This is important for a lot of reasons, mostly obvious ones.
I love the fact that we are a 4 1/2 point dog
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Although it's great that we beat them twice, let's face it, this is the only one that will matter. I'll gladly give up those two earlier wins (trading them for wins against Arkansas and Bama at home) for a win this week. Can we make that happen? Anyone?
Bama had no trouble beating us 3 times. No reason to think we cannot do the same to Tennessee. Like I have said over and over, Matchups are key in this tourney. So far we have had good matchups. Tennessee for some reason is a good matchup this year. We just have to last another 40 minutes against them and survive and move on. GO BIG BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please explain. What is obvious to you isn’t necessarily obvious to me. Is this obvious for betting purposes?
Yes, it can be made to happen, it has my permission, and hopes, and prayers.
It's the revenge mindset. A team/player always plays harder if revenge is on the mind. Makes them hungry.
Auburn a few years ago- we beat them twice and they got us in the tourney.
UNC- We beat them early part of the season, they returned the favor in the elite 8.
UCLA - They beat us at Rupp, then we returned the favor in the tourney.
Indiana- They beat us with the Watford shot, we returned the favor.
Umass with Cal - They beat us with Camby, we returned the favor in the tourney.
Add that, and the fact we got UT twice.
Mostly for motivational reasons and confidence leading into the game since we’ve beat them in Lex and Knoxville.
Yes, those are things I can see and understand. It’s almost like they’re obvious.
We absolutely have a chance.. I might even go as far as saying that the Illini game (played against their crowd) will prove to be just as much of a challenge as Tennessee. I don't think they matchup well with us, we're playing healthier than we were the last two games, and this game will have far more UK fans to help us through.
How are we only a 4 1/2 point underdog ? Shouldn't it be at least 6 or 7 ? Or ten ? 15 minimum ? 
That's ok. Let them talk about everyone except Kentucky. UK is under the radar. shhhhhh ....
When they do start talking about Kentucky, it'll probably the only thing they will be able to talk about.
Go Big Blue !
That's ok. Let them talk about everyone except Kentucky. UK is under the radar. shhhhhh ....
When they do start talking about Kentucky, it'll probably the only thing they will be able to talk about.
Go Big Blue !
Well as long as UK keeps winning they will be the underdog from here on out.
Not trying to be a smartass but I’d rather be favored by 40+. Our guys should and will be motivated to play their best. That’s all we can hope for and let’s see what we can do.
People like to say that it's hard to beat a team 3 times, but the metrics say that the team that won the first two, wins the third more often than they lose it.
I hope we stay an underdog. This team plays better that way. I also hope everyone puts their money on Tennessee. A little extra incentive for Vegas not to screw us over can't hurt.
I just hope the refs don't try and keep it close to the spread
We need to just have an us against the world attitude. Tennessee has a higher seed, is ranked higher, finished in the SEC higher, and is the favorite to win. That feels like more motivation than just a revenge game to me. Every team left will likely be favored/ranked over us. Go out there and prove everyone that still may doubt us wrong.
Completely agree. Use the no respect card. Keep the pressure off.
The Auburn game was mostly us not playing well.
UNC, close games. If they played 10 times , might go 5-5.
UCLA. Honestly don’t remember.
IU. The first game was a fluke. If we played 10 times, we win 9.
UMass. In first game, Pitino experimented with Delk at pg. He learned that we were better with Epps running point. That was the difference between the two games.
I can’t believe we are an underdog against UT. On any given day, one team can beat another so a win isn’t guaranteed. If we do lose, it will have nothing to do with us beating them twice. I fully expect us to win.
UNC the refs cheated their asses off against Ark or UNC wouldn't have made it to us. Then they did the same thing to us. It felt like the NCAA, refs decided the Cheats would be champs.
I'm glad we're 4 1/2pt dogs too. It's way better than being favored. After beating them on our floor and on their floor, being dogs should really piss our team off. It's a total lack of respect.
I'm not a believer in the "its hard to beat someone 3 times" line of thinking anymore. Im more interested in match-ups and we seem to be a real match-up problem for UT.
I'm also glad we get almost a week to scheme them. It should be a great game. If we make it to the Elite 8 or further, I won't even know what to say about Pope. What an amazing season we've already had.
I'm not a believer in the "its hard to beat someone 3 times" line of thinking anymore. Im more interested in match-ups and we seem to be a real match-up problem for UT.
I'm also glad we get almost a week to scheme them. It should be a great game. If we make it to the Elite 8 or further, I won't even know what to say about Pope. What an amazing season we've already had.
I love being the underdog, particularly after we've beaten them twice. That subtly puts the pressure back on them. I can feel them starting to choke already.
Yep those refs were horrible that game against us Bam couldn't even breath on anyone without getting a foul called on him. Had to sit most of the first half in foul trouble and don't get me started on Fox driving and getting hammered left and right with nothing being called. The refs made our guys play so out of sync that game if I recall it was rumored that even the NCAA made a call to the officials at the half of our game to tell them to at least make it look some what like they weren't favoring those @ss hats so much from chapel hill.
Barnes has to be starting to wonder if Pope is his Kryptonite.
That being said.........I wish EweTee was favored by 10.5
That being said.........I wish EweTee was favored by 10.5
They kind’ve go as Chaz goes. He was awesome at Rupp last weekend but only went 3-17 from 3 against us this season.
Yes we can
Just as others proved to be matchup problems for us
We are a matchup problem for UT
Keep making us the underdog & disrespecting us, like despite us being the #3 seed & Illinois being the 6 seed they were favored over us. And now despite the fact that we BEAT Tennessee Both TIMES that we played them they have made them the favorite over us..... I call this motivational fuel to keep proving people wrong.