Giant Killers and Near Giant Killers: The Champions Classic

Right now, many of us are looking for hope in America, anything will do, right?

So I used to be a UK basketball fan, when I went there, but in recent years, Coach Calipari was making some decisions regarding the newer NIL deals (name, image, and likeness) that benefitted him more than his players.  

For those of you unaware, NIL deals became legal a few years ago to dissuade illegal recruiting from the school itself, as well as pay players financially, some of whom did not go on to the NBA (or could have, but were injured), because the schools are making bank, but the players risk injury, grade drops and running out of scholarship money otherwise. 

Calipari was doing some weird stuff with NIA, plus making strange decisions about play time - most notably with our former downstairs neighbor, Rob Dillingham, now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA.  

(Well, he's seen limited play time as a rookie, but he's a phenomenal scorer, and the few minutes he has played, he's managed to score it up.)

Recently, I've become more of a fan of my husband's team and alma mater, Michigan State, because of their coach, Tom Izzo.  He makes me laugh - sometimes it's because he's genuinely funny; other times, it's like a nervous laugh, like he could go off at any moment! 😂 

(And sometimes he does, but it means nothing - he genuinely loves his players like sons.) 

It's hard to explain, he's just a character.  

Like here he is, in his famous angry elf outfit ... 

😂😂😂

That picture just cracks me up - we actually saw that game, it was hilarious!

He also does a lot for his community, and not just endorsement deals - both on and off camera, and insists his players do the same, which is something Calipari didn't do unless he could make a buck off of it.

However, UK has gotten a new coach, this year, a former UK player named Mark Pope ...

An also slightly goofy guy, and very positive - and thus far, hasn't lost his temper like BB coaches often do (we'll see).

Michigan State still has Izzo, but is in a rebuilding year -  so nobody expected either MSU or UK to fare well in the Champion's Classic, this year, and neither team were ranked in the top 10 preseason.

For those unaware, the Champions Classic is an honorary game before the regular season, in which the 4 legacy, historically powerhouse NCAA men's basketball teams - Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, and Kentucky play against each other in some order.

So last night, Michigan State held their own against #1-ranked Kansas until near the end, and Kentucky beat #7 Duke!

Now, for those unaware, Kentucky fans especially dislike Duke after the infamous 1992 Christian Laettner tournament final moment that kept us out of the Final Four, but the truth is - nobody likes Duke 😂

Until the last decade or so, they recruited mostly white or light-skinned black players, almost never dark-skinned black players,  such that I used to call them the "Alabaster Army." in the 90s.

Worse, they also gained a reputation for falling down and flailing around on the ground when fouled, as if mortally injured (white fragility?), which is why nearly everyone hates Duke, except Duke 😂

(To be fair, they're doing it less, under a new coach, but it's still a dark cloud over them.)

Kansas isn't exactly a fave either, for the opposite reason - they tend to be overly dirty and their coach seems like an a-hole. 

Scrappy streetball during play is okay - MSU are scrappy players, too -  but targeting - intentionally trying to injure and take out other players  - is NOT okay.  

Kicking opposing players in the throat on a layup?  No sir - that is not okay!

To be fair, MSU and Kansas are both historically scrappy players, but IMO, Kansas  - at least previously - can be just plain violent?

The one positive thing I'll say about Duke is that like Kentucky, they tend to let their overall athleticism be their revenge and speak for itself versus the rough stuff or too much trash talk - but then again, Kentucky just takes the scrappiness in stride, whereas if Duke is fouled, they act like they just got the vapors and fainted on their fainting couch (or at least they used to, under Coach K) 😂

So watching this year's underdogs - Michigan State and Kentucky - either whip or almost whup the butts of these two top 10 teams, admittedly felt pretty good, after last week? 

Go underdogs of the world!

Because a new-coach, rebuilding, #23 Kentucky just beat #7 Duke in the CC!

So to all underestimated underdogs - especially underdogs that are ordinarily historic winners - it's just not your time yet - just gotta wait a little longer to be giant tyrant killers again! 🙂