East Regional Semi-Final, Tip is at 9:57 PM Thursday night.

Worthy of a thread I think. A lot of the national media have really jumped on Cornell. The line opened at -10, and I expect a lot of cash to be put on the Big Red before Thursday. I'll bet it goes down to -6 or -7 as people start jumping on the bandwagon.

I'm personally unsure what to make of this game. Cornell has been flawless offensively, scorching two of the best defensive teams in the country for 80+ points during the first weekend. They have some beef inside, and can exploit Kentucky's biggest defensive weakness, allowing the 3-point shot, especially in transition. As we saw with Wake Forest, if you try to run with UK, you will lose, and lose BIG. However, Cornell has had success doing just that and simply overwhelming two offensively challenged, half-court teams.

How does Cornell attack UK? Do they try to play the game in the 70's or 80's and rely on their great outside shooting, or do they slow it down, try to frustrate the Cats into a half-court game and hope their quality over quantity shooting the ball is enough to get the win?

An interesting note I saw on CatsPause. 12-seeds have advanced sixteen times to face a #1 seed in the regional semi-finals since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. They have never won a game. The average margin of victory in those games was 14.75 points. That doesn't bode well for the Big Red, and I don't think Calipari will let his guys lose the focus they had in New Orleans just because the name on the opposition's jersey says "Cornell."

Thoughts?

Cornell will score in the 80s, but will give up over 100. They can't possibly match up inside with Cousins and Co. and they won't be able to keep Wall out of the lane either. UK by 15 or so.

Not sure what to make of this game either. I believe a few sports analysts, including Jay Bilas, have Cornell advancing to the Elite 8. A part of me would love to see that happen, though it would destroy my one bracket that is still hanging by a thread.

I don't think Cornell has the horses/athleticism to keep with the Cats for 40 minutes. Their best shot at taking it is to hit some 3's early, get the crowd into it, and have an edge at halftime. If they do that, the young Cats MIGHT get rattled and miss enough in the second half to give Big Red a chance. If not, well, I think Wall, Cousins et al use their team speed and athleticism and run by Cornell.

Interesting that this game will be shown by WTOL channel 11 in Toledo over the Xavier game. Thankfully, both games project to be absolute classics, so no real qualms here.

Where is Thursday!

Webs bilas actually has Cornell in the final four I believe. I'm looking forward to this game and am rooting for Cornell. I think they can hang with UK and get the win.

Kentucky looked really good in their first weekend, and I think they play even better this weekend. Kentucky is just too talented for Cornell.

It's one thing to beat Temple and a slow Wisconsin team (Cornell was the worst possible matchup for Wisconsin), but it's another to play against Kentucky.

UK by 12+.

every time I think Kentucky should run away with this one,UNI flashes into mind...but I still think the Wildcats win,but by single digits

trackandccrunner wrote: Webs bilas actually has Cornell in the final four I believe. I'm looking forward to this game and am rooting for Cornell. I think they can hang with UK and get the win.

Good to know. I'll admit I'm definitely a novice in this area. But I am really into March Madness. Probably because I gamble on it.

I feel like Cornell HAS to cool off sooner or later.

And I think Kentucky plays the kind of style that will wear on your legs. I think they'll keep it close at the start, but break down towards the end, and lose by a greater margin than the actual game would suggest.

Kentucky by 18+. Size and athleticism will be too much. To beat Kentucky you're gonna need to really slow the game down. Make them guard fir 30 seconds and play put of their half court sets. I don't think cornell can get it done. I'll be surprised if it's competitive.

As much as I would love to see Cornell win, I just don't think they have the horses to beat UK. However, since one of my brackets is mired in last place in the ESPN pool, I'm probably wrong