Zags making 9th consecutive SW16

[ExitFlagger]

Yes, the youth excuse is weak. It is annoying to every UK fan whenever Cal says it, which is often. Hence, that is why I said Cal chooses to build his rosters this way, so it is his problem. If you don't want 60-70% of the minutes going to freshmen every yr, build your team differently.

Cal's best ability as a coach is to get 18-19 yr olds to buy in and play for each other, the team, and defensively (outside of this year). To answer your question, no, I do not think other coaches would be able to step in and do that. The emotional/mental immaturity of a team full of 18 yr olds is grossly different then a team full of 21-24 yr olds.

Yep, there are most definitely other coaches that are much better at the Xs and Os then Cal. Wouldn't even try to debate that. But Xs and Os, or drawing up plays, becomes completely irrelevant if the team is checked out, or is not cohesive, or are too busy listening to their handlers, or cannot overcome their immaturity. To his credit, Cal is a master at doing that. I personally don't see any other coaches who would be able to handle that.

And yes, there probably are other coaches who would have had this team beat St. Peter's or Oakland. That doesn't prove anything. There are plenty of coaches who wouldn't have lost to Bucknell, Bradley, UNI, VCU, Wichita St, etc. Cal could have easily stepped in for Self and won those games. Doesn't mean anything one way or the other. One game sample sizes don't prove anything.

Wich St was a top 10ish team by the metrics, VCU was top 10ish by Torvik over the last several weeks of the season and dominated 5 tourney games. And the team that lost to Bradley was way younger than even this year's Kentucky team and far less talented. So no, I don't think Calipari's "easily" winning any of those games.

But I wasn't just referring to the tourney losses. I'm talking the 9-16 season, the NIT year, some of the sub-par regular seasons, etc.

It doesn't make sense to say that other coaches are much better at Xs and Os, yet wouldn't have better results with the same rosters. Or to claim that other coaches couldn't get them to play together. What's the reasoning behind that?

 

[mcnicKY91]

Wich St was a top 10ish team by the metrics, VCU was top 10ish by Torvik over the last several weeks of the season and dominated 5 tourney games. And the team that lost to Bradley was way younger than even this year's Kentucky team and far less talented. So no, I don't think Calipari's "easily" winning any of those games.

But I wasn't just referring to the tourney losses. I'm talking the 9-16 season, the NIT year, some of the sub-par regular seasons, etc.

It doesn't make sense to say that other coaches are much better at Xs and Os, yet wouldn't have better results with the same rosters. Or to claim that other coaches couldn't get them to play together. What's the reasoning behind that?

Dude, Self pissed down his leg in all those games I mentioned. It is OK for you to admit that. You don't have to come up with a million excuses. Would be like me saying "well the loss to St Peter's really wasn't that bad, after all they beat other solid teams and went to the Elite 8, or Oakland really wasn't that bad of a loss, as they took NCST to OT and could have easily been in the Sweet 16." Total nonsense, to be honest. Cal could have easily stepped in and won those tourney games Self lost, just as Self could have easily stepped in and won the tourney games Cal lost recently.

Yes, it is very easy to say Xs and Os don't matter when the team has not bought in and is playing together. You can be the best Xs and Os coach out there, but if you have no idea how to manage the emotional immaturity and egos of a team filled with 18 yr olds, the Xs and Os mean nothing. Absolutely nothing. Cal can handle that aspect better than any other coach in the country, and it's not even close.

As for the two NIT seasons...2013 UK went 21-10 in the regular season. They lost their entire team from the year before. Their best player tore his ACL (Noel) in the middle of the year. That left them with a lineup of Ryan Harrow, Archie Goodwin, Kyle Wiltjer, Alex Poythress, WCS, Julius Mayes, and Jarrod Polson. How that team went 21-10 is beyond me. Thought Cal did a great job with that team. Not to mention, UK had won 5 in a row and 7/8 going into the game that Noel tore his ACL. Imagine if McCullar had gotten injured earlier in the season like Noel did...KU wouldn't have made the tourney this yr. Look at their record down the stretch when McCullar was out/playing hurt. They were .500 at best.

2021 sucked. Also sucked for a lot of other blue bloods who played terribly as well. Also, UKs top recruit (Terrence Clark) missed virtually the entire year. Cal did a poor job constructing the roster.

