THE SQUID FEELS THE HEAT
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Stacks don’t seem to be helping…
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UK fans want another title, same as KU fans, Duke fans, UNC fans, etc. There is always championship pressure at those schools. There always will be.
Calipari gives his team a chance to win the title every single year. Same as Self does. Same as Coach K. Sometimes, those teams flame out in horrible fashion. Sometimes they overachieve a bit. But they are always there, which means that eventually they will break through.
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So this thread brings up an interesting question.
Would Self do better in the same situation as Calipari?
Many people, particularly fellow KU people, would assume yes but I say not so fast. Self’s best teams in terms of tournament success outside of the 08 title team have been pretty lean, but experienced.
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I think Self would do worse with Cal’s teams. I think Self is better, more comfortable, and more effective with more experienced players. He seems to have less tolerance for mistakes. And he’s much more of a system guy. Cal plays the inexperience.
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Assuming he has the same roster, similar results to what he’s had at KU. If anything they’d be more rested most years as the SEC sucks in general.
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To overwhelm an opponent with more talent is not really great coaching. You could say Cal is a great recruiter, yet with recent events it appears Big Shoe has a big influence on where the top talent goes.
What I find interesting was the topic was eerily similar to a lot of the conversations we have about Coach Self. Conclusion maybe we fans are just never satisfied?
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dylans said:
Assuming he has the same roster, similar results to what he’s had at KU. If anything they’d be more rested most years as the SEC sucks in general.
I think the SEC is different. More athletic teams than the Big12 but worse coaching.
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Different, but Self kicked butt w/USA team and … Self did pick kids that would play team ball. I know, he didn’t pick them all.
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I agree that has had the most talented team in the nation half or better of the years he’s been at UK. But it’s noted in this article how the best teams don’t win the tournament that often. That’s why it’s so hard to gauge, I’m one of the few people that still think making the sweet 16 is solid. I just hope we don’t have to wait 20 years between titles again.
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@DoubleDD I think it is worth considering that taking a roster that changes every season, and then to win at the rate Cal has won at, is pretty impressive. He knows how to deal with and adjust to all types of players and skill sets. I wonder why we don’t win all of our games even though we have more talent that everyone we play, save UK or Duke? It’s just not that easy. That said, I get your point … at some point, talent overwhelms. But winning involves more than talent. It’s why CBB is such a great game. Nearly anyone in the tourney can knock off teams at the top.
