Had a chance to show up for one of the biggest storylines in College Basketball this year with Cal returning to coach against UK and the whole Mark Pope story as well and they choose to go to Duke/UNC. I know Arkansas is fairly pathetic, but so is UNC. I know these sites are selected pre-season, but Arkansas was projected to be a lot better than they’ve been and the Cal/Pope storyline had been established. Way more eyes would be on it if it was at UK.
College Gameday…
- Thread starter trueblujr
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ESPN and their ACC lovefest will always pick Puke/UNCheat over UK/Ark.
Kentucky and BBN moves the needle in college basketball. Love them or hate them. But the rivalry of dUKe and UNC*** is a premier game every year. Crazy things have happened. So I don't mind they take gameday there instead of UK - Ark. I stopped watching ESPN a long time ago. Stopped going there (I may go there once in a blue moon) but thats the limit of my being able to stomach anything they produce.
The great thing about when dUKe and UNC** play twice every year, one of them loses ! woot!
The great thing about when dUKe and UNC** play twice every year, one of them loses ! woot!
I was understanding at first, but then I realized they could have easily gone to the next UNC/Duke game later in the season. Calipari returning to Rupp for the first time happens once.
Shocked they didnt do it at Kentucky especially since UNC is about as **** as Arkansas this year anyway. It’s a made for tv soap opera with Cal coming back which ESPN seems to love that stuff
Pretty obvious they intentionally avoided this game due to the tension between Seth Greenberg and BBN.
Stupid decision by them, in terms of ratings.
Stupid decision by them, in terms of ratings.
I think Arkansas being so bad is the main reason. Yes, UNC isn't great, but they're probably better than Arkansas and Duke/UNC is one of the biggest rivalries in sports and UK/Arkansas isn't. Plus, if Gameday came here Seth would have to talk a lot of about Arkansas and how bad Cal's been and he probably wanted to avoid that.
But Duke/UNC is the GREATEST rivalry in ALL of sports...ESPN said so.
I get the frustration with it.. but it's Duke/UNC. And Duke has what many believe is the best player in the nation. I kind of don't see this as that big of a snub.
Honestly, Calipari dropped his end of the rope .
Greenberg does not have that much (or any pull) at ESPN. They made a business and TV decision. It's that simple.
If Arkansas was good and in the top 10 they would be at UK regardless of what Greenberg thinks.
People will choose to be outraged by anything these days.
That’s my point. As much **** as Seth and Jay talked about BBN in the off-season, you know they were just ITCHING to come rub Cal’s triumphant return in our faces. Now that Arky sucks and they have egg on their faces, ESPN doesn’t have the balls to let them face BBN’s wrath. Totally predictable move by the spineless, leftist company.
Not sure what you mean. They pick the Basketball destinations before the season starts for whatever reason. Before they knew Cal would crap the bed. The storyline was still there and still is despite Arkansas being a dud. UNC has been a dud this year too, but any opportunity to showcase Cooper Flagg outweighs any bigger storyline with ESPN.
Duke and UNC typically play twice a year. It’s only as “premier” as it is because ESPN pimps them like a cheap hooker.
not sure Greenburg wants to go to Rupp anytime soon, couple that with Jay Williams being a Duke guy
I think they may have had more influence on the decision that people think. Not saying they were the sole arbitrators but having a day centering around the rise of UK and the struggles of Calipari. ESPN probably didn't want to invest in that
I think they may have had more influence on the decision that people think. Not saying they were the sole arbitrators but having a day centering around the rise of UK and the struggles of Calipari. ESPN probably didn't want to invest in that
As long as economy lets them. If UNC continues to snooze and rivals like IU and UL heat up, ESPN will be forced to focus on us more for their bottom line. So strange that many here are opposed to that. Sawing off the branch they’re standing on.
Honestly…really couldn’t care less about College Game Day. Don’t generally watch it as most of those guys give me a headache
Let them do them
Let them do them
According to Seth Greenburg nobody outside of Kentucky and Arkansas cares about the Cal angle and maybe he is right. Where he is wrong is in thinking anyone outside of UNC and Duke cares about that game or Cooper Flagg. I feel most fans are like I am and wish they would quit shoving him down our throats even when I am watching UK vs UT, Texas A&M or any other opponents we've faced and had to listen about him being 17 or from Maine.
I don't really believe that to be true. ESPN tries to promote it to be the biggest but both teams fans walk away from that game and don't think about it again because they will play again in the regular season or probably in the tournament. UK and U of L fans on the other hand think about it all year long whether they want revenge for losing it or whether they want to gloat for winning it. Either way they don't just forget about it. In my opinion without the ESPN hype machine telling us it's the greatest rivalry in college basketball it's no different than UK and UT.
Well you clearly didn’t listen to Seth Greenberg lol. Seth saying he has no input and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot is comical.
Even Dan Dakich saying the personalities have no say and then literally the next sentence out of his mouth was talking about how Vitale would take assignments away if he wanted the assignments. Now Greenberg is no Vitale but just found the contradictory statement funny.
You were talking about it being the biggest rivalry and program success has little to do with rivalries. There are a lot of very bitter rivalries and one or neither team has had a lot of success. In my opinion my point is still valid that they only care in that moment and then they go on about their lives. That doesn't constitute this "greatest rivalry in the sport" that you and ESPN apparently think it is.
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ESPN is more woke than Disney who owns them. They'd rather pimp Flagg and UNCheats than cover a real story.
I don't watch any of the pre game stuff. But I know a lot of you do and I understand why.
Cal coming back to UK in his first year at Ark to face Coach Pope in his first year at UK is a huge college basketball story. The biggest regular season story this year. Any sports programming network would dream of having this scenario.
ESPN has always been biased toward the ACC and especially toward the pukes and the cheaters.
They will spin it why they did it. We all know why they did it. Flagg is the player they are in love with. This game is not a big time match up in any way. UNC likely doesn't make the tourney.
But they play again. This is once in all of history. Will never happen again. They play twice every year I'm sure you know that
I could not care less if Gameday ever came back to Lexington. No big loss and we already know ESPN is going to do everything they can to endlessly pimp Duke/UNC. It is a joke and lost its luster many years ago. I don't think I have watched one since the 2014-15 season.
Because all of the talking head alums say so? I've watched them nearly every year. They don't have the same energy our fan base brings.
Maybe the biggest rivalry in the state of NC. Outside of NC no one cares. We have the biggest fan base in the sport. It is a no brainer if you are going for the money and ratings.
But yea lets act like 18 year old "phenom" and the mediocre tarheels are must watch TV for any one outside of the 2 programs.
I can see a chance where they will come when Auburn comes to town toward the end of the season. That is, unless dook is playing Little Sisters of the Poor.
UK should boycott ESPN. don't give their commutators seats down low, put them in the rafters. espn is at puke twice a year, and then has them on the road a couple of other games. if the rest of college basketball starts freezing espn out, then puke will fall.
Yeah i see the other side of this. Believe it or not, I still think ESPN stands to gain more from UNC/Duke for game day than this unique scenario for UK/Arkansas. Does that make it right? No. Is that what I want to see? Also know.
But it's a business decision. They probably wouldn't give us this game if BOTH UK and Arky were undefeated right now. Let that sink in lol.
Wonder if UK will get a gameday in Rupp this year? UK/Auburn is the best bet for it. At Bama could happen, but I’d assume they do one there when Auburn comes to town. Remaining games on Saturday:
Ark
S Car
@ Tex
@Bama
Auburn
@Mizzou
Ark
S Car
@ Tex
@Bama
Auburn
@Mizzou