Not sure what your point is regarding those two seasons.

Here is the bottom line, it is OK to admit that Cal is the best in the business at managing and handling teams full of 18 yr olds. No other coach can come close to what he does. With that said, he needs to go. It is not hard to compliment a guy for what he is good at, while realizing that his time is up as well. I am not going to be like all the other fans that want to constantly piss all over Cal.

 

[AWilli6995]

To be fair, those two lottery picks are the reason UK lost to Oakland. Way too many fans were pissed at who started. That isn't why UK lost

My goodness, Dilly and Shep were awful. They pee'd down their legs, to be honest. They were a combined 3/14 from the field, and most of their shots were way off. Shep threw two passes to guys that were wide open into the seats. He was an emotional headcase.

I actually wanted Edwards to play more against Oakland. He wasn't scared of the moment and was playing aggressively. Can't say the same for the projected lotto picks.

You're right about Dilly and Sheppard. The moment was to big for them but I was just speaking about the way Cal catered to Wagner and Edwards.

 

[mcnicKY91]

You're right about Dilly and Sheppard. The moment was to big for them but I was just speaking about the way Cal catered to Wagner and Edwards.

BTW good luck against Bama, hope UNC takes them to the woodshed...(and then I will be rooting for UNC to lose haha).

 

[ExitFlagger]

Dude, Self pissed down his leg in all those games I mentioned. It is OK for you to admit that. You don't have to come up with a million excuses. Would be like me saying "well the loss to St Peter's really wasn't that bad, after all they beat other solid teams and went to the Elite 8, or Oakland really wasn't that bad of a loss, as they took NCST to OT and could have easily been in the Sweet 16." Total nonsense, to be honest. Cal could have easily stepped in and won those tourney games Self lost, just as Self could have easily stepped in and won the tourney games Cal lost recently.

Uh....you realize you've been piling up excuses about youth and injuries, right? 😂

Comparing teams like Oakland to Wich St or VCU is flat dumb. Oakland is 132 on Kenpom. They suck. VCU was a top 10ish team in March per Torvik. Won 5 tourney games in dominant fashion. No comparison. Wichita St had the same core group that was the freaking overall #1 seed the year before. They were a perennial winner and won a bunch of tourney games in that period. They were just a better team than KU that year, especially with injuries. Do you think Oakland was a better team than Kentucky this year?

Yes, it is very easy to say Xs and Os don't matter when the team has not bought in and is playing together. You can be the best Xs and Os coach out there, but if you have no idea how to manage the emotional immaturity and egos of a team filled with 18 yr olds, the Xs and Os mean nothing. Absolutely nothing. Cal can handle that aspect better than any other coach in the country, and it's not even close.

Based on....what again?

As for the two NIT seasons...2013 UK went 21-10 in the regular season. They lost their entire team from the year before. Their best player tore his ACL (Noel) in the middle of the year. That left them with a lineup of Ryan Harrow, Archie Goodwin, Kyle Wiltjer, Alex Poythress, WCS, Julius Mayes, and Jarrod Polson. How that team went 21-10 is beyond me. Thought Cal did a great job with that team. Not to mention, UK had won 5 in a row and 7/8 going into the game that Noel tore his ACL. Imagine if McCullar had gotten injured earlier in the season like Noel did...KU wouldn't have made the tourney this yr. Look at their record down the stretch when McCullar was out/playing hurt. They were .500 at best.

McCullar was injured half the season and they easily made the field against one of the toughest schedules in the country. Kentucky had a weak schedule in 2013.

2021 sucked. Also sucked for a lot of other blue bloods who played terribly as well. Also, UKs top recruit (Terrence Clark) missed virtually the entire year. Cal did a poor job constructing the roster.

Not sure what your point is regarding those two seasons.

There's "down" years and then there's 9-16. No excuse for any blueblood to ever have that record, especially Kentucky.

Here is the bottom line, it is OK to admit that Cal is the best in the business at managing and handling teams full of 18 yr olds. No other coach can come close to what he does.

Uh.....who are all the other teams that have rosters full of 5 star freshmen (and paired with top upperclassmen like Reeves/Mitchell/etc)? Can you name those coaches?

