Arkansas fans, get ready...

[Kevin Bryan]

Just out of curiosity, how many times did cal bring 5 transfers in and the #1 transfer class in the country?

How many times did he have a top 25 transfer class?

To be fair, 3 of those 5 transfers came with him from Kentucky (and played significant minutes as part of a 10-loss team that got bounced by Oakland in the 1st round of the NCAAT), so I wouldn't necessarily count them as traditional transfers since they were already playing for Cal. Only things changing for Wagner, Thiero, and Z are their location and uniform. His true transfer class consists of Aidoo and Davis (plus the return of Brazile is a nice bonus for him).

 

[Anthony B]

Wrong. You still don’t get it. I’m not arguing that Arkansas is going to be great or anything related to that. I’m simply saying that YOU have no idea. YOU keep saying cal can’t coach and YOU keep making comments about players that YOU know nothing about.

You didn’t like Cal and you didn’t like how he coached. That’s fine, but making definitive statements about his future, these players, or Arkansas is the ONLY thing people are chastising you over. YOU have no idea. Focus here.

Everybody knows that Cal is very limited as a coach. It's hardly a secret! Give any above average coach the sheer amount of talent he's squandered, and they'd have multiple titles. Last year he brought his two best players off the bench for God knows why. That's straight up coaching malpractice to have two lottery picks coming off the bench. Ya'll do have a lot of talent though for sure.

 

[Kevin Bryan]

Everybody knows that Cal is very limited as a coach. It's hardly a secret! Give any above average coach the sheer amount of talent he's squandered, and they'd have multiple titles. Last year he brought his two best players off the bench for God knows why. That's straight up coaching malpractice to have two lottery picks coming off the bench. Ya'll do have a lot of talent though for sure.

They certainly got off to slow starts seemingly every game until Rob and Reed subbed in after the first TV timeout. Sheppard still played 29 minutes a game though, Reeves is the only guard that played more. Rob played a little over 23 but a big reason for him not playing more minutes was because he would routinely pick up stupid fouls and almost always had 2 in the first half, which would put him back on the bench until the 2nd half. Sometimes he didn't even play 5 mins in the 1st half because of it. He still averaged more minutes than Edwards though.

 

[fleckabelly]

To be fair, 3 of those 5 transfers came with him from Kentucky (and played significant minutes as part of a 10-loss team that got bounced by Oakland in the 1st round of the NCAAT), so I wouldn't necessarily count them as traditional transfers since they were already playing for Cal. Only things changing for Wagner, Thiero, and Z are their location and uniform. His true transfer class consists of Aidoo and Davis (plus the return of Brazile is a nice bonus for him).

Not disagreeing, but aidoo and Davis were 2 of the top in the transfer portal. The truth is Cal never used the portal at Kentucky and it seems like something that’s going to be a part of his system at Arkansas.

As I’ve also said, there are various other factors as well that will be different at Arkansas than Kentucky. Things we may not even understand. For starters, he seemed burnt out. The relationship between him and the fans had stagnated. His desire to prove himself again, etc.. I don’t think anyone rational would argue otherwise. He’s been successful before and it’s not like he can’t do it again.

My point isn’t to say that cal’s a great coach or even that he’s going to be successful, I’m just saying that he is a capable coach and it’s idiotic to claim that he won’t have success at Arkansas because of his last 4-5 years at Kentucky. Things change, situations change, people change, etc.. The fact that he’s using the portal alone should be a clear example that he’s trying something different.

That also excludes the reason anything has been said in the first place. Arkansas fans aren’t on here telling USC fans anything bad about Muss nor are BYU fans here complaining about Pope. I couldn’t care less about what Muss does at USC. The continual posts he makes about cal and the current players comes off as sour grapes because it is. Writing things like “this season could be a disaster” or “everyone outside of Davis are role players” about a bunch of guys that you know nothing about other than some arbitrary ranking system, just comes off as a douche. Its fairly obvious from his posts that he clearly wants cal to fail and I find people like that funny.

 

[fleckabelly]

Everybody knows that Cal is very limited as a coach. It's hardly a secret! Give any above average coach the sheer amount of talent he's squandered, and they'd have multiple titles. Last year he brought his two best players off the bench for God knows why. That's straight up coaching malpractice to have two lottery picks coming off the bench. Ya'll do have a lot of talent though for sure.

