For all you "I think we need to lose a game" fans....

Question

Really think about what you're saying. It would be the equivalent of being engaged to get married and you've set a date and you let your fiance` know that it's fine with you if he/she cheats on you before the wedding just to get it out of the way. Because cheating creates discontent and the more controversy and discontent you have before you get married, the less you'll have after you get married.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by War Admiral.

Answer 1

I don't know about all that.....

The vast majority of teams will eventually have an off night. Going into the tourney with a 20 game win streak might very well lead to a game where they go cold and lose.

Very few teams can keep up this pace for that long. I hope this will be one. But a loss at this point might do more to focus the team than hurt it, like the IU loss seems to have.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Ripamaru.

Answer 2

After watching the game last night and how we closed, you think we have problems focusing? No loss is good and anybody who says so is being naive IMO.

This post was edited on 2/22 1:05 PM by War Admiral

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by War Admiral.

Answer 3

No way!

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Bigblueforever.

Answer 4

I don't think we need a loss but we need some more close games like last night to keep them grounded.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by TR21Bassin.

Answer 5

How does losing a game somehow make it less likely we're going to have an off-game in the tournament?

It doesn't make any sense. Whether we lose a game or not, it doesn't make it any more likely that we'll drop a game in the tournament. It's not like losing a game is going to make our team NOT want to lose even more. That's just silly.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by BigBluefan1.

Answer 6

To use your analogy, there are plenty of marriages that are stronger today having been through a spell of infidelity, i.e. both parties re-dedicate themselves after making it through the storm. To some extent that's what some posters believe a loss does for the Cats. I say just win em all, baby.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by St.PatterSoN-54-.

Answer 7

I almost felt sorry for some of the need-to-lose fans when UK did not lose last night.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Rondoed.

Answer 8

Do we need a loss? No, but you can learn a lot from a loss. I know one thing. If UK wins their remaining SEC games and the SEC tournament, there will be a lot of pressure on them in the NCAA tournament. Winning all those games plus the NCAA tournament would make them one of the greatest teams of all time. It will be tough.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by JayCatz44.

Answer 9

I don't want a loss, but now is a good time for one. A loss reminds a team that they can be beat and that they need to prepare hard and play hard every game or they will get beat. However, this team may not need that. They seem to be hungry and driven so they might just be as good going on winning. However, games like the one last night are very helpful because its at least a small reminder.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Comebakatz3.

Answer 10

How about this - if we have to lose, I'd rather lose now, or in the SEC tournament than in the Big Dance...I have seen teams that win so much, that they loose focus...or the pressure to win is so big after so many games that a loss can help relieve the pressure.

This post was edited on 2/22 1:36 PM by catmandew

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by catmandew.

Answer 11

Cheating is a decision, complacency is human nature. Off games happen, thats why you rarely get all 4 #1 seeds to the final 4. That's why its been decades since a team has gone undefeated.

Cheating would be better compared to an intentional loss. Nothing is gained from that. You make a choice to intentionally lose.

Horrible analogy

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Cats192.

Answer 12

A thousand apologies Socrates.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by War Admiral.

Answer 13

The only reason fans feel that way is because of what happened in '96.

Our team isn't going to lose because no one can outscore them over 40 minutes.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by CELTICAT.

Answer 14

Should we win out...we'll have a 31 game win streak...THIRTY ONE!!!!! That would be incredible...but it's also VERY difficult to do. If we had lost last night, all we would've had to do is win 12 in a row. I NEVER want us to lose, but which of the above scenarios appears to be easier to do?

That said, this team does have a thouroughbred horse like mentality. They're not behind often, but when they get there, it just pisses them off and they take it up a notch. Right now, no matter what happens, it's difficult to see us losing a game because of that reason.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by kbo24.

Answer 15

These people evidently do not realize that what you learn from losing is how to lose.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Graham51.

Answer 16

Last night's game is much better than a loss. You learn the same lessons without being a failure.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Mashburned.

Answer 17

in 96 players said the loss to Miss State left a bad taste in their mouth and Pitino made them watch the whole champions ceremony and watch miss st. celebrate. Alot of people players included thought Pitino left walker out on purpose.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by wall2rondo.

Answer 18

I just worry about the odds going against us. Are the odds better you have a 12 game winning streak or a 31 game winning streak? The longer the streak the greater the odds you get beat.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by TruBlew.

Answer 19

NO!

You learn how NOT to lose.

In college, I got a C on a physics test. I really needed an A in the course. So, I sat down with the test and went back and looked at things I had gotten wrong, flaws in my understanding, and then did practice probelms on these things. I killed the final.

