. That’s why I chose NKU over WKU…I just couldn’t get away from reality!!
Dec 5th, 2004 at 22:35:42
Let me chime in here. Scheduling you know also has to do with money, where can more money be made playing at western or playing at rupp. And then as well, who thinks UK has a soft OOC schedule this year. Isn’t Lousivlle ranked, isn’t UNC ranked and I do believe many writers are picking them to win it all this year, Indiana lost to UNC by 4 wasn’t it last week, and they lost to UCONN by 7 or something both of which are top 15 teams, and then again isnt’ kansas ranked #2. I think that’s a pretty tough schedule. Sure there’s a couple Coppin Sates and such, but you have to get warmed up somehow before the tougher schedule games. Who has western played thus far? Just wondering.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:35:13
Western can’t get anyone to play us.. NO ONE will. We’ve called EVERY school in the top 6 conferences. EVERY SCHOOL. I am not asking UK to come to Diddle.. I’d play em in Rupp. We’ve offered that. They say no. Why? Not because of $$.. because they are scared we MIGHT beat them and it would look bad. They chose to play teams that they can beat (Coppin State, Morehead, High Point etc etc), or teams that if they do lose, it won’t look bad, Ie: UNC, Kansas. Name me a GREAT Mid-Major team that uk has agreed to play. And Louisville.. my friends, is on UK’ schedule becuae the STATE required them to play. LOOK IT UP. Don’t get me started.. I know what’s going on. Did I say WKU was better? NO. I said uk is chicken to play them, and that is the facts.
Western would love to be in the SEC… if our biased legislatures in Frankfort, MOSTLY UK grads, would spread the wealth a little more, schools like EKU and WKU and Morehead and Murray could do more. We are in the SBC cause we are STUCK there.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:36:34
You chose NKU because it is ok to wear your blue crap on campus and no one think twice. Great school spirit bud.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:37:23
Why didn’t you go to UK? Obviously that is where your heart is.
Ticks me off when people cheer for ANOTHER school over their own.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:39:36
Also, actually, we’ve won two games against uk… doesn’t seem like much, but considering the two historically NATIONALLY recognized programs have played a total of….. 5 times. Rupp refused to play Coach Diddle. And that is because he didn’t want to lose fans to WKU if they lost. In the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s WKU had constantly better teams than UK. WKU went to the NIT more times than UK (back when the NIT was THE national tournament, not the NCAA). Rupp refused.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:41:01
You shouldn’t just take the propaganda spoon fed to you… read up on the history of the universities in this state, read up on history of basketball in this state. If UK didn’t have their hand on everything WKU did from day one, we’d be a different program.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:42:36
Hey, Jeff, be bitter if you want, but take a chill pill. Geesh…
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:45:34
Point taken.
This is the last comment on this site.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 01:52:35
Jeff, we UK fans are as passionate about our team as you are about yours. When you call us chicken, we’re gonna refute those claims and stand up for the team, the same thing you would do if we started ragging on your team. At least we are all passionate about the team we root for…
Dec 6th, 2004 at 14:37:50
Wow, apparently this has touched a bit of a nerve. Sorry you feel that way Jeff.
Dec 6th, 2004 at 14:43:50
And I do think a lot of times who ever is on the road changes from year to year as well. And what’s wrong with wanting to play where you have a home court advantage? Doesn’t every school want to play at home? And how many times has western gone to play in other tournaments like the Great Alaska shootout, maui invitational and such? Maybe if they went further in the NCAA tournament they would get more returned calls. You can say what you want but I still don’t think it is because of being chicken. There could be something about it such as tubby use to go to high point, has friends that are coaching at other schools and therefore plays them as a favor. You don’t know, so therefore you can’t say why they don’t play. When you become an AD you can have western and UK play all the time if you want.
Dec 7th, 2004 at 12:47:46
Too much testosterone here!
And I just have to say that there’s nothing wrong with cheering for a team of another school. That’s like saying you can’t cheer for an NBA team if you don’t live in that city…
Dec 7th, 2004 at 21:57:36
OH! YOU GOT SERVED JEFF! GANGSTA STYLE HOMEY G!
Dec 8th, 2004 at 10:16:21
I KNOW WHAT GOES ON. UNLIKE UK, WKU’S ADMINISTRATION IS APPROACHABLE. I KNOW FOR A FACT WE OFFER $200K TO UK FOR A GAME, THEY DECLINE.
DON’T TELL ME WHAT I KNOW AND DON’T KNOW.
BYE
Dec 8th, 2004 at 17:15:02
Wow, he was yellin’…definitely not gellin’. Just wondering if you’ve ever tried to approach UK’s administration?!? Saying UK is afraid of playing Western is like saying an elephant is afraid of a mouse. It’s an untrue statement that a lot of people believe, until the mouse gets stepped on….(don’t get mad Jeff, it’s a joke)!
Dec 8th, 2004 at 17:17:54
As for cheering for other schools, I also cheer for Western. Like I said before, I had two brothers that went there. I’ve had a red towell to wave for a long time! I just don’t wave it over UK.
Dec 8th, 2004 at 18:41:05
WKU HAS PLAYED UK 5 TIMES.. WON TWO OF THE THREE. NOW UNLESS YOU THINK A MOUSE CAN BEAT AN ELEPHANT 2 OUT OF 3 TIMES, THEN YOU YOUR ANOLOGY IS DEAD WRONG.
Dec 8th, 2004 at 23:36:57
Jeff: “WKU HAS PLAYED UK 5 TIMES.. WON TWO OF THE THREE”
Do you mean ‘two of the three’ or ‘two of the five’?
Like Jeremy, I have no problem with Western. I root for them come tournament time, because I always root for KY schools. I don’t bad mouth WKU even though they have beat UK in the past. So what! That’s the past. Every season is a new season, with a new team, and anything can happen to any given team at any given game. It’s that last game of the season that really counts.
“uk is chicken to play any real team, and anywhere else besides rupp” was the original statement that Jeff made that brought this whole barrage of comments from UK fans. Notice that the original statement didn’t say WKU, but a “real team.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but UK just played a “real team” in UNC at Chapel Hill, NC (which is not Rupp or even in KY) this past weekend. And we lost. Will we play them again. Yes, we will? We’re definitely not chicken to play one of the most storied basketball programs in the country. Again, why would we be afraid to play WKU? Other than them beating us twice (UNC has beaten us more than twice!), I still don’t see the reasoning behind saying something like that, other than to incense UK fans and provoke a reaction, like has happened.
And again, “shouting” in your comment won’t get you anywhere… Let’s keep our voices down and just have the discussion.
Let’s all agree to disagree and not take it personally. We’re each entitled to cheer for the team we want.
Dec 9th, 2004 at 15:23:44
because uk fans can stomach a loss to unc, but uk fans cannot stomach a loss to a “mid-major” like WKU. When uk reguarly schedules home and home series with schools like Butler, Creighton, WKU, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle-Tennessee, and those likes… then I’ll give them credit. like i said, they’ll play “media-safe” games that it is “ok” to lose to, but they will avoid an ugly loss from a mid-major at any cost.
you can’t deny that.
Dec 9th, 2004 at 15:24:28
TWO OUT OF FIVE
Dec 9th, 2004 at 16:26:14
The last time I checked I didn’t think UK fans could stomach a loss to anyone in basketball. Remember the whole win the NCAA or be fired type mentality that most of us (UK) fans have.