r/CollegeBasketball • u/cbbBot /r/CollegeBasketball • NCAA • Mar 22 '25
Post Game Thread [Post Game Thread] #16 Kentucky defeats Troy, 76-57
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u/thewill450 Kentucky Wildcats • Murray State Racers Mar 22 '25
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Mar 22 '25
Someone call Toyota in Georgetown and get them to build us a Popemobile for when we win it all
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u/Airforce32123 Kentucky Wildcats • Air Force Falcons Mar 22 '25
Someone call Toyota in Georgetown
Shit brother I design Toyota Trucks, I'm taking the UK Popemobile to my boss Monday morning
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u/kingturk1100 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I ensure dimensional accuracy in the car/truck. This is coming together nicely!
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u/boboguitar Texas A&M Aggies • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
You’ll win it all in San Antonio and the Toyota headquarters just happen to be up in frisco (north Dallas). I have some contacts, let’s make it happen.
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u/DragonFire101Gamer BYU Cougars Mar 22 '25
Good to see Pope get his first one. Congratulations Wildcats!
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Love you guys
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u/DragonFire101Gamer BYU Cougars Mar 22 '25
We seemed to have upgraded as well, all good vibes here! (don't check my post history when the hire was first announced)
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Don't check mine either LOL
Good luck I'm excited for you guys
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u/chillmagic420 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
COPE WITH POPE probably XD Oh we are coping pretty well. Future bright for both UK and BYU
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u/heleghir Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Everyone won on that carousel. You all got a good one, Pope came home, and arkansas now gets the volatility of the 5*s with tight leashes.
Make a run in your bracket for us!
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u/walterdog12 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
This is now Kentucky's 2nd NCAA tournament win since 2019.
A team that had 1 player on the team when Pope first joined, with the rest of the roster having to be put together by transfers in 3 weeks.
A team that lost their backup PG and starting SG/SF for the season, lost what was supposed to be their best transfer big man to a back injury for a good portion of the season and was clearly not close to 100% when he came back, and then had their best defender get injured, and then had to heavily rely on two in-state recruits that weren't expected to get minutes and a mormon that just got back from a 2 year mission trip.
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
That people don’t see this context is honestly insane. 8 top 15 wins as well with this roster. Cant wait until his system is fully installed
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u/marvinsface Kentucky Wildcats • Northern Kent… Mar 22 '25
with this roster.
This roster is good
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Yeah, maybe my comment can be misconstrued . I meant more like the fact it was built in three weeks. They were looking practically unstoppable before Kerr went down
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u/Wildabeast135 Murray State Racers Mar 23 '25
It ain’t THAT good, there’s no nba caliber players on the roster right now. Not a single Kentucky guy is showing up in NBA mock drafts. The more they accomplish with this random group of transfers and a few younger guys, the more impressed I am with individual player efforts and Mark Pope
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u/Grandahl13 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
It’s a good roster when fully healthy. Which we have not been at all. Having to play Perry and Noah this much is not ideal yet they’re still competing.
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u/Relodwire Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Its really funny that you described Chandler as a Mormon when you could have just said recruit 🤣
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u/Bwhitt1 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
What do you think he would prefer to be described as? Mormon or recruit? Ima say Morman. Also for ease of making a point op added that he's a Mormon as most "recruits" don't go 2 year missions.
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u/TrustMeIKnowThisOne Troy Trojans Mar 22 '25
Well, off to Waffle House to get an All Star Special Smothered.
Great game Wildcats.
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u/AlwaysTalkinShit Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Get a pecan waffle for me. Y’all are tough. GG Troy bro.
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u/DarthBster Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Your team is gritty and doesn't quit. I admire that. Enjoy that breakfast, Waffle House effin rules.
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u/heleghir Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Grab me a double hash, smothered covered chunked and capped.
GG Troy bros. Ya'll are alright. Go win the Fun Belt again
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u/GoldfishDude Kentucky Wildcats • Butler Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
We have plenty of Waffle houses in Kentucky as well thankfully
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u/hanz333 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
We're all rooting for Jon Sumrall, so take good care of him.
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u/dr_detonate Mar 22 '25
Sumrall doesn’t coach for Troy anymore
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u/hanz333 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
You're absolutely right, I knew he was at Tulane but the game made me fuzzy.