I’ve never argued he’s a great coach, I said he’s capable. To be clear, this isn’t the point. I’m not on here arguing with USC fans that their players are role players or that this season could be a disaster because it’s not my team and I have no interest in them. My mockery here isn’t some attempt to validate Cal, it’s about one guy that has repeatedly tried to discredit everything cal has ever accomplished or to discredit the players currently at Arkansas because he’s emotionally invested in Cal’s success or failure.

 

[JimboBBN]

And what about the Kentucky fans who are predicting a great and exciting year?

I know which roster I’d rather have. And coach for that matter.

Hilarious if you are implying you’d rather have Cal. You were one of his biggest critics when he coached at Kentucky. Nothing has changed except his colors. But all of a sudden he’s gonna be good, huh? Clockwork.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Hilarious if you are implying you’d rather have Cal. You were one of his biggest critics when he coached at Kentucky. Nothing has changed except his colors. But all of a sudden he’s gonna be good, huh? Clockwork.

I haven't contradicted myself. Notice I've never said that I'm penciling this Arkansas team into the final four. I've just said they have a lot of talent. And that it's ridiculous to claim this would be his least-talented Kentucky team and that top 10-25 HS recruits aren't rated highly enough to have success under him, and all the other nonsense being spewed.

You're right. I was one of his biggest critics. And for years I pointed out that he underwhelmed given the ridiculous amount of talent that went through that program. My stance hasn't changed. The only people who have flip-flopped are certain UK fans like Jeff. He used to argue for days that Calipari's teams were too young to expect deep runs in the tourney, that having a bunch of draft picks means nothing because the draft is all about potential, etc etc. Now he's spewing the same line that I had for years.

But why would it be hilarious for me to rather have Calipari than Pope? Not knocking Pope, but what's he done for you to elevate him above Calipari? Let's be honest, 99% of you were very underwhelmed by the hire at first and had to talk yourselves into it.

 

[fleckabelly]

 

[ExitFlagger]

Can I let Arkansas fans enjoy what? You act like I started this. Go back to page 1 and see how this all started.

Also, there is a very large difference between a top 5 rated kid (Davis, Wall, Zion, Barrett, Randle, Murray, Fox) and a top 25 4* kid, you must be out of your mind if you think they're the same, or even close.

There are very few freshmen in each class that can step right into the college game and hold their own. Most 15 and up rated kids are projects.

UK fans lived this crap for 15 years, maybe you should listen to what we have to say.

Now, Billy Richmond and Carter Knox could pull a Reed Sheppard and explode, but how many times have you ever seen that happen?

Even when you add Fland, this is a weak recruiting class when compared to what Cal typically brings in and I don't see how that's even up for debate. It’s a true statement, not a put down.

Shit, Cal went 9-16 with much higher rated kids than the ones he has this year.

Last thing, please show me where I said UK had a better roster, or coach? I did say I like having seniors instead of freshmen and I did say I am relieved to have Pope. I also said Pope can lose every game, I would still take Pope over Cal, because Pope coaches to win college games, Cal coaches for the draft.

You definitely said you'd rather have Kentucky's roster. I think you even said it wasn't close in your mind.

Your obsession with Ark's freshman class is weird. Their team isn't going to live or die by the success of the freshmen. I'd imagine they expect Fland to be a big contributor, as top 10 freshmen usually are, and it's pretty clear he will be. He might be one of the best players in the country already. But I don't think they need the others to provide anything but decent depth.

They have a 5th year senior guard who was the top-rated player in the portal. Wagner and Ivisic look like they've taken big strides, as talented sophomores usually do. They have a senior Brazile, senior Aidoo, junior Thiero. And for some reason, you think they need a huge year from Billy Richmond and Karter Knox to be competitive? Dude, just give it up. This is sad.

I'm not sure there's a more talented team in the country than Arkansas.

 

[I am stupid]

It's difficult to compare their rosters. I don't think either coach would do well with the others roster.

 

[Kevin Bryan]

The truth is Cal never used the portal at Kentucky and it seems like something that’s going to be a part of his system at Arkansas.

