Arkansas fans, get ready...

[ExitFlagger]

Again, Cal has now gone a decade without a one seed or a FF. You can no longer rationalize that large of a sample size as "random." Just like there is nothing random about going 9-16. That alone was enough for Cal to move on. You seem to overlook that as well.

Guarantee you would want Self gone, as would KU fans, if he had a run like that.

Cal's fastball is long gone, and the loss to Baylor confirmed that. Same old problems, just different colors. The dude still has no idea how to attack a zone. Absolutely mind boggling.

As for BYU fans, let them come over and say whatever they want. Let them tell us Pope is not the answer. I have no idea if Pope will pan out. Nobody does. But I do know, with 100% certainty, Cal's best days are long gone.

I’ve always thought he was overrated in terms of Xs and Os, but there’s no denying his ability as a salesman. Pairing top talent with an average coach can (and did) win you a lot of games. And now and then you might even find yourself with a roster stacked enough to go to the final four or win it all.

What you guys seem to be missing is that, for this to be a bad hire, there would have to be someone available to Arkansas who was clearly superior to Calipari as a coach and with similar recruiting ability. Who was it?

 

[ExitFlagger]

What you aren't understanding is this isn’t a case of a coach just having a couple bad years, this is a narcissist that is prioritizing individual accomplishments and goals.

He's a guy that gets pieces from different puzzle sets and puts them on the court knowing they don't fit and all they are doing is trying out for the NBA.
Wins are a byproduct of this.

Listen to his interviews, he’s been telling everyone for years, "it's about these kids, not wins and losses, it's about the kids and their families". This guy is running a farm system and he doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Bill Self got through his ordeal because his priorities were focused on winning in college. If you do that, good things will happen for the players.

And I can't believe we have people putting the Oakland loss on two bench players. How about Wagner and Edwards, check their stats. The only ones that showed up were the 2 seniors. But they scored 76 points. You can't give up 80 to Oakland.

Can’t expect players to suddenly do things they didn’t do all year in the postseason, but you can expect players who produced all year to have a decent game.

Now they’re just “two bench players,” eh? Good stuff. 😆

Right now, Mayo and Storr are coming off the bench for KU. If KU loses a close tourney game this year, and Storr and Mayo combine for 3/14, I won’t be putting all the blame on Self.

 

[JC for 3]

Again, Cal has now gone a decade without a one seed or a FF. You can no longer rationalize that large of a sample size as "random." Just like there is nothing random about going 9-16. That alone was enough for Cal to move on. You seem to overlook that as well.

Guarantee you would want Self gone, as would KU fans, if he had a run like that.

Cal's fastball is long gone, and the loss to Baylor confirmed that. Same old problems, just different colors. The dude still has no idea how to attack a zone. Absolutely mind boggling.

As for BYU fans, let them come over and say whatever they want. Let them tell us Pope is not the answer. I have no idea if Pope will pan out. Nobody does. But I do know, with 100% certainty, Cal's best days are long gone.

Zone.... he's never learned how to run an offense against it or use it as a defensive strategy. Mind boggling.

 

[mcnicKY91]

I’ve always thought he was overrated in terms of Xs and Os, but there’s no denying his ability as a salesman. Pairing top talent with an average coach can (and did) win you a lot of games. And now and then you might even find yourself with a roster stacked enough to go to the final four or win it all.

What you guys seem to be missing is that, for this to be a bad hire, there would have to be someone available to Arkansas who was clearly superior to Calipari as a coach and with similar recruiting ability. Who was it?

I have never once said it was a bad hire. Good for Arkansas that they got him.

Ask Arkansas fans what their standard for success is, and if they think Cal meets it, good for them.

As stated before, one thing is super clear, Cal was no longer the right guy at UK, as he was coming nowhere near UKs standard for success. Should have left a few years back.

 

[kyjeff1]

Can’t expect players to suddenly do things they didn’t do all year in the postseason, but you can expect players who produced all year to have a decent game.

Now they’re just “two bench players,” eh? Good stuff. 😆

Right now, Mayo and Storr are coming off the bench for KU. If KU loses a close tourney game this year, and Storr and Mayo combine for 3/14, I won’t be putting all the blame on Self.

But they were bench players. Cal put his eggs in the Edwards and DJ basket even though every metric told him otherwise.

Yeah, Dillingham and Reed pissed down their legs, but so did DJ and Edwards. So did Bradshaw and Z. That’s why you don't anchor your team to freshmen that aren't transcendent dudes.

