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What is wrong with Kentucky?

it might not have been on this board, but I definitely heard such from UK friends in the state, and even some of the trolls that like to pop up on our home board.

Of course no one will admit it now, but it was definitely the off-season rhetoric. Granted the media had UK top 10 preseason so it’s easy to see why UK fans were very excited.......until the second game of the season.

I do remember Jimbo saying that they were loaded and that he expected at least elite 8.
 
I don’t think it’s a talent problem. It’s a completely new team problem. Least we’ve returned since Cal took over.

Cal needs to reestablish roster stability and continuity above all else. Problem is he’s too arrogant to admit that to himself. This season has been a long time coming. He let the tourney runs in 2011 and 2014 go to his head.

Right now he’s telling himself they can lose out and just win the SEC tourney and make a run to the final four as a 14 seed.
 
I don’t think it’s a talent problem. It’s a completely new team problem. Least we’ve returned since Cal took over.

Cal needs to reestablish roster stability and continuity above all else. Problem is he’s too arrogant to admit that to himself. This season has been a long time coming. He let the tourney runs in 2011 and 2014 go to his head.

Right now he’s telling himself they can lose out and just win the SEC tourney and make a run to the final four as a 14 seed.
Y'all had the #1 recruiting class, so we can safely rule talent out. Maybe, the team is shaken. That is what I think and cal tried to set them up against some lesser comp to get their confidence up, but maybe it was too late.
 
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Askew (never committed), Hopkins (committed) and who else am I missing. I know we were high on Teague and lyles list but that’s been 5 years ago.

and as arrogant as a lot of their fan base is I don’t imagine anyone feels sorry for them anywhere. Especially after we heard all off season how this was Cals deepest and most talented roster ever lol.
Khalil Whitney was the other. Askew was almost a done deal for Louisville, according to the insiders on our scout board. Whitney and Askew were both heavy leans until Cal blew his shot up their asses. One has already left in the middle of last season.
 
Khalil Whitney was the other. Askew was almost a done deal for Louisville, according to the insiders on our scout board. Whitney and Askew were both heavy leans until Cal blew his shot up their asses. One has already left in the middle of last season.

never knew we even recruited Whitney, thanks for the info.
 
I think lack of high end talent is part of the issue. None of these guys are a centerpiece lotto pick in the upcoming draft that can just put the team on their back and go get the wins. Combine lack of high end talent with completely new team and there's the problem.

The system Calipari created seems to require elite level player. The #1 recruiting class is a combination of good players this year but it's missing Cunningham or somebody like that. Some of the players end up looking worse than they actually are because they aren't playing with an alpha that takes pressure off them.
 
Big difference then "Especially after we heard all off season how this was Cals deepest and most talented roster ever".

I didn’t make that up. I’m not saying you said it or jimbo or anyone here, but I definitely read that on one of the home boards somewhere around the time y’all landed Sarr. Now granted a few other level headed up fans disagreed with that take, but some others agreed.

sorry I didn’t bookmark and save it to remember who said it. I’m not trying to make anyone eat crow or anything, bc I don’t even remember who said it. Plus y’all had every reason in the world to be super optimistic before the season. Landed best transfer available at a position of need, number 1 recruiting class, every media outlet had UK top ten preseason, Boston and Clarke seemed like sure fire lottery picks based on their high school ranking, Jackson was “blocking everything” and draining threes in practice etc.

I’m pretty sure it was around the time you made that gem of a post saying “I heard Jackson has improved more than anyone since EJ Montgomery in 2 months on campus lol”

I guess it was a bit of hyperbole on my part, bc it wasn’t like every UK fan I came across thought that, but there was no shortage of UK fans who thought UK would be very very good this year, and I know for a fact I read a few posts in the off season where fans claimed this was cals deepest and most talented roster ever. Now granted even some UK fans called that out as BS, but it doesn’t change the fact that that was the narrative of some UK fans this offseason.

EDIT: In hindsight, The post might have been best/deepest/longest/most talented since 2015. Mary Janes bad for the long term memory. I just can’t imagineeven the biggest of homers thinking this team would be better than 2015.
 
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Maybe, Cal benching several of UK's few decent players is killing Uk's already slim margins for victory. That might be acceptable in a year where things are going your way and it only affects the margin of victory, but not this year.