He utilized the portal plenty at UK, especially since "free agency" started. Last year Reeves and Mitchell led the team in minutes per game. The year before that he had Tshiebwe, Toppin, Reeves, Wheeler, and Fredrick all playing 22+ mpg. 2022 was Tshiebwe, Wheeler, Toppin, Grady, and Mintz. Other notable transfers over the past few years include Olivier Sarr, Reid Travis, and Nate Sestina.

 

[JimboBBN]

I haven't contradicted myself. Notice I've never said that I'm penciling this Arkansas team into the final four. I've just said they have a lot of talent. And that it's ridiculous to claim this would be his least-talented Kentucky team and that top 10-25 HS recruits aren't rated highly enough to have success under him, and all the other nonsense being spewed.

You're right. I was one of his biggest critics. And for years I pointed out that he underwhelmed given the ridiculous amount of talent that went through that program. My stance hasn't changed. The only people who have flip-flopped are certain UK fans like Jeff. He used to argue for days that Calipari's teams were too young to expect deep runs in the tourney, that having a bunch of draft picks means nothing because the draft is all about potential, etc etc. Now he's spewing the same line that I had for years.

But why would it be hilarious for me to rather have Calipari than Pope? Not knocking Pope, but what's he done for you to elevate him above Calipari? Let's be honest, 99% of you were very underwhelmed by the hire at first and had to talk yourselves into it.

It’s not about believing the Pope is going to come in and automatically duplicate what Cal did early in his tenure.

It’s much more about having someone that CARES about the job and doesn’t use it just for personal gain. That’s all the UK has become for Cal, his ego inflation. Pope could end up being very average. I don’t think he will be, but even if he is. Wanting to do the job well would be plenty enough to yield better results than what Cal did since 2019. Those are not hard numbers to beat. Even for average coaches at average programs.

We are behind Mark and yes, it was tough for a lot of us to swallow at first. We didn’t think Mitch took the initiative to hire the best guy. He never tried with Billy D or some other top options. But emotions settled, and I think 99 percent of the fanbase is united for the first time in almost ten years. We will look back and see we ultimately hired the best guy for Kentucky.

 

[mtsuhog85]

And what about the Kentucky fans who are predicting a great and exciting year?

I know which roster I’d rather have. And coach for that matter.

No doubt. Jaxon Robinson, a guy Arkansas processed 2 times is one of their top additions from the portal.

 

[fleckabelly]

He utilized the portal plenty at UK, especially since "free agency" started. Last year Reeves and Mitchell led the team in minutes per game. The year before that he had Tshiebwe, Toppin, Reeves, Wheeler, and Fredrick all playing 22+ mpg. 2022 was Tshiebwe, Wheeler, Toppin, Grady, and Mintz. Other notable transfers over the past few years include Olivier Sarr, Reid Travis, and Nate Sestina.

I was looking at transfer class rankings over the past few years and never saw UK. Maybe I missed them.

 

[Kevin Bryan]

I was looking at transfer class rankings over the past few years and never saw UK. Maybe I missed them.

I don't know anything about how transfer class rankings are formulated between any of the sites that actually rank them, but a quick glance shows 247 and ON3 rankings aren't even remotely similar. They all have their own wacky proprietary algorithms to come up with whatever they deem to be most important. ON3 calculates all of the transfer activity (incoming and outgoing) to try and determine how much better or worse a team has gotten relative to its own roster (not vs everyone else), for example. The point remains, Cal has definitely been heavily utilizing the portal at UK over the past 4-5 years and transfers have played a huge part on those teams. One of them became a NPOY and 2-time All-American.

 

[fleckabelly]

I don't know anything about how transfer class rankings are formulated between any of the sites that actually rank them, but 247 vs. ON3 are completely different. The point remains, Cal has definitely been heavily utilizing the portal at UK over the past 4-5 years and transfers have played a huge part on those teams. One of them became a NPOY and 2-time All-American.

Like I said though, I’m just listing a few examples of why every situation is different. I’m arguing against one guys specific stance that cal had better classes and better rosters with Kentucky and wasn’t successful. That’s extremely shortsighted and fairly naive.

My point is you can’t really compare that unless everything is even or exactly the same. That’s not possible. I wouldn’t care what rating services say anyway, but I was simply pointing out him ignoring the top rated transfer class as a rebuttal to what makes a “better” class. Who knows what’s “better”. I’m certain the vast majority of coaches would say their best teams didn’t necessarily have the most talent. It’s about a lot of things. Cal has won at a very high level at multiple jobs and lacks common sense to not think he can do it again.