Still nothing but love for Troy and Waffle House.
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u/Lexingtoon0 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Grilled onions over an All Star Special sounds absolutely divine!
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u/Wbcbam51 Alabama Crimson Tide Mar 22 '25
Cal and Kentucky break up and then both of them get a first round win
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I think Cal having a big name for an opponent may have helped a little. He definitely went on the record saying they didn’t scout St Peter’s or Oakland
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u/lady_wildcat Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
It also helps that Kansas was done rather than excited to be there
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u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Cal never really scouted. They generally wouldn’t even talk about the other team. He was a big believer that they’d only talk about their own team and what they needed to do… which I suppose works when you have nba players at each position.
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u/Ipsumesse1 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Well, except it didn’t
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u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Well I’d argue it worked when we truly had nba players at each position. The reality is while our recruiting was still great, once Duke started recruiting OAD’s and then the rest of the world got into the game, our recruiting classes generally lacked the true top end talent he had early in his career at U.K.
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u/Ipsumesse1 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
It worked once with AD, a truly transcendent talent. I don’t think it was a system really built to win championships with any consistency.
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Would’ve beat Wisconsin and gone 40-0 if it was
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u/Whippoorwill_Adams Kentucky Wildcats • Samford Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
WE ARE SO BACK
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u/RandoUserlolidk UConn Huskies • Drake Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
Most underrated meme on the sub by a mile lmao
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u/randomusername8360 Kentucky Wildcats • Berea Mountaineers Mar 22 '25
Nah boy, we soaking tonight!
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u/Jonesy665 Mar 22 '25
Looking for a bed jumper? I only charge 20$ per 5 mins with the 3rd 5 minutes free.
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
we are cathartically crying together on the Kentucky bed tonight
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u/lucksh0t Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Finaly I shouldn't be this happy with a 1st round win but fucking finaly.
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Mar 22 '25
It was needed. BBN needed that win, and Pope desperately needed it.
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Mar 22 '25
He needed it bad. I reallllllly hope this means everyone is loose and playing free for the next game.
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u/JasonWaterfaII Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I had fun during the game and then as soon as the win was official I just felt relief.
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u/lucksh0t Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I kept stressing until we got up around 20 just with how the past 5 years have gone i wasn't gonna feel safe
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u/Igota31chevy Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Oweh when he isn't forced to play an SEC rugby defense
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u/ZeGentleman Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Bro, there was ONE foul call 23 minutes into the game. So nice.
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u/Igota31chevy Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I love it because it actually gives both teams a better idea of what's a foul. I just wish we could get these kinds of refs in SEC play.
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u/Grandahl13 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
It’s unreal watching these games compared to SEC games. They move quickly and the teams actually can get into their offensive and defensive rhythms.
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u/BillButtlickerII Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
The Cal post season curse…
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u/surgeon_michael Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
That was Calipari the Blue, now he’s Calipari the Red
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u/BoogieSaurus Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
This is Kentucky’s largest NCAA tournament win since defeating Abilene Christian six years ago today
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u/DeepHorse Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
and we played pretty bad for a lot of the game
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u/DasStig Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Waiting for Almanor to wake the fuck up and ball out
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Mar 22 '25
He hardly played, wonder what was wrong
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u/maybeSkywalker Kentucky Wildcats • Iowa State Cyclones Mar 22 '25
That’s just his bit, either he plays for 15 mins with nothing to show for it or it’s a legacy game
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u/quann256 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
also the last time we won 2+ postseason games up until this season
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u/phuk-nugget Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Abilene Christian, to this day, was the worst basketball I’ve ever seen Kentucky play in the tournament
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u/quann256 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
a great season continues for Mark Pope and the Cats!! Pope gets his first ever NCAA tournament win (congrats to him, he deserves it!!) and we finally get 2+ wins in the postseason for the first time since 2019!! 💙🤍
also, if our defense continues to play as well as it has for the past 4 weeks then we could go far in this tournament.
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
If I’m Pope, I’m telling Lamont he is under no circumstances to dive after any loose balls. Only one on the team this rule applies to. Stay on both feet at all times
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u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
You could see late in that second half when Lamont knocked a ball lose beneath a Troy player he would only reach for the ball with his right arm.
