Who’d be better off?
Thanks to a bit of crazy scheduling, I’m here with only my second ever Tuesday night post.
If you’re like me, and enjoy putting off important studying in favor of watching great college basketball games on Sunday afternoons, then you most certainly glimpsed the Purdue Boilermakers beat down of Ohio State in West Lafayette. In the game, E’Twaun Moore put on one of the best scoring displays of the season by torching the Buckeyes for 38 points on 13 of 18 shooting, including 7 of 10 from behind the three-point line.
Purdue is a team that lost its best player, Robbie Hummel, to an ACL injury at the beginning of the season, yet has been able to linger in the top 15 all year on the back of its two stars, Moore and JaJuan Johnson, and a cast of supporting players. However with Hummel, the Boilermakers not only would have been a popular pick to go far in the tournament, but also to finish the season as national champions.
I couldn’t help but spot the parallel to UK’s season after the loss of Enes Kanter, a player that many considered to be the best recruit on a roster of highly touted recruits. With Kanter, the Wildcats would have been a Final Four favorite and would most definitely have a better record than the current mark of 19 and 7.
Here’s my question to you: Which team would be better off if they had their star for the season and subsequent tournament run?
As an unabashed homer, I can confidently say that the Cats with Kanter would benefit more. Hummel is a fantastic player and there is no denying that the Boilermakers would be one of, if not, the best team in the country with him. However, his play is too similar to that of Moore and Johnson to make the same impact as Kanter, a player totally different than any on the Wildcats roster. UK has lacked the dominant inside presence that existed with Cousins, Patterson and Orton last season. This isn’t a knock on Jorts, who has played above and beyond our expectations in the absence of Kanter, but instead an assertion that with both Kanter and Jorts, UK would have presented as deep and as formidable a one-two punch at the center position as any team in the nation.
Simply enough with Enes, UK doesn’t have 7 losses, a first round bye in the SEC tournament is already assured and the anticipation for banner number eight is at a fever pitch in the Bluegrass.
What do you think?
Which team misses out more because of their benched star?
55 Comments for Who’d be better off?
Duuuuuuuh 1st.
Please quit beating a dead horse. Its time to move on.
Kanter this, Kanter that. Blah blah. I’m with you sunnycat.
UK would be better off, but Purdue would still get further in the tournament with Hummel then UK with Kanter
If you look at our schedule, 5 of our seven losses was by 4 or fewer points. Kanter would have easily made enough of a difference where we don’t lose those 5 games. That would have us at 24-2. I also don’t think we would have lost at Georgia (a 7 point loss). Put us at 25-1, and #1 in the country, and the favorite for the national title.
sorry meant better off in regular season
Jonsey sells out to CBS and the KSR crew goes to shit……..WTF
4 How do you know? Have you ever seen Kanter in a game for UK? And I dont recall Purdue going to the Final Four Last year with Hummel. So what is your reasoning?
“Here’s my question to you: Which team would be better off if they had their star for the season and subsequent tournament run?” Hummel is a star at Pudue…..PERIOD and it is late Febuary and Kanter has never played a game for UK.
Seriously… Why aren’t we talking about Jim Calhoun. Shouldn’t ksr be crying about how much coach cal gets picked on because he is the sleeziest coach in the history of time and space? Jim Calhoun is a bad person. No, he hasn’t had two vacated final fours, but he is still a bad bad person. Jeeeeez.
stupid comparison, kanter will never play a college game, get over it and welcome a 1st or second round knock out.
MAYBE NEXT YEAR GUYS.
Hummel was injured last year for the tourney I believe
sunny
Sheeeeesh. Will you guys come up with a better excuse for being terrible than Enes Kanter. He was a f**king professional basketball player. What did you idiots expect from the NCAA?
I scored a career-high 20 points tonight!
I think purdue would be the national champs with Hummel, Kentucky would still be very young and only 7 deep, plus who knows how much better harrelson would have gotten with Kanter in the lineup.
“What did you idiots expect from the NCAA?”
did you really just ask that?
really?
i’m serious, did you really just ask this? with a straight face even? I don’t know what you expect from the NCAA, but if you’ve followed college sports for as long as I have…you never know what to expect from the NCAA. They are the most unpredictable organization in all of sports. You’re either a troll or a neophyte. Or a neophyte troll.
12 I thought he was out early in the season last year and got hurt again during practice this year. I am not gonna take the time to look it up. But this is a dumbass post.
Looking at our schedule/results, I found something disturbing. Everybody knows about the road woes. What I didn’t realize was that of our 19 wins, only 4 have been within 10 points. None of which was within 5 points. We can’t win the nailbiters, folks!!!
We are 2-5 in games decided by 6 or fewer points.
Jimmy Dykes = http://static.divbyzero.nl/facepalm/doublefacepalm.jpg
Patterson did work tonight
what if Duke has had Irving?
Sunny, Hummel got hurt before the tournament and they didn’t have him when they played Duke, he re injured his ACL during practice this year. No, I haven’t seen Kanter in a UK game and I would assume that he would be more of a force down low then what we have now, but you know what happens when you assume things….
I can’t see the last few posts!