At some point you gotta declare an emergency and be willing to hurt some feelings for the sake of the overall objective (winning).
 
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Big difference then "Especially after we heard all off season how this was Cals deepest and most talented roster ever".

After some thought, my apologies. I made it seem like every UK fan was saying that during the offseason, which was definitely not the case. It was said, but by a small minority of fans, whom sometimes even got called out by other UK fans for being way too optimistic.

Plus things posted on home boards shouldn’t even register like stuff said here, bc every fan base has a few crazies on the home boards.
 
They fuggin suck lol. It’s amazing how Cal can turn an all conference player into a compete scrub when they transfer to UK. Play such a shitty brand of bball with no shooters or playmakers.
 
It’s just a down year anyway you look at it. Really disappointing! Coming into this season Kentucky looked really good on paper (even if I didn’t think Boston was gonna be as good as advertised) but lack of practice time (covid) has hurt this team more than it would’ve any other UK team because we are depending on so many freshman this year. I don’t use that as an excuse though, there’s no excuse for being this bad and that’s on Cal for the most part. He needs to get things right and play who needs playing. Talent doesn’t always equal success and anyone with an ounce of sports knowledge knows this. I will say though that this season isn’t over yet and we have the talent to turn it around and go on a run but who knows if that will happen. Like I said before, you moose knuckles better run it in good while we suck, seasons like this don’t come around very often!🤣
 
They fuggin suck lol. It’s amazing how Cal can turn an all conference player into a compete scrub when they transfer to UK. Play such a shitty brand of bball with no shooters or playmakers.

Yea you would think he would put out loads of lottery picks instead of turning them into scrubs. Great point!
 
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It’s just a down year anyway you look at it. Really disappointing! Coming into this season Kentucky looked really good on paper (even if I didn’t think Boston was gonna be as good as advertised) but lack of practice time (covid) has hurt this team more than it would’ve any other UK team because we are depending on so many freshman this year. I don’t use that as an excuse though, there’s no excuse for being this bad and that’s on Cal for the most part. He needs to get things right and play who needs playing. Talent doesn’t always equal success and anyone with an ounce of sports knowledge knows this. I will say though that this season isn’t over yet and we have the talent to turn it around and go on a run but who knows if that will happen. Like I said before, you moose knuckles better run it in good while we suck, seasons like this don’t come around very often!🤣
I think the fix is rather simple, TBH...

You play Allen 30+ a game....He allows you to spread the floor----And he's a very good shooter. YOu insert some sets to get him shots.. HIs ability to shoot would open the floor up.

You play Mintz 30+....You give the reigns from here on out. He's a playmaker...He can shoot. He can defend. He can score. He's good with the ball....Askew is none of the above.

You start Jackson over Sarr....Even if Jackson doesn't score---his defense picks up for that. Give Jackson, Sarr's minutes.

I'd perfer right now, Tobbin over Boston. Sit the Burger boy for a game---See how he reacts. Start Toppin.

In other words, Cal needs to stop protcting his burger boys feelings. That is, if he wants to win.
 
It’s a little-known fact that Anthony Davis was a 2-star recruit who had never blocked a shot before he met Cal.

Yea we get it, the players Cal gets was gonna be good anyway but if any other coach gets a kid and he goes pro it’s because of the coaching he got from said coach! Sure, ok!
 
Yea we get it, the players Cal gets was gonna be good anyway but if any other coach gets a kid and he goes pro it’s because of the coaching he got from said coach! Sure, ok!
Cal has done decent with developing....BUT.....guys like Wall, Boogie, AD,MKG, Fox etc, etc....were gonna be Top 5 picks no matter where they went. MOF, if kids were allowed to go straight to the NBA, a lot of those kids never see the UK campus.

But this year, and even the past few, have shown he'snot the magician some of felt he was...Boston was a perennial Top 5 pick----he has fallen out of some mock drafts. Not out of the Top 10....first round...or lottery---but out of the draft. And I could go back to the Harrison twins......

Cal is a great recruiter....And he develops decently....I think that is a fair take.
 
It’s not as if he has a history of turning no-names into pros. They’re all dudes who were expected to be there.

I remember when fans couldn’t get over the fact that SGA went first round because he was ranked around 30. Laughing
 
It’s not as if he has a history of turning no-names into pros. They’re all dudes who were expected to be there.