There are a multitude of reasons why a coach may be successful one year to the next or from one place to the next.

 

[Kevin Bryan]

Like I said though, I’m just listing a few examples of why every situation is different. I’m arguing against one guys specific stance that cal had better classes and better rosters with Kentucky and wasn’t successful. That’s extremely shortsighted and fairly naive.

My point is you can’t really compare that unless everything is even or exactly the same. That’s not possible. I wouldn’t care what rating services say anyway, but I was simply pointing out him ignoring the top rated transfer class as a rebuttal to what makes a “better” class. Who knows what’s “better”. I’m certain the vast majority of coaches would say their best teams didn’t necessarily have the most talent. It’s about a lot of things. Cal has won at a very high level at multiple jobs and lacks common sense to not think he can do it again.

There are a multitude of reasons why a coach may be successful one year to the next or from one place to the next.

I think he has a great mix of vets and freshman on this year's squad, and a ton of talent. *Should (key word) get significant improvement from Wagner and Z this year and Thiero is always going to bring the energy and make a few jaw-dropping plays every game.

 

[fleckabelly]

I think he has a great mix of vets and freshman on this year's squad, and a ton of talent. *Should (key word) get significant improvement from Wagner and Z this year and Thiero is always going to bring the energy and make a few jaw-dropping plays every game.

Obviously, I don’t know what to expect. I liked what I saw in the scrimmage, though. I think the pieces are there to be very good, but there’s no telling how it will all work out. I’ve never thought Cal is an exceptional coach by any stretch but I have given him the credit to take a lot of egos and get them to play.

That said, a lot of people miss where Arkansas is coming from. The Muss years were great, but we were dead for 20 years before that. Any excitement at all is important and cal will bring that for years, at least with recruiting. I also think some of your fans overlook that Kentucky always gets everyone’s best shot. That’s hard when the rest of the SeC steps up their game. I also am excited to what this does to our games specifically. I want to get back to the atmospheres in the early 90’s and I think this is a good step. I certainly realize I may wish him gone in 5 years as well. We’ll see.

 

[Anthony B]

I’ve never argued he’s a great coach, I said he’s capable. To be clear, this isn’t the point. I’m not on here arguing with USC fans that their players are role players or that this season could be a disaster because it’s not my team and I have no interest in them. My mockery here isn’t some attempt to validate Cal, it’s about one guy that has repeatedly tried to discredit everything cal has ever accomplished or to discredit the players currently at Arkansas because he’s emotionally invested in Cal’s success or failure.

I think he'll be your best coach since Nolan Richardson. We had some great battles in the 90's between Richardson and Pitino. Would be nice if both programs could revive that intensity and quality of basketball. Was good for the conference.

 

[Kevin Bryan]

Obviously, I don’t know what to expect. I liked what I saw in the scrimmage, though. I think the pieces are there to be very good, but there’s no telling how it will all work out. I’ve never thought Cal is an exceptional coach by any stretch but I have given him the credit to take a lot of egos and get them to play.

That said, a lot of people miss where Arkansas is coming from. The Muss years were great, but we were dead for 20 years before that. Any excitement at all is important and cal will bring that for years, at least with recruiting. I also think some of your fans overlook that Kentucky always gets everyone’s best shot. That’s hard when the rest of the SeC steps up their game. I also am excited to what this does to our games specifically. I want to get back to the atmospheres in the early 90’s and I think this is a good step. I certainly realize I may wish him gone in 5 years as well. We’ll see.

Yes, getting back to the rivalry it was in the 90s would be awesome.

 

[fleckabelly]

I think he'll be your best coach since Nolan Richardson. We had some great battles in the 90's between Richardson and Pitino. Would be nice if both programs could revive that intensity and quality of basketball. Was good for the conference.

Yes, getting back to the rivalry it was in the 90s would be awesome.

Absolutely. No doubt either way that this will increase the rivalry. The truth is it doesn’t really matter what arkansans think anyway. The money guys(mostly Tyson) wanted cal and they’re paying for it and the NIL money. Without that, we’re back to taking chances.

 

[kyjeff1]

Just out of curiosity, how many times did cal bring 5 transfers in and the #1 transfer class in the country?