16. Like I said, he was a professional basketball player. So by your assumption, Patrick Patterson has 1 year left should we take a chance at bringing him back since the NCAA is so inconsistent.
Shut up,
Rip, dip, attack the hip… lol
If Kanter had been able to play we would’ve won every game by over 100 points.
8. Hummel blew his knee out the first time either right before or during the Big Ten tourney. They didn’t have him for that NCAA run either.
Well hell, 23 already said it. Disregard previous post.
Speaking of this season, looks like the low down dirty snitches are going to help us out by beating the dores tonight. Up 4 with 45 seconds left
Hopson helping his home state
I’m so conflicted about the TN/Vandy game – I hate TN. That said, Cats are in the driver seat as of right now….
Big win for the Vols. You’re welcome.
Wow, Vandy absolutely pissed that game away, why didn’t they do that when the Cats were playing them?
33 – Big win for the Vols is right. that would have been NIT bound otherwise. I still think the CAYTS come to knoxville and seal your fate. But nice W tonight, no doubt. Tough place to get one.
We’d be better off because we need such a player more, but it’s obvious we wouldn’t have Harrelson as he is now if Kanter played. Harrelson would have been the 7th man, but he’d not have developed as he has. But we would be hugely better off with Kanter’s skills, not to mention another 5 fouls inside.
Can’t say “Go UT”, but I was pleased Vandy lost.
Hard to believe that we couldn’t defend Jenkins as good as UT did….they made it look very easy.
34 – I agree that there was a shockingly different FG% in Nashville the day we were in town. TN can’t be that much better on D than we are – but they did bother Jenkins more. Hope we watch that tape.
33 – Does Pearl get the axe this summer after the infractions come down?
depends on what the infractions are. I think they’ll keep him unless he gets a long term ban or something. The lying thing is so absurd. It was a secondary violation. Just fess up and take a compliance class or something. I think he panicked because he was called out on it.
I still blame Kiffin, though. NCAA goons aren’t on campus if Kiffin (and Orgeron) aren’t. Ugh.
Don’t count out Wildcats just yet from getting a first round bye in the SEC Tournament. With Dores losing tonight at home to their arch rival Vols opens the door back up for the Cats. Of course this mean they have to seize the moment and beat Arkansas in Bud Walton Arena as well as beat pair of SEC East foes in Florida and Vanderbilt at home. It can be done. If Kentucky loses to Volunteers then UK and Vandy will be tied again for the second place and we lose the tie breaker to Dores I think. Let’s pull for Florida to win at Memorial Gym in Dores finale. I highly doubt Gators come out with a win but hey no one thought Tennessee would have won tonight in Nashville. Go Cats
Sorry Mr. Matthew Hays, because of my monumental load of homerism towards my team, I will not answer that question. (did, i put the right commas in that sentence?) I hate prostate cancer, terrible disease
The infraction itself seems to be labeled so broadly (unethical conduct) that who knows what kind of penalty it comes with – I could be wrong but I believe that’s the same thing they handed Sampson at IU.
I agree Kiffin started the dominos for your boys. too bad – nobody likes the NCAA goons. you’ll find us with the pitchforks same as you headin to Indy.
Nevermind – did a little research. They hit Sampson waaay harder.
Hey all,
Not on topic, but as a regular reader/very infrequent poster I thought you all would like to hear this. I just got back from the Rutgers-Louisville game and was lucky enough to sit about 10 rows back from the louisville bench. My boy made so many “15 seconds” and other assorted karen sypher jokes that pitino himself stopped coaching for about minute to turn around and yell at my friend to shut up.
WTF—–Was that UT’s AD kissing Pearl on the lips after their game against Vandy?
#46-didn’t see him kissing anyone, but Hammy stayed in K-town due to his wife having the flu–per twitter.
The fact that Purdue is still a top 10-15 team suggests that Kanter probably would have meant more to UK than Hummell would have to Purdue.
Hummell is a terrific player and no doubt Purdue could have been even better with him – but as is -they’re a legitimate contender for a Final Four even without him.
Kanter’s inside game (if it truly is as good as has been hyped) would have given UK an added dimension and UK would probably be a Final Four contender.
By the way – given my druthers of having a Robbie Hummell type player for four years or a Enes Kanter for one – guess which one I’d take.
And why aren’t such recruits wanted/attracted to UK anymore?
there’s no doubt in my mind that Enes=#8. End of story.
Congrats to PPatt for a great game for the Rockets tonight. And w/ Kanter, we would be right in the middle of championship talk. #truth
Kanter would have been the difference this year. Period!
I believe coach Cal said Harrelson improved tremendously when Kanter was allowed to practice against him. I think Harrelson would probably be better than he is now and Kaneter would of just made us that much better.
Unfortunately, we simply cannot defend the three… period. Clarke will get 50 and we will win by three if we play as usual…….
Better off? I’d wager UK. Purdue is already a top 10 team without Hummel. With Kanter, I can’t help but feel that UK, too, would be a top 10 team. UK would have further to rise, and a 7-man rotation is infinitely better than a 6-man rotation, giving the needed boost to take a good season and make it great.
wadddya know…. the writer makes reference to law school and studying… these new guys are terrible.