I remember when fans couldn’t get over the fact that SGA went first round because he was ranked around 30. Laughing

I mean I think there are a few guys that significantly improved their draft stock here. Willie Cauley Stein, Tyler Herro, PJ Washington to name a few but there have also been plenty that would have been better off elsewhere at this point.

SGA...yeah he was just underrated as hell coming out. I watched him at the derby festival and could tell right then. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. The only reason Cal started Quade over him as long as he did was out of loyalty.
 
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Yea we get it, the players Cal gets was gonna be good anyway but if any other coach gets a kid and he goes pro it’s because of the coaching he got from said coach! Sure, ok!

no other fan base boats about the Coach’s ability to get players drafted like no other coach possibly could, bc that really doesn’t matter to most college fans, and it wouldn’t matter to bbn either if cal didn’t shove it down your throat every chance he gets.

Like his first year when he said “you tell me, would you rather shoot 1-20 from 3 and not make the final four but have 5 guys drafted first round”

No I’d rather win the game and don’t really care how many draft picks we have. I don’t wish former cards to fail in the nba, but I enjoy Louisville winning a helluva lot more than say I enjoy the Donovan Mitchell led Utah Jazz winning.
 
no other fan base boats about the Coach’s ability to get players drafted like no other coach possibly could, bc that really doesn’t matter to most college fans, and it wouldn’t matter to bbn either if cal didn’t shove it down your throat every chance he gets.

Like his first year when he said “you tell me, would you rather shoot 1-20 from 3 and not make the final four but have 5 guys drafted first round”

No I’d rather win the game and don’t really care how many draft picks we have. I don’t wish former cards to fail in the nba, but I enjoy Louisville winning a helluva lot more than say I enjoy the Donovan Mitchell led Utah Jazz winning.

He said that? Link? Don’t remember him saying anything like that. He said “this will be the greatest night in UK history” when we had 5 players drafted in the first round but we all know that was blown outta context. As far as players going pro, do you want UK fans to not be proud about that? That means we are getting really good players and last time I checked fans of all schools want good players. Find me just ONE UK fan that would rather have a high draft pick or would rather a former UK player lead their NBA team to a NBA title over UK winning a title....just ONE!
 
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He said that? Link? Don’t remember him saying anything like that. He said “this will be the greatest night in UK history” when we had 5 players drafted in the first round but we all know that was blown outta context. As far as players going pro, do you want UK fans to not be proud about that? That means we are getting really good players and last time I checked fans of all schools want good players. Find me just ONE UK fan that would rather have a high draft pick or would rather a former UK player lead their NBA team to a NBA title over UK winning a title....just ONE!

Would John Calipari apply? And of course UK should be proud of alums excelling in the league, but your the only fan base in the nation that thinks your coach/program is the only reason former players go on to have successful nba careers. Like when Gabriel said some not so flattering things about Cal, and some BBN faithful responded with “Youd be nothing without UK” despite the fact he came in a top 15 recruit, went undrafted, and still carved out a role for himself in the league.

Your also the only program in the nation whose coach cares more about developing his prime time recruits, than winning basketball games. If it wasn’t obv the way he’s coddled Boston this year, deaaron fox said as much on a podcast recently.
 
UK fans, is Cal a better coach than Tubby Smith? It seems like Tubby never got the recruits that Cal gets but the product he put out on the floor is a lot better than what we've seen from UK recently.
 
UK fans, is Cal a better coach than Tubby Smith? It seems like Tubby never got the recruits that Cal gets but the product he put out on the floor is a lot better than what we've seen from UK recently.

Only if you mean UK recently as in this year. Besides pitinos team tubby took to the natty, every Calipari team would beat any tubby team imo, except this years Calipari team and 2013 of course. The talent gap alone would be ridiculous.
 
UK fans, is Cal a better coach than Tubby Smith? It seems like Tubby never got the recruits that Cal gets but the product he put out on the floor is a lot better than what we've seen from UK recently.

Huh?😳 I loved Tubby and still do to this day but his product he put on the floor wasn’t better and as a matter of fact it wasn’t close. Maybe this year one might say yea but this is just a odd year.
 