How many times did he have a top 25 transfer class?

Not sure why that matters, you're about to find out that the freshmen will take center stage. Draft picks are what matters to Cal.
Davis is a nice piece and of course, I already talked about Ado and Wagner, they're good, but they will play 2nd fiddle to the freshmen.
This is why I said what I said.
Give this lineup to just about any other coach and it's an E8 team, with Cal, you just need to hope he can win his opening round game.

 

[kyjeff1]

They certainly got off to slow starts seemingly every game until Rob and Reed subbed in after the first TV timeout. Sheppard still played 29 minutes a game though, Reeves is the only guard that played more. Rob played a little over 23 but a big reason for him not playing more minutes was because he would routinely pick up stupid fouls and almost always had 2 in the first half, which would put him back on the bench until the 2nd half. Sometimes he didn't even play 5 mins in the 1st half because of it. He still averaged more minutes than Edwards though.

I'd still take Rob 10 times out of 10 over DJ or Edwards last year. i'm not sure there is another coach out there that would start DJ and especially Edwards over Reed and Rob.
He did the same thing with BJ Boston and he started Greene over Quickly
He dies it because he wants these kids to break through so they get drafted, that’s what he means by "I'm about these kids first". So he's okay with losing as long as kids get drafted, even though they're getting drafted regardlesss. It’s a weird thing with Cal.

 

[kyjeff1]

Not disagreeing, but aidoo and Davis were 2 of the top in the transfer portal. The truth is Cal never used the portal at Kentucky and it seems like something that’s going to be a part of his system at Arkansas.

As I’ve also said, there are various other factors as well that will be different at Arkansas than Kentucky. Things we may not even understand. For starters, he seemed burnt out. The relationship between him and the fans had stagnated. His desire to prove himself again, etc.. I don’t think anyone rational would argue otherwise. He’s been successful before and it’s not like he can’t do it again.

My point isn’t to say that cal’s a great coach or even that he’s going to be successful, I’m just saying that he is a capable coach and it’s idiotic to claim that he won’t have success at Arkansas because of his last 4-5 years at Kentucky. Things change, situations change, people change, etc.. The fact that he’s using the portal alone should be a clear example that he’s trying something different.

That also excludes the reason anything has been said in the first place. Arkansas fans aren’t on here telling USC fans anything bad about Muss nor are BYU fans here complaining about Pope. I couldn’t care less about what Muss does at USC. The continual posts he makes about cal and the current players comes off as sour grapes because it is. Writing things like “this season could be a disaster” or “everyone outside of Davis are role players” about a bunch of guys that you know nothing about other than some arbitrary ranking system, just comes off as a douche. Its fairly obvious from his posts that he clearly wants cal to fail and I find people like that funny.

Cal has always used the transfer portal bub, this isn’t anything new.

Where do you think Davion Mintz, Sarr, Mitchell Oscar Tschwieba and Antonio Reeves came from???

Also, yeah, Cal brought in several transfers this year, but if you had been paying attention, he kinda had to, just like Pope had to.

Cal willget a couple transfers each year, but since it's hard to get transfers drafted (too old), he will always go heavy on freshmen.

Last thing, UK fans are going to need to see Cal win something before we assume he still can. The pile of embarrassing losses and lack of SEC championships, SECT titles and even sweet 16's since 2019, tastes pretty bad.

Trust me, you're not getting the 2009-2015 version of Cal, that guy was unreal. You're getting a completely different Cal.

Calipari 2009: "I can't hide you here, if you can’t play, don't come here"

Cal 2021: "I can't take a players heart, that kid has parents". Apparently Reed and Rob don't have parents.

 

[kyjeff1]

Hilarious if you are implying you’d rather have Cal. You were one of his biggest critics when he coached at Kentucky. Nothing has changed except his colors. But all of a sudden he’s gonna be good, huh? Clockwork.

He has a hard time keeping up with all his bullshit.

 

[kyjeff1]

You definitely said you'd rather have Kentucky's roster. I think you even said it wasn't close in your mind.

Your obsession with Ark's freshman class is weird. Their team isn't going to live or die by the success of the freshmen. I'd imagine they expect Fland to be a big contributor, as top 10 freshmen usually are, and it's pretty clear he will be. He might be one of the best players in the country already. But I don't think they need the others to provide anything but decent depth.