You find flaws in your performance, you work on them to correct them. I know we're all fans,, and "oh this team is perfect." But the fact is we were down at 13 at one point just last night because WE were playing terrible. We weren't staying home on defense, we were settling for jump shots left and right,, sometimes very early in the clock. Sure, we corrected it, and we won. But it's late Februrary guys. Try that against a team in the sweet 16 and see if we erase a 13 point deficit.

I hope last night sends the message. But, a loss never fails to say it loud and clear. YOU LOST, let's look at why. As opposed to "Well, we nearly lost, let's do better next time."

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Cats192.

Answer 20

I'm not sure we need to lose, nor am I sure a team learns more from a loss. I am sure, however, that a winning streak like we're on can put added pressure on a team to continue winning, especially if you go into the NCAA Tournament on a 20 game winning streak. I don't think that can be questioned. Some teams deal with that type of pressure just fine and others do not. Remember the great UNLV team that got beat by Duke the year after they crushed Duke in the title game? UNLV was better than Duke, but they still lost. Could've been the pressure. Could've just been an off night. Who knows. I know I'd rather lose in February than March or April.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by #1Wildcatfan4life.

Answer 21

Historical precedent.

Name the teams that have won the NCAA Title with 31 game winning streaks.

I'll tell you the answer to that right now. IU in 1976, UCLA in 73 and 72, UNC in 57, San Francisco in 56. That's all of them. And no one loss team has won it since IU's undefeated 76 team.

I can also tell you a number of recent teams that entered the tourney with long winning streaks or only one loss, and came up short. Memphis in 2008. Illinois in 2005. UK in 2003. Duke in 99. Kansas in 97. UNLV in 91.

There is no hard and fast rule that UK losing a game would make it easier to win it all. But a UK loss at this point, when UK is already 99.99999% assured of a #1 seed in a favorable geographic region, wouldn't do anything to harm UK's championship chances.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by mj2k10.

Answer 22

Tom Crean and his good buddy reality say hello. 1 game is all it takes. A bad half against a good team, and we're done.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Cats192.

Answer 23

But in the same logic a powerful teaching tool is the comparison of both halfs last night. 1st half, this is what can happen when we play poor defense, take bad shots, and get beat physically (-13pts). 2nd half, this is what happens when you play tough, take good shots, and play our defense ( 22).

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by JackBauerRulz.

Answer 24

Well said.

What you learn from a hard fought, come from behind victory is how to win...

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by On-On-UK.

Answer 25

1) The pressure on the Cats to win it all will be extremely high whether we lose a game the rest of the way or not. Everyone knows how good this team is. Losing a game won't change that.

2) This team has not shown one ounce of being complacent. Don't know why people are so worried about that. Players like MKG, Davis, and Miller won't let them get that way.

3) A loss could be bad for this team by rattling their confidence. What we have is working incredibly well. I say we keep it up as long as we can.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by sefus12.

Answer 26

What do you base that on though? I wouldn't have thought we'd be beaten with John Wall and Demarcus cousins, but when WVU came knocking, we just kept putting up shot after shot and not running a lick of offense.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Cats192.

Answer 27

I think it is enough that we lost the first half last night. It is out of our system. Now let's just keep winning.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Huma1894.

Answer 28

Good analogy. Some on here would say that getting a "c" on that test would just teach you how to get more c's, strange.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by ford fairlane.

Answer 29

I've always been of the opinion that you can "learn" just as much from a close victory as you can from a loss -- especially if you take it on the chin and still come back from 14 down like we did last night.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by maverick1.

Answer 30

I base it on my opinions, but I challenge you to find where this team has simply looked complacent. They keep getting challenged in different ways and keep stepping up. How will continuing that trend make them more likely to win in the tourney? And how will a loss cause the pressure on them to win it all go down? And after their last lost, the team looked bad for three weeks. This team is clicking on all cylinders, so why mess with that and have a loss at some point in the next three weeks?

This team seems confident and focused, not arrogant and complacent. How does a loss right now make this team better? Also, the 2010 team with Wall and others was a streaky shooting team at best that was ice cold that night. This team seems to be more determined with a more diverse offense that has risen up to all challenges lately, including the kinds they will see in the tourney. Anyone can fold, but I don't see this team having the types of players that will let that happen very easily in March.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by sefus12.

Answer 31

If we come up short in the tournament it won't be because we didn't lose another game during the season. This team still hasn't hit it's potential yet. The fact that we haven't lost a game since IU shows just how good this team is and how good they handle pressure. It's been a while since UK has been #1 this long. I'm not sure what else they could face from here on out that they haven't already. Just because only a few teams with one loss have won it all doesn't mean these guys can't. That's what separates greatness. If everybody could do it then it wouldn't mean anything. There's no more talented or balanced team than Kentucky.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by shockme76.