Guess he's the best at what he does because he's the only one who does it? 😆

 

[mcnicKY91]

Uh....you realize you've been piling up excuses about youth and injuries, right? 😂

Comparing teams like Oakland to Wich St or VCU is flat dumb. Oakland is 132 on Kenpom. They suck. VCU was a top 10ish team in March per Torvik. Won 5 tourney games in dominant fashion. No comparison. Wichita St had the same core group that was the freaking overall #1 seed the year before. They were a perennial winner and won a bunch of tourney games in that period. They were just a better team than KU that year, especially with injuries. Do you think Oakland was a better team than Kentucky this year?



Based on....what again?



McCullar was injured half the season and they easily made the field against one of the toughest schedules in the country. Kentucky had a weak schedule in 2013.



There's "down" years and then there's 9-16. No excuse for any blueblood to ever have that record, especially Kentucky.



Uh.....who are all the other teams that have rosters full of 5 star freshmen (and paired with top upperclassmen like Reeves/Mitchell/etc)? Can you name those coaches?

Guess he's the best at what he does because he's the only one who does it? 😆

It is impossible to have discussions with you, because you cannot, for the life of you, be impartial.

Self has pissed down his legs in many, many tournaments. How much you defend him is nauseating. It is OK to admit it is unacceptable for KU to lose to Bucknell (I see you didn't mention them at all in your rebuttal), Bradley, UNI (I see you left them out as well in your rebuttal), Wich St, VCU, etc. Self sucked in all those games. His teams were loaded in 2010 and 2011 with NBA talent, that guess what, had years of college experience. They weren't freshmen. And he pissed down his leg both years. It's OK to admit it dude. Doesn't take away from his Hall of Fame career. He is one of the best in the business.

I have no problem admitting Cal has sucked the past 4 yrs and needs to go. I wish UK still had the 2010-19 Cal. But he is long gone. But I can also admit that Cal is a Hall of Famer as well, and is the best in the business at managing teams full of really, really young talent. Doesn't excuse him for faltering with young talent, as it is his choice to build his teams this way.

Andy BTW, I never once have used youth as an excuse. Have no idea where you are getting that from. Have said a million times that it is Cal's problem to deal with that he constructs his teams full of freshmen, and that all UK fans, including myself, are tired of it. You are just making things up that I never said, which you do way too often on this board. I think you just like to argue for the sake of arguing, especially all things UK/Cal.

 

[ExitFlagger]

It is impossible to have discussions with you, because you cannot, for the life of you, be impartial.

Self has pissed down his legs in many, many tournaments. How much you defend him is nauseating. It is OK to admit it is unacceptable for KU to lose to Bucknell (I see you didn't mention them at all in your rebuttal), Bradley, UNI (I see you left them out as well in your rebuttal), Wich St, VCU, etc. Self sucked in all those games. His teams were loaded in 2010 and 2011 with NBA talent, that guess what, had years of college experience. They weren't freshmen. And he pissed down his leg both years. It's OK to admit it dude. Doesn't take away from his Hall of Fame career. He is one of the best in the business.

Self is widely considered the best coach in the game right now, while your coach is the most hated person in the state of Kentucky. Yet defending Self is nauseating and defending Calipari isn't. All righty then. 🤣

I haven't defended Bucknell, Northern Iowa, etc. Because those losses shouldn't have happened. I don't think VCU "should" have happened either, but the point was that it wasn't even close to the failure of loaded teams losing to Oakland and St Peter's. That put the Peacocks on the freaking map. VCU's been a top 25ish basketball program and a perennial tourney team for 20 years. And if you actually think a Wichita team with the same core that was the OVERALL 1 SEED the year before is comparable to Oakland, you're either trolling or have no clue what you're talking about.

I have no problem admitting Cal has sucked the past 4 yrs and needs to go. I wish UK still had the 2010-19 Cal. But he is long gone. But I can also admit that Cal is a Hall of Famer as well, and is the best in the business at managing teams full of really, really young talent. Doesn't excuse him for faltering with young talent, as it is his choice to build his teams this way.

Andy BTW, I never once have used youth as an excuse. Have no idea where you are getting that from. Have said a million times that it is Cal's problem to deal with that he constructs his teams full of freshmen, and that all UK fans, including myself, are tired of it. You are just making things up that I never said, which you do way too often on this board. I think you just like to argue for the sake of arguing, especially all things UK/Cal.

LOL. Never used youth as an excuse? Is that a joke? What do you call this?