They have a 5th year senior guard who was the top-rated player in the portal. Wagner and Ivisic look like they've taken big strides, as talented sophomores usually do. They have a senior Brazile, senior Aidoo, junior Thiero. And for some reason, you think they need a huge year from Billy Richmond and Karter Knox to be competitive? Dude, just give it up. This is sad.

I'm not sure there's a more talented team in the country than Arkansas.

You’re damn right I would rather have UK's roster. That roster is full of seniors, super seniors, 8 elite shooters, a pg that played in the title game, elite rim protector, elite defenders at the guard position and guys that can degend their positiins.

I'm done with young teams and a team full of guys that can’t shoot or defend.

Freshmen can't defend at this level. Not to mention, that Arkansas team has nobody that can consistently spread the floor. He’s going to play his typical stall ball offense.

You might think Fland is great, but it was one exhibition game. He is no better than most of the PG's Cal had at UK.

Go ahead and have your opinion, I get it, KU got housed by Cal, we've all seen Cal do this. His teams look like world beaters one game, then shit the bed the next. That’s what young teams do.

Cal is a C level bench coach that prioritizes the NBA draft and that’s not a good combination.

Are you just mad because KU might actually not be very good and you're trying to make it seem like Arkansas is an NBA all star team?

 

[kyjeff1]

Like I said though, I’m just listing a few examples of why every situation is different. I’m arguing against one guys specific stance that cal had better classes and better rosters with Kentucky and wasn’t successful. That’s extremely shortsighted and fairly naive.

My point is you can’t really compare that unless everything is even or exactly the same. That’s not possible. I wouldn’t care what rating services say anyway, but I was simply pointing out him ignoring the top rated transfer class as a rebuttal to what makes a “better” class. Who knows what’s “better”. I’m certain the vast majority of coaches would say their best teams didn’t necessarily have the most talent. It’s about a lot of things. Cal has won at a very high level at multiple jobs and lacks common sense to not think he can do it again.

There are a multitude of reasons why a coach may be successful one year to the next or from one place to the next.

Go ahead and name the UK teams Cal had that this Arkansas team could rival. I would love to see what UK teams you list. I don't think there is one. Maybe the 12/13 team.

Heck, he went 9-16 in 2021 with Clarke, Boston and Jackson, all three are/were NBA talents (Clarke was killed in a car accident). Clarke and BJB were top 5 kids, Jackson turned out to be the best NBA guy out of the 3.

I'm stunned that you don't know Cal had pretty extreme talent every year, this Arkansas team would land near the bottom of the rosters Cal had at UK. This is why I said what I said.

Cal nedds generational talent and sn NBA lockout to overcome his poor bench coaching. You'll see.

 

[fleckabelly]

Go ahead and name the UK teams Cal had that this Arkansas team could rival. I would love to see what UK teams you list. I don't think there is one. Maybe the 12/13 team.

Heck, he went 9-16 in 2021 with Clarke, Boston and Jackson, all three are/were NBA talents (Clarke was killed in a car accident). Clarke and BJB were top 5 kids, Jackson turned out to be the best NBA guy out of the 3.

I'm stunned that you don't know Cal had pretty extreme talent every year, this Arkansas team would land near the bottom of the rosters Cal had at UK. This is why I said what I said.

Cal nedds generational talent and sn NBA lockout to overcome his poor bench coaching. You'll see.

We’re at 3 pages and you still don’t understand what I’m saying.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Not sure why that matters, you're about to find out that the freshmen will take center stage. Draft picks are what matters to Cal.
Davis is a nice piece and of course, I already talked about Ado and Wagner, they're good, but they will play 2nd fiddle to the freshmen.
This is why I said what I said.
Give this lineup to just about any other coach and it's an E8 team, with Cal, you just need to hope he can win his opening round game.

Question: how much blame do you put on Sheppard and Dillingham for combining for 3/11 vs Oakland? Your biggest criticism of Calipari last year was not playing them more.

 

[ExitFlagger]

You’re damn right I would rather have UK's roster. That roster is full of seniors, super seniors, 8 elite shooters, a pg that played in the title game, elite rim protector, elite defenders at the guard position and guys that can degend their positiins.

I'm done with young teams and a team full of guys that can’t shoot or defend.