Bottom line, the team wasn't prepared. It’s Cal's responsibility to prepare his team and just like the 4 years prior, they weren't.

Give that team to a legit coach and they don't lose 10 games. They certainly don't lose to Oakland.

 

[JimboBBN]

If someone told you beforehand that Sheppard and Dillingham would shoot a combined 3-14, would you have expected them to win a tourney game? There were three players that Kentucky leaned on heavily for offense, and two of them totally shit the bed. I didn't say Calipari deserved no blame--I said their shooting was the biggest reason for the loss.

As for Arkansas, I'm not sure what's been proven at this point. A team of completely new players lost to a higher-ranked team in their second game of the season, as an underdog. If Kentucky gets shellacked by Duke tomorrow, are you going to say that the Pope skeptics were right about him?

Yes, we should beat Oakland shooting 32 percent from three. They were a 14 seed. We had 2 lottery picks on the team. We could have shot better but we have seen extremely consistent results lately with Calipari and his teams not being prepared for big games.

Honest question. If Kansas played two exhibition games and two regular season games and failed to break 30 percent shooting one time from three, would you be concerned?

Considering Duke is super young and it’s our first real test tonight, I do think Pope would take some heat if it’s a blowout.

 

[JimboBBN]

But that was their identity all season. They were never a very good defensive team, and they relied on putting up big offensive numbers to win. Was Calipari expected to suddenly get them to do something they hadn't done all year?

It’s on Cal they were so bad on defense all year. It’s his job to have guys in place on defense. Shouldn’t he be expected to fix and issue like that in November or December instead of letting it bite us in the tournament?

 

[ExitFlagger]

Yes, we should beat Oakland shooting 32 percent from three. They were a 14 seed. We had 2 lottery picks on the team. We could have shot better but we have seen extremely consistent results lately with Calipari and his teams not being prepared for big games.

Honest question. If Kansas played two exhibition games and two regular season games and failed to break 30 percent shooting one time from three, would you be concerned?

Considering Duke is super young and it’s our first real test tonight, I do think Pope would take some heat if it’s a blowout.

You can't expect a defensively-challenged team to win when their best players pull a no-show offensively. You guys focus too much on the name on the jersey. Oakland was a decent team that took NC State to OT in the next round.

Most of Calipari's teams haven't had great shooters, hence why everybody was excited about the offensive explosion last year. If they have guards who can attack and a solid inside game, it's not as important.

I doubt Pope takes a lot of heat from Kentucky fans if they're blown out tonight. They'll just chalk it up to Duke being good. I also don't think you'll see a bunch of Pope haters crawling out of the woodwork to say "I told you."

 

[della]

You can't expect a defensively-challenged team to win when their best players pull a no-show offensively. You guys focus too much on the name on the jersey. Oakland was a decent team that took NC State to OT in the next round.

Most of Calipari's teams haven't had great shooters, hence why everybody was excited about the offensive explosion last year. If they have guards who can attack and a solid inside game, it's not as important.

I doubt Pope takes a lot of heat from Kentucky fans if they're blown out tonight. They'll just chalk it up to Duke being good. I also don't think you'll see a bunch of Pope haters crawling out of the woodwork to say "I told you."

Is there such a thing as a Pope hater? UK fans seem to have ultimate faith that he is great.

 

[JimboBBN]

Is there such a thing as a Pope hater? UK fans seem to have ultimate faith that he is great.

UK fans are relieved we have someone that runs a system and cares about the job. Results are yet to be seen but we are hopeful for the reasons I mentioned.

 

[JimboBBN]

You can't expect a defensively-challenged team to win when their best players pull a no-show offensively. You guys focus too much on the name on the jersey. Oakland was a decent team that took NC State to OT in the next round.

Most of Calipari's teams haven't had great shooters, hence why everybody was excited about the offensive explosion last year. If they have guards who can attack and a solid inside game, it's not as important.

I doubt Pope takes a lot of heat from Kentucky fans if they're blown out tonight. They'll just chalk it up to Duke being good. I also don't think you'll see a bunch of Pope haters crawling out of the woodwork to say "I told you."

That’s the thing, though. You could win basketball games in 2012 with average shooting. Even slightly less than average shooting. You can’t do that in 2024. The game has evolved and Calipari hasn’t.

The comments from Kentucky fans stem from the hard break up that we had with Cal. It seems like everyone wanted to beat up on Cal when he was coaching at Kentucky but now that he’s gone, we were the problem and he’s going to be great at Arkansas. It’s a little annoying.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Is there such a thing as a Pope hater? UK fans seem to have ultimate faith that he is great.