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enjoy the nit again.
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Would John Calipari apply? And of course UK should be proud of alums excelling in the league, but your the only fan base in the nation that thinks your coach/program is the only reason former players go on to have successful nba careers. Like when Gabriel said some not so flattering things about Cal, and some BBN faithful responded with “Youd be nothing without UK” despite the fact he came in a top 15 recruit, went undrafted, and still carved out a role for himself in the league.

Your also the only program in the nation whose coach cares more about developing his prime time recruits, than winning basketball games. If it wasn’t obv the way he’s coddled Boston this year, deaaron fox said as much on a podcast recently.

Really? That’s like saying only one fan base cry’s about refs! I’ll say this, Cal loves helping kids reach the NBA but if any of you on this board really thinks Cal doesn’t hate losing and that he doesn’t care about winning you clearly know nothing about sports. In all honesty it’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. All coaches wanna win. As far as the NBA thing goes do you really think other fan bases haven’t done the same thing? We’ve heard how Dean Smith made Jordan, Carter, Worthy, Boeheim made Melo, Crean made Wade, Odom made Duncan, Knight made Cheaney and so on. It’s what fans do! You can act like they don’t but you know better.
 
Huh?😳 I loved Tubby and still do to this day but his product he put on the floor wasn’t better and as a matter of fact it wasn’t close. Maybe this year one might say yea but this is just a odd year.
I mean, its not all that different as you may think...Sure John has reached more FF's---4 of them. But they all came during a crazy run , early in his tenure: 2011,12, 14 and 15. But since 2015, I mean well....

2016---2nd round
2017--Elite 8
2018--SW 16
2019--Elite 8
2020--Cancelled.
2021--Ummm, 4-8. Ouch.

Tubby's last five?

2003: E8
2004: 2nd round
2005: Elite 8
2006: 2nd round
2007- 2nd round...

Now, look ,there is already one NIT on his resume(Cal's). Remind me how many NIT's Tubby went to?

Cal has won 6 Reg. Season titles. Tubby won 5...Same with SECT titles.

Cals winning percentage is 79%....Tubby's 76%..

There is separation, sure....Anyone can see that. But to just dismiss it so easily, well, meh----Not so fast my friend.
 
Really? That’s like saying only one fan base cry’s about refs! I’ll say this, Cal loves helping kids reach the NBA but if any of you on this board really thinks Cal doesn’t hate losing and that he doesn’t care about winning you clearly know nothing about sports. In all honesty it’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. All coaches wanna win. As far as the NBA thing goes do you really think other fan bases haven’t done the same thing? We’ve heard how Dean Smith made Jordan, Carter, Worthy, Boeheim made Melo, Crean made Wade, Odom made Duncan, Knight made Cheaney and so on. It’s what fans do! You can act like they don’t but you know better.

Some of that is just wrong. The old saying about MJ in college was the only person in the nation that could stop him was dean smith. Not that dean smith made him the GOAT. At the time ppl thought dean was holding Jordan back from reaching his potential in college.

and I would love to see where anyone anywhere said Odom made Tim Duncan become the best pf ever or crean made dwade A hall of famer or that boeheim made Carmelo great, when he was a stud day 1 as a freshmen at Cuse, bc that’s all sure new to me, and borderline ridiculous. If anything people say Melo made boeheims legacy by getting him a title.

Granted those programs aren’t our rivals so maybe I just missed it, but I disagree with your assessment that every fan base thinks their coach is the sole reason former players have success in the nba.
 
Some of that is just wrong. The old saying about MJ in college was the only person in the nation that could stop him was dean smith. Not that dean smith made him the GOAT. At the time ppl thought dean was holding Jordan back from reaching his potential in college.

and I would love to see where anyone anywhere said Odom made Tim Duncan become the best pf ever or crean made dwade A hall of famer or that boeheim made Carmelo great, when he was a stud day 1 as a freshmen at Cuse, bc that’s all sure new to me, and borderline ridiculous. If anything people say Melo made boeheims legacy by getting him a title.

Granted those programs aren’t our rivals so maybe I just missed it, but I disagree with your assessment that every fan base thinks their coach is the sole reason former players have success in the nba.

You honestly believe that other fans don’t do it????😂 I’ve heard UNC, Duke, UL and every other fan base do it! The truth is UK has a larger fan base so yea I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of UK fans say that stuff like that but other fans do it too. It’s what fans do! Idk why so many on here act like only one fan base does this or one fan base does that.
 
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