Freshmen can't defend at this level. Not to mention, that Arkansas team has nobody that can consistently spread the floor. He’s going to play his typical stall ball offense.

You might think Fland is great, but it was one exhibition game. He is no better than most of the PG's Cal had at UK.

Go ahead and have your opinion, I get it, KU got housed by Cal, we've all seen Cal do this. His teams look like world beaters one game, then shit the bed the next. That’s what young teams do.

Cal is a C level bench coach that prioritizes the NBA draft and that’s not a good combination.

Are you just mad because KU might actually not be very good and you're trying to make it seem like Arkansas is an NBA all star team?

Arkansas's a young team? I just listed a bunch of seniors that will play key roles. They have a good mix of experience and talent.

I'm not mad at all. Just calling out a bad take. As usual, you're the only one making this argument.

What you're worried about is a case of "be careful what you wish for." I think you know this Arkansas team has a lot of potential. Much higher ceiling than Kentucky's. And you know that Calipari is as motivated as he's been in a long while.

Last year at this time, you were shitting on Dickinson because he isn't NBA material. Now you're pretending you want a team full of guys without NBA prospects. Funny stuff.

As for KU, I'm not too worried about an exhibition in which half their rotation was out. They were ranked #1 for a reason. They might turn out to be overrated, to start the year anyway, but that game meant nothing.

 

[kyjeff1]

We’re at 3 pages and you still don’t understand what I’m saying.

I understand clearly, list the teams Cal had at UK that this Arkansas team has more talent than.

You were already busted on your theory that Cal never used the transfer portal, which tells me you really don't know, you're just throwing shit against the wall hoping it sticks.

 

[kyjeff1]

Question: how much blame do you put on Sheppard and Dillingham for combining for 3/11 vs Oakland? Your biggest criticism of Calipari last year was not playing them more.

The entire team wasn't prepared at all. They played like they had no clue what Oakland was going to do.

But, you helped prove my point, all the freshmen played like ass, Reeves and Mitchell were the only ones that didn’t piss down their legs.

Like I said a hundred times, freshman struggle under the bright lights.

 

[kyjeff1]

Arkansas's a young team? I just listed a bunch of seniors that will play key roles. They have a good mix of experience and talent.

I'm not mad at all. Just calling out a bad take. As usual, you're the only one making this argument.

What you're worried about is a case of "be careful what you wish for." I think you know this Arkansas team has a lot of potential. Much higher ceiling than Kentucky's. And you know that Calipari is as motivated as he's been in a long while.

Last year at this time, you were shitting on Dickinson because he isn't NBA material. Now you're pretending you want a team full of guys without NBA prospects. Funny stuff.

As for KU, I'm not too worried about an exhibition in which half their rotation was out. They were ranked #1 for a reason. They might turn out to be overrated, to start the year anyway, but that game meant nothing.

False, last year I shit on Hunter, because he’s a team cancer. But yeah, if he was some stud, he wouldn't still be in college. That’s not shitting on him, that’s a fact.

As far as Cal's motivation, he’s no more motivated than he was last year, 2023 and 2022 (after his 9-16 debaclel. That guy is saying the same bullshit.

You're getting a boner over 1 exhibition game, UK destroyed teams over the summer last year and killed their exhibition opponents. Cal ended up losing 11 games and losing to Iakland. He won one NCAAT game and 1 SECT game in 4 years with more talent than this roster.

His motivation isn’t the issue, it's his C level coaching, his outdated schemes and his priorities. He has said it a dozen times since he got to Arkansas, "it's about these kids, they come first". UK fans know what this means, Arkansas fans are about to find out.

 

[ExitFlagger]

The entire team wasn't prepared at all. They played like they had no clue what Oakland was going to do.

But, you helped prove my point, all the freshmen played like ass, Reeves and Mitchell were the only ones that didn’t piss down their legs.

Like I said a hundred times, freshman struggle under the bright lights.

So you guys were wrong? He should have actually played them less? Or not recruited them at all?

 

[ExitFlagger]

False, last year I shit on Hunter, because he’s a team cancer. But yeah, if he was some stud, he wouldn't still be in college. That’s not shitting on him, that’s a fact.

As far as Cal's motivation, he’s no more motivated than he was last year, 2023 and 2022 (after his 9-16 debaclel. That guy is saying the same bullshit.