I meant other fanbases.

 

[ExitFlagger]

That’s the thing, though. You could win basketball games in 2012 with average shooting. Even slightly less than average shooting. You can’t do that in 2024. The game has evolved and Calipari hasn’t.

The comments from Kentucky fans stem from the hard break up that we had with Cal. It seems like everyone wanted to beat up on Cal when he was coaching at Kentucky but now that he’s gone, we were the problem and he’s going to be great at Arkansas. It’s a little annoying.

I don't see anybody saying he's going to be great at Arkansas, but he might do great by their standards.

All I've said about Arkansas is that they have a lot of talent on the roster this year. Maybe as much as any team. I've also said I won't be surprised if Calipari screws it up. I won't be surprised if they go far either. Not that controversial.

 

[kyjeff1]

You can't expect a defensively-challenged team to win when their best players pull a no-show offensively. You guys focus too much on the name on the jersey. Oakland was a decent team that took NC State to OT in the next round.

Most of Calipari's teams haven't had great shooters, hence why everybody was excited about the offensive explosion last year. If they have guards who can attack and a solid inside game, it's not as important.

I doubt Pope takes a lot of heat from Kentucky fans if they're blown out tonight. They'll just chalk it up to Duke being good. I also don't think you'll see a bunch of Pope haters crawling out of the woodwork to say "I told you."

You’re making our point for us. If Cal was in the HOF for his coaching abilities, his team full of athletic dudes with size, wouldn't have spent the entire season ranked in the triple digits defensively.

Cal stopped actually coaching team principals many years ago. That team didn't improve a lick on defense all year and that is what happens when you focus on individual accomplishments.

So many people get excited about Cal's HOF fame status, but they don't understand why he was inducted. It’s definitely not due to his coaching talents.

Apparently the HOF voters think Wall, Cousins, Towns, Randle, AD, Fox, Monk, Murray, Maxey, Dillingham and Sheppard couldn't get to the NBA without Cal's help.

 

[kyjeff1]

I don't see anybody saying he's going to be great at Arkansas, but he might do great by their standards.

All I've said about Arkansas is that they have a lot of talent on the roster this year. Maybe as much as any team. I've also said I won't be surprised if Calipari screws it up. I won't be surprised if they go far either. Not that controversial.

Arkansas has a lot of projected talent.

Fland is good, but not DeAaron Fox good. Davis, Aidoo, Thiero, Z and DJ are still in college for a reason.

Richmond and Knox are not good enough right now to do anything of note on the court.

Who is going to carry this team? Who is the Wall/Fox/AD/Murray/ Ulis/Towns/Randle on this team?

There isn't a K, Pitino, or Roy coaching this team, so at least 1 player needs to be good enough to overcome poor game planning and bench coaching. Who would you say that would be?

Who is going to make outside shots?

It’s a flawed roster, but Cal is fine with it. If he gets a couple players drafted, he will look at the season as a success and he'll tell you that too.

 

[NewEraCATS]

With that said, Boogie Fland is fun af to watch and could lead them deep into march with his supporting cast.

Not with the coach. Cal hasn't sniffed the second round in how long?

 

[Hogs1988]

 

[NewEraCATS]

Wash, rinse, repeat

 

[Hogs1988]

Wash, rinse, repeat

View embedded media

Arkansas has a 9-man rotation, with 4 players either entering the game still dealing with an injury (Davis), still out from injury (Aidoo), or got hurt during the game (Fland & Brazile). Yet, they still beat the Vegas line of -12.5.

Do better, sir.

One thing Arkansas shares with Kentucky is a swarm of obnoxious Twitter handles who act like professional mouthpieces. This guy is one of the worst offenders—he knew stirring the pot would rile up Kentucky fans while the eternally online Hog fans would rush to defend Cal.

 

[boilerzz]

Gee, since Dickie V said so......

 

[NewEraCATS]

Arkansas has a 9-man rotation, with 4 players either entering the game still dealing with an injury (Davis), still out from injury (Aidoo), or got hurt during the game (Fland & Brazile). Yet, they still beat the Vegas line of -12.5.

Do better, sir.

One thing Arkansas shares with Kentucky is a swarm of obnoxious Twitter handles who act like professional mouthpieces. This guy is one of the worst offenders—he knew stirring the pot would rile up Kentucky fans while the eternally online Hog fans would rush to defend Cal.