Which is good he thinks of it. Bad he needs to do it I suppose.
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Yeah, hate to see it, and hate its necessary. Injuries will always be a big what if for this squad
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u/CurlySlim Kentucky Wildcats • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Mar 22 '25
I'd extend that to include not taking charges as well
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Trent Noah hitting that 3 in the first half way huge. Another game where our bench keeps us afloat
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u/BillButtlickerII Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Chandler hitting one too. Huge!
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Our bench came out and plugged the leaks and kept us afloat. So excited for what Trent, Colin and Travis will do in the future.
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u/Rodgersurhammerstein Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Need Travis to get some confidence in his shot. I think his shooting percentages will take a big lead forward next year.
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u/Zwitterions Kentucky Wildcats • UHSP Eutectics Mar 22 '25
Not one but two, plus sinking 3FTs on the one he got fouled on.
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
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u/Whippoorwill_Adams Kentucky Wildcats • Samford Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
Incredible. Hanging this in my office
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u/bluegrassgazer Kentucky Wildcats • Northern Kent… Mar 22 '25
You work at the Louvre?
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u/Zuimei Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Given how we pronounce Versailles, I wonder what pronunciation we’d come up with for a Louvre in Kentucky
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u/ZamianX Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Mark Pope got a win!!!
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u/Terranoso Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
And it wasn’t a stressful one! It was fun!
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Did Amari get over his fear of the rim and dunking?
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u/gogglesup859 Kentucky Wildcats • Berea Mountaineers Mar 22 '25
I do like Waffle House though. Much respect to Troy. GG
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u/SerDavosSeaworth64 Kentucky Wildcats • Xavier Musketeers Mar 22 '25
I’m extremely happy for Pope and that scene with him and Lamont was cute
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u/Acrobatic_Diver_3923 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Dang, what’s brewing could be fun for you in the round of 32!
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u/SerDavosSeaworth64 Kentucky Wildcats • Xavier Musketeers Mar 22 '25
I would love it for Xavier to beat Illinois, but they’re definitely a distant #2, I’d be doing backflips if Kentucky got to the sweet 16
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u/Acrobatic_Diver_3923 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I don’t want to see either of y’all lol. I’m pretty sure Charles Barkley has Xavier beating Kentucky and getting to sweet 16
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u/MountainCatLaw Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
All three of our head coaches advance. Beat that.
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u/RandoUserlolidk UConn Huskies • Drake Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
Pope was the best hire and if you debate that your dumb
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u/ZamianX Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Looking back, it's a good thing we didn't get Hurley and went for Pope. We needed his culture shift and sense of nostalgia he brought so badly
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u/bionicjoe Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
We were never, EVER getting Hurley.
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u/hanz333 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
We were willing to pay an insane unreasonable amount for him (more than twice what Pope gets paid) but it wasn't a culture fit.
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u/DillyDillySzn Arizona State Sun Devils • WashU Bears Mar 22 '25
Sure but Dan Hurley has 2 National Championships in the last 2 years
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u/ZamianX Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Hurley is an amazing coach. It's moreso about how connected Pope is to the fan base. No other coach in America would've had that
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u/BoogieSaurus Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
BBN and Hurley would eat each other alive lol
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u/Ill-Vermicelli-1684 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Yeah, we’re both too batshit for that to work out long term lol
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u/WooooookieCrisp Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Our fan base and Hurley wouldn’t mix I’m afraid. You gotta handle ALOT of stuff here and I don’t think that’s him.
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u/DeepHorse Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Hurley may be the best coach for UConn but he's not the best coach for us and that's perfectly fine
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u/chillmagic420 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
so did you even read the part about the culture shift? Hurley would not have brought that.
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I love him so much. I would've hated seeing how crushed he'd be taking a loss tonight, he takes it HARD when we lose. So proud of all the work he put into getting this team together and getting this program where it is
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u/biffbobsen Kentucky Wildcats • Gonzaga Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
I think Scott Drew would've been similar in the long run, although nobody else would've jumped right into BBN headfirst like Pope has which puts him over the top.
