What I learned from ESPN's "How to Beat Kentucky" special

by:Mrs. Tyler Thompson03/24/15

@MrsTylerKSR

Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 12.11.49 PM What did I learn from watching ESPN's 30-minute "How to Beat Kentucky" special? Nobody really knows for sure. For 30 minutes, ESPN's panel of experts went back and forth on what teams must do to knock the Cats off, including hard-hitting points like "gain more possessions," "take and make threes," and "score in transition." Honestly, I'm surprised "score more points" wasn't at the end of Dino's "blueprint." "How do you beat Kentucky?" Jay Williams asked. "I have no idea. Some people say you have to make 10 threes. We saw Ole Miss do that. Some people say you have to play zone. I've seen teams do that as well. You have to force them to turn the ball over. It's not gonna happen with Tyler Ulis and Andrew Harrison. They're too good. You can't outrebound them. I guess the best chance you have to beat Kentucky is pray on your knees that they have a bad day. I don't think it's going to happen." There were some great moments, including the hilarious "Cal Worried Meter," on which Dino Gaudio predicted how worried Cal was about potential matchups. According to Dino, Cal is only halfway worried about a potential matchup against Notre Dame: Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 12.23.54 PM If you can't read that, the three ways Notre Dame can beat Kentucky are:
  • Excellent guard play
  • 3-point shooting
  • and offensive spacing
...and oh yeah, score more points. According to Dino, Cal is HELLA concerned about a potential Final Four matchup with Wisconsin: Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 12.24.59 PM Wisconsin can beat Kentucky by:
  • Taking care of the basketball
  • Playing their pace
...and scoring more points. According to Dino, Cal is also VERY concerned about a National Championship game against Duke. Like 9/10 worried: Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 12.25.57 PM To beat Kentucky, Duke must:
  • Get the ball to Okafor inside
  • Surround him with shooters
...and score more points. After all of that, each analyst concluded that it can't be done; the Cats can't be beaten. But, like this season, it was fun watching them try to figure out how.

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