2015 v 1996 - with a twist

[CitizenBBN]

ander's post got me thinking.

let's set aside direct comparisons between 1996 and 2015. My question is this: Where do you rank this team versus 1996 relative to the FIELD of other teams?

1996 had great talent and depth, players that just would not still be in college today like Anderson a senior, Walker a sophomore, McCarty a senior. BUT that was true for all of college ball. Camby was a senior iirc on a very good UMass team, and Tim Duncan was a tremendous player albeit with less of a supporting cast.

Now there are almost no seniors or juniors with that kind of talent, very few sophomores. WCS could easily end up one of if not the best big man in the game this year, and he's an exception in staying. The 2nd best may be Towns or DJ. No McCarty, but no Duncan or Camby either.

So while one on one I think 96 just had more talent at the top and certainly more experience, those two teams will never play. The teams this 2015 team will play won't have near the experience we saw in the 90s, and in the end the gap between our talent/depth this year and the field may be as big or bigger than the gap we saw in 1996.

either way I expect we have our share of 30 point beatings on people like 96, and as long as you get there I doubt any of us care about the particulars.

[uklandrn]

I am just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride. This is going to be an epic season. I don't plan to compare this team to 96, 98, or 2012. I am going to let them build their own legacy. I think in the end we will all be happy with the results.

[Doc]

In 96 Anderson was a r/s Jr. He played on the 97 team with Mercer which IMO was the best 1-2 punch every in the college game

I think you're right though. I was thinking about this last night. It will be fairly simply for UK to form a game plan. There is no situation were any team will have a position where there out skill us. I don't care who we are playing, there will never be a situation were Cal say we need to stop that player or can we stop that player. We will be as skilled or more skilled at every position on the floor in every game. The 96 team was like that but I do not believe to the degree that this team is nor did that team possess the depth

[Rock Hard Ten]

Am visualizing December 27 in the Yum Center…..with our 3 7-footers stuffing the animated Harrell

Visualizing a 20-point beat down with UK being the all over the floor pressing team

[bigsky]

point guard was an issue, sort of, in 1996. no offense to Mr Epps who is part of the legend of 96 and 97.

14-15 wont have Derek Anderson. Or the shooting of Delk, et al.

96 destroyed, dominated, demoralized. I want to see this Cal team do that, then win it all.

then I will talk pantheon

[Darryl]

Put 1996 UMass in this season (without our UK team) and they may go unbeaten. 1996 Miss State would win this season's
SEC (again without 2015 UK).

Darryl

[anderwt]

That 96 team was unreal..you all realize they scored 86 points in one half right? 86 POINTS!

[Darrell KSR]

That 96 team was unreal..you all realize they scored 86 points in one half right? 86 POINTS!

Assist to Dale Brown, who stubbornly and stupidly permitted that to occur.

[Darrell KSR]

Put 1996 UMass in this season (without our UK team) and they may go unbeaten. 1996 Miss State would win this season's
SEC (again without 2015 UK).

Darryl

Interesting thoughts throughout this thread. I'm responding to this one, but it applies to many, I believe.

Is it that generally teams were better then than now because more upperclassmen stayed in school? Or something else?

[Darryl]

The early entry has certainly weakened college basketball. If Davis, MKG, Jones, Teague, etc had been forced to return to college basketball and joined up with Noel, Poythress, Goodwin, etc that team would have been up there with any team ever.

In 2011 the Final 4 had VCU, Butler, an 8 loss UK team and a relatively weak UConn. Compare that to 1993 when you had a terrific UK team, Michigan with the Fab 5 as sophs, a UNC team with 6 NBA guys that were upperclassmen and a very good Kansas team.

1982 Final 4 had Jordan, Worthy, Perkins from UNC; Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, etc from G'Town; Louisville with Gordon, Derek Smith, Rodney McCray, Milt Wagner, etc; and Houston with Olajuwon, Drexler, Michael Young. Nearly all those players returned to college in 1983.

No one loves great talent more than me; even better is great talent with tons of experience like we used to see before all this jumping to the NBA started.

Darryl

[UKStucat]

This team in my opinion has just as many "horses" as the 1996 team. Still like someone said I am just going to enjoy the ride this year and hope that we bring home banner No. 9.

[Darrell KSR]

I think that's the right approach -- but I agree, this may have just as many horses or more than 1996.

I think the team will be better, even though that 96 team was dominant. Hope this isn't just wishful thinking.