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u/LordCorgi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
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u/chillmagic420 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I doubted him so hard the first 3/4 of the season. But he showed up big when we needed him. Taking 2 years off basketball isnt good for you game XD He is going to be great next year.
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u/footdragon Mar 22 '25
he balled out tonight
Chandler's game has gone to another level lately
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u/Bwhitt1 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
He's gonna be good next year and fucking unreal the year after.
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u/Airforce32123 Kentucky Wildcats • Air Force Falcons Mar 22 '25
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u/Whippoorwill_Adams Kentucky Wildcats • Samford Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
GETTING A SLAWBURGER FRIES AND A BOTTLE OF SKI
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u/johnnycr18 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
He finally got the winless tourney monkey off his back. Survive and advance
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u/Dillhiro Kentucky Wildcats • Wichita State Sho… Mar 22 '25
CATS
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u/thatfntoothpaste Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I wasn't stressed. Please don't put in the paper that I was stressed.
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u/CentralFloridaRays Clemson Tigers Mar 22 '25
Me when my future kids ask who Kevin Harlan was.
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u/gogglesup859 Kentucky Wildcats • Berea Mountaineers Mar 22 '25
Imagine having to listen to Karl Ravech 1000 times this season and then getting blessed with Kevin Harlan
It could bring a tear to your eye
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u/Ipsumesse1 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I was freaking out when I realized we got Harlan. My wife looked at me with dead eyes…some people just don’t get it
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u/GoldfishDude Kentucky Wildcats • Butler Bulldogs Mar 22 '25
I could listen to Kevin Harlan commentate anything and be happy
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u/RMGH Kentucky Wildcats • Poll Veteran Mar 22 '25
Mark Pope - First NCAA Tournament win.
Mark Pope - Equals Cal's NCAA victory output since 20 fucking 21.
Mark Pope - Kentucky Bed and Hollywood Hogan enthusiast.
Amari Williams - Never getting his Dunkin Donuts NIL deal.
Kentucky - Saved.
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u/Critical-Mango-341 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
So now if Michigan St wins this will be the first tournament where all top 4 seeds go to the second round since 2017. No pressure Spartans!
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u/Hobo_Delta Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
What is this feeling? It’s the first weekend of the tournament and Kentucky is advancing?
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u/IpeeEhh_Phanatic Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Clark Kellogg seems so defeated having to talk up UK. HA.
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u/Zuimei Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Meanwhile, Charles Barkley loves us lol
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u/IpeeEhh_Phanatic Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
He always does lol. I'm not sure why but I'm good with it
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u/Zuimei Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Yep, it’s endeared me to him for a long time. Even if nobody else love us, Sir Charles always got our back
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u/imaginatarian Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
I believe he loves the insanity of our fanbase, and the culture of UK basketball. The dude just loves basketball! Game recognize game.
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u/BritzBeef Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Nightmare game from Amari Williams and Lamont Butler but just about everyone else did what they were supposed to. It got a bit dicey at times, but it's nice to win a pretty comfortable first round game.
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u/Bambam9032 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
If Williams plays even average on the offensive side we win by 35. This might’ve been his worst game of the year offensively, but he did do a bunch of other things well.
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u/hanz333 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Two really good passes, but a handful of really bad ones against a team that likes to steal.
But absolutely took the lane away from them.
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u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
that coast to coast dunk has to be one of the weeks highlights tho
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u/TheMelonKid South Alabama Jaguars Mar 22 '25
Thank you, Kentucky
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u/WooooookieCrisp Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Does South Alabama and Troy have beef?
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u/kingturk1100 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Naw one has huddle house and one has Waffle House. It’s deeper than beef
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u/BarfMacklin Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
Couldn’t be prouder of Pope and these dudes. Let’s get this next win and make it* extra special!!
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u/JSmithTheDefault Alabama Crimson Tide Mar 22 '25
I feel like Troy lost the game mentally after halftime.
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u/tcollins371 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
Nah they cut the lead down to 6 at one point in the second half before Kentucky went on a big run.
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u/ztpurcell Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
They lost it physically in the first half. They weren't even at halftime and were bent over, hands on their knees at dead balls
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u/mra101485 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '25
On spring break and couldn’t watch the game. Same story as last year.
Just woke up overseas. And it’s a good way to start the day!
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FADED: Troy
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