Cal did the same thing at UK. Choosing not to have a full roster, to find himself in situations like this with injuries (which happen to be common on Cal's teams) being a pain in the backside.

 

[kyjeff1]

Arkansas has a 9-man rotation, with 4 players either entering the game still dealing with an injury (Davis), still out from injury (Aidoo), or got hurt during the game (Fland & Brazile). Yet, they still beat the Vegas line of -12.5.

Do better, sir.

One thing Arkansas shares with Kentucky is a swarm of obnoxious Twitter handles who act like professional mouthpieces. This guy is one of the worst offenders—he knew stirring the pot would rile up Kentucky fans while the eternally online Hog fans would rush to defend Cal.

Hopefully none of those injuries are from dudes butt &%#king each other like last year.

If that's the case, I won't make fun of Cal for stating his usual "I haven’t seen em" line. I wouldn't want to see that either.





Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[kyjeff1]

Cal did the same thing at UK. Choosing not to have a full roster, to find himself in situations like this with injuries (which happen to be common on Cal's teams) being a pain in the backside.

They’ll learn. They already see it, they are just pretending to look the other way.

Here's a stat for ya:

DJ Wagner: 37 minutes, 0 points 2 rebounds… .against Troy.
0-4 2fg and 0-2 3pt. Had 5 assists though.
I heard it on the sleepers media podcast and had to check it. I didn’t think that could be accurate. It is.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Cal did the same thing at UK. Choosing not to have a full roster, to find himself in situations like this with injuries (which happen to be common on Cal's teams) being a pain in the backside.

It's kinda hard, especially in the portal era, to find good players who want to be the 6th guy off the bench.

 

[NewEraCATS]

It's kinda hard, especially in the portal era, to find good players who want to be the 6th guy off the bench.

Really? UK has a team of portal guys.

 

[JimboBBN]

Arkansas fans, how you guys feeling about the rest of the year?

 

[Anthony B]

I bet Cal wishes he had never heard of the transfer portal. It's really exposed his biggest weakness. Now he has to contend with all the hidden gems who have made names for themselves in the mid majors. And those guys were generally well coached at their previous stops. They come in with a strong desire to prove themselves at another level.

 

[yoshukai]

I bet Cal wishes he had never heard of the transfer portal. It's really exposed his biggest weakness. Now he has to contend with all the hidden gems who have made names for themselves in the mid majors. And those guys were generally well coached at their previous stops. They come in with a strong desire to prove themselves at another level.

What he REALLY wishes he had never heard of is “ breach of contract “, lol .

 

[Scotty00]

All I'm saying is I don't think Arkansas fans will be worrying about having let down games just yet. They are more excited that they will likely be the favorites in a lot more of their games than they have been. I just don't understand the hate for Cal. He brought you guys back from some of UK's darkest times. UK was like the most exciting team for an entire decade just about. I'm not saying moving on was the wrong move, but the hate is a bit much IMO.

Cal may never lose in the first round again and I hope he don’t. I appreciate everything he did for UK but it was time to part ways. From an outside fan looking in it’s easy to say this and that but as a UK fan it was tiring hearing the same old blah blah blah after every game. He said we was built for March but yet we got beat the first weekend way to often. Also, just because we point out things that went wrong or things we was tired of doesn’t mean we hate Cal.

 

[mtsuhog85]

Arkansas fans, how you guys feeling about the rest of the year?

I still feel pretty good. 3 point defense is bad, but I don't think teams will shoot 50ish% from 3 on the regular.

Clean up our rotations, get healthy, make a few more FTs, and we're right in the thick of it.

It's a young team that's had injuries to our upper classmen.

 

[JimboBBN]

I still feel pretty good. 3 point defense is bad, but I don't think teams will shoot 50ish% from 3 on the regular.

Clean up our rotations, get healthy, make a few more FTs, and we're right in the thick of it.

It's a young team that's had injuries to our upper classmen.

I really wanted Thiero and Z to stay and play for Pope. They’ve been great for the most part this year

 

[mtsuhog85]

I really wanted Thiero and Z to stay and play for Pope. They’ve been great for the most part this year

Z, for me is a love/hate relationship. I'll give him that hes out best 3 ball shooter.

But, he's Charmin soft. His hands are horrible. Almost every pass gets fumbled.

Thiero...otoh. Damn you build a team around that guy. His ability to explode off of the floor is something you never see. Aidoo has to get healthy.

We have potential. It's there, but the guards need to pick up the 3 shooting so Z can spell our bigs.