Answer 32

I think going to half time down 10 or 12 points and then coming back is a lesson to show you to give it all the whole game. Never need a loss just a lesson

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by whsparks.

Answer 33

Totally agree with you. It's what I've been telling all my friends. I don't think some realize what we are witnessing this year..... a very special team that I don't think will lose another game.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by ukbblover.

Answer 34

1) I think we learned just as much last night in a win as we would learn in a loss.

2) The OP's analogy is possibly one of the worst I've ever seen.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Blue63Madison.

Answer 35

1. You guys are pansies.

2. With some teams, maybe. This team is not complacent, they don't need to lose. If we lose in the tournament, it won't be because we haven't lost a game recently. Bank on it.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by wildcatfan1230.

Answer 36

So we learned from losing to Ind how to lose? Gotcha.(rolling eyes).

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by ford fairlane.

Answer 37

if team was getting arrogant and complacent then a loss is a good thing to have.

However, when they talk about how Coach Cal has to kick players out of the gym because they were working on their shots, losing has no benefit for us at all.

Keep on winning KY! keep on winning!

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by WildMoon.

Answer 38

After doing a little research, Ohio State (which was the #1 overall seed) lost last year on Feb.20 at Purdue and went into the NCAA tournament on a 7 game winning streak and we all know how they wound up doing.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by tdjohnsky.

Answer 39

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by JC CATS.

Answer 40

Only an idiot would think that losing is somehow a good thing. Sure, adversity can sometimes be a good thing, but losing never is. That's like rooting for horrible things to happen in your life just so you can be tougher. Really, who in their right mind hopes to fail? If you do, then there is something wrong with you.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Alumni Gym.

Answer 41

Last nights game was proof. We did not play hard enough in the first half. Cal said it.

That first half may have been enough to keep it from happening again, or getting away with it may cause them to repeat the mistake.


I do not want this team to lose, ever. But to say you can't learn from a loss is nuts. This team certainly didn't learn how to lose more after IU. They have reeled off a long win streak.

The bitter taste off a loss makes kids like this more determined to not let it happen again. Makes them learn from their mistakes.

Winning every game for a long stretch starts to make kids feel like they are untouchable. Leads to first halves like we saw last night.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Ripamaru.

Answer 42

You can learn from a loss, I guess, but you can learn even more from a win. You learn things better by doing things RIGHT rather than by doing them WRONG.

The object of basketball is to WIN, not to LOSE so you can learn "lessons".

This post was edited on 2/22 6:59 PM by Alumni Gym

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Alumni Gym.

Answer 43

We should have been losing all along! Think how much more we'd have learned! Just think if we lost the last 5 games on purpose. We'd still get in the tournament, and we'd be due to go on a winning streak!

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by GonzoCat90.

Answer 44

I don't want to go into the tournament undefeated. Especially with a team like this that is young. That adds a lot of pressure on a team going into the tournament. There is enough pressure already, the pressure of being unbeaten just makes it worse. Obviously, UK isn't undefeated so I don't think we need to lose a game. A loss could help us but it could hurt us just as easily. Winning the tournament is all about who gets the hottest. UK probably has the longest winning streak in basketball right now. Winning will never hurt.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by JBHolmesfan.

Answer 45

I'll go a step further. I firmly believe that the Army should lose a battle or two. That way, the soldiers won't get the big head, and they will most certainly learn valuable lessons for the future.

I also think that it's good for the Navy to lose a few ships every now and then. It's keeps them humble, you see.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by Alumni Gym.

Answer 46

Well, we still have tough games against Vandy and at Florida, and of course a couple of tough matchups in the SEC tournament. I think Vandy will give us a harder time on Saturday than Florida will in Gainseville.

At this point I believe we will head to the Dance with a 33-1 record and the overall number one seed.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by kev69.

Answer 47

You can learn from a win! We learned from the first half last night. Lets win bout 12 more straight

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by JC CATS.

Answer 48

Kenny Walker, a couple weeks ago, said "the only thing losing does is hurt your confidence" - he said you learn from playing not losing.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by ZZBlueComet.

Answer 49

We have had "off" games...we son most of them

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by BlueCat43.

Answer 50

UK does have the longest streak in the country (19 games).

If they were to win the rest of their games, it would be 31 in a row, and they'd be the first champion to end on that long of a streak since the undefeated 1976 IU team. Most champions don't enter the tournament on really long winning streaks. 1995 UCLA (20 games before tournament, 26 total) is the only recent exception.

Originally posted on Rupp Rafters by CapnBlubs.