You're getting a boner over 1 exhibition game, UK destroyed teams over the summer last year and killed their exhibition opponents. Cal ended up losing 11 games and losing to Iakland. He won one NCAAT game and 1 SECT game in 4 years with more talent than this roster.

His motivation isn’t the issue, it's his C level coaching, his outdated schemes and his priorities. He has said it a dozen times since he got to Arkansas, "it's about these kids, they come first". UK fans know what this means, Arkansas fans are about to find out.

Ah, spreading rumors about team cancers again, I see. Because, y'know, some bitter Michigan fan made a baseless comment once. 😆

And no, that's not false. You said that Ivisic was already a better player than Dickinson because he was projected to be a 2nd rounder. Lol. Even though you're always going on about players being drafted on potential.

So you're admitting that Kentucky has no studs then? They definitely have no All Americans (like Dickinson).

This Arkansas team is probably more talented than a bunch of Calipari's Kentucky teams.

 

[UL_1986]

And what about the Kentucky fans who are predicting a great and exciting year?

I know which roster I’d rather have. And coach for that matter.

Yeah, I don't really understand their sunshine pump of a semi decent roster and a coach that's never gotten past the first round of the tourney nor won a conference title in over a decade of coaching. The delusion is real.

 

[fleckabelly]

I understand clearly

No, you really don't. You keep repeating recruiting rankings or NBA talent as the evaluation metric for what defines one team as “better” than another. It’s not. Nothing is. They are one of many factors and every time I point out another, you think that’s the argument.

The argument is, this is a different team than any you’ve ever had. Different players, coaches, Cal may be hungrier, may have changed philosophies, etc.. There are so many different reasons why one team succeeds where another fails. So many reasons why a coach succeeds in one place and fails in another. You have no idea. NBA talent is one of many factors. Stop using your idea of what’s “better” to define a team and players you know very little about. Does this make sense?

 

[kyjeff1]

Ah, spreading rumors about team cancers again, I see. Because, y'know, some bitter Michigan fan made a baseless comment once. 😆

And no, that's not false. You said that Ivisic was already a better player than Dickinson because he was projected to be a 2nd rounder. Lol. Even though you're always going on about players being drafted on potential.

So you're admitting that Kentucky has no studs then? They definitely have no All Americans (like Dickinson).

This Arkansas team is probably more talented than a bunch of Calipari's Kentucky teams.

I said Ivicic is better than Hunter? Given your history of twisting everything that's said, I'm going to need to see proof of that. I csll bullshit.

As far as UK having studs, umm, define what you're calling a stud? Is there an Oscar, or Julius Randle? No, but in my opinion, a guy that shot 49% from 3 point range, is a stud. A DPOY center in any league, is a stud and 2 all Defensive guards, are studs.

Coaches like Calipari and Tom Crean, need lottery pick type studs, but when you run a legit offense with cutting and elite outside shooting, you don't need Anthony Davis to win games.

How many lottery picks were on SDSU and Florida Atlantic 2 years ago? How many lottery picks were on NC State last year?

If you'll notice, teams built with upperclassmen, usually fair better in the NCAAT than freshmen led teams.

Can't wait to see you twist my words again. And before you even try, I'm not saying UK is a FF team. They CAN get there, but it’s very unlikely and from what I've seen, KU isn’t a FF threat either.

 

[kyjeff1]

So you guys were wrong? He should have actually played them less? Or not recruited them at all?

Play the best players. It was well known that Cal's best lineup was Mitchell, Reeves, Dillingham, Sheppard and Big Z (once he was cleared), Cal knew this, whenever that lineup was in, it was by far the best scoring lineup in the country, but he refused to play it. That would mean his 2 pre-determined favorite NBA draft picks wouldn’t play as many minutes.

Stick to Kansas basketball, because you have no idea what I'm talking about here, UK fans do.

 

[kyjeff1]

Yeah, I don't really understand their sunshine pump of a semi decent roster and a coach that's never gotten past the first round of the tourney nor won a conference title in over a decade of coaching. The delusion is real.

Who are these UK fans you speak of? I haven't seen anyone beyond 1 or 2 RR crazies say anything more than "I like what Pope is doing, but we need to give him time".

Who have you seen say UK is FF good? Damn sure wasn't me.