However, I always dislike when ppl say "x" coach would have won multiple championships with all the talent Cal has pulled in....but then they alway conveniently leave out the fact that Cal's teams are generally composed of 18 yr olds, who are beyond immature, are all about themselves, don't know how to play defense, have never played a minute of college ball in their lives, and are generally playing against 21-24 yr olds, who are more emotionally and physically developed and have played college ball multiple years. That is flippin hard work for a coach, and 99% of coaches wouldn't be able to get teams like that to perform.

Too many ppl look at the draft board and see where these guys are projected to get drafted, or look at what these guys did in the NBA 4-5 yrs down the road, when they are actually physically and emotionally developed. Heck UKs two top 10 draft picks crapped down their legs against Oakland. Couldn't handle the pressure of the moment. Heck, Reed Sheppard looked like he had never played the game before. That is freshmen for you.

Hilarious that you're accusing me of being partial while spewing nonsense that 95% of your own fanbase would disagree with.

99% of coaches wouldn't be able to get those teams to perform? LOL. Well, that's great news for you that they kept your super-elite coach, I guess. Every other fanbase in the country is happy about it too.

 

[jackrabbit slim]

You can cut the sexual tension in this thread with a knife right now.

 

[mcnicKY91]

Self is widely considered the best coach in the game right now, while your coach is the most hated person in the state of Kentucky. Yet defending Self is nauseating and defending Calipari isn't. All righty then. 🤣

I haven't defended Bucknell, Northern Iowa, etc. Because those losses shouldn't have happened. I don't think VCU "should" have happened either, but the point was that it wasn't even close to the failure of loaded teams losing to Oakland and St Peter's. That put the Peacocks on the freaking map. VCU's been a top 25ish basketball program and a perennial tourney team for 20 years. And if you actually think a Wichita team with the same core that was the OVERALL 1 SEED the year before is comparable to Oakland, you're either trolling or have no clue what you're talking about.




LOL. Never used youth as an excuse? Is that a joke? What do you call this?



Hilarious that you're accusing me of being partial while spewing nonsense that 95% of your own fanbase would disagree with.

99% of coaches wouldn't be able to get those teams to perform? LOL. Well, that's great news for you that they kept your super-elite coach, I guess. Every other fanbase in the country is happy about it too.

Whatever you say dude. You are right, everybody else is wrong.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Whatever you say dude. You are right, everybody else is wrong.

WTF? You’re the one spewing stuff that no one else agrees with. Do you even read the comments of your fellow fans?

 

[thebasketballreasons]

Gonzaga is your typical high floor low ceiling team, wake me up when they wins a national title, or just make it to final four again.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Gonzaga is your typical high floor low ceiling team, wake me up when they wins a national title, or just make it to final four again.

Two title game appearances definitely back up your "low ceiling" take. Good call.

 

[thebasketballreasons]

Two title game appearances definitely back up your "low ceiling" take. Good call.

Fun fact, Gonzaga has never beaten a #1 seed ever in the tournament, last year was also their only time to defeat a #2 seed against a depleted UCLA team. They are never an upset minded team, they beat lesser teams easily though.

 

[mcnicKY91]

WTF? You’re the one spewing stuff that no one else agrees with. Do you even read the comments of your fellow fans?

Yep, you are 100% right as usual. Me saying over and over that I wish Cal was gone and that UK paid the buyout and moved on is definitely not in line with what 99.9% of UK fans are saying. Where do you get this stuff from dude. You are the most disingenuous poster on this board.

But even if I weren't to be aware of what UK fans are saying, everyone on this board knows you will keep us all in the loop. We all know you frequent Rupp Rafters hourly. You are obsessed with UK. Obsessed with Cal. Obsessed with UK fans. We get it man. There is probably some therapy out there for you to get over your obsession. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Yep, you are 100% right as usual. Me saying over and over that I wish Cal was gone and that UK paid the buyout and moved on is definitely not in line with what 99.9% of UK fans are saying. Where do you get this stuff from dude. You are the most disingenuous poster on this board.

LOL. You mention the one piece from your rants that other fans would agree with. Then you call me disingenuous. Gotta love it. 🤣

But even if I weren't to be aware of what UK fans are saying, everyone on this board knows you will keep us all in the loop. We all know you frequent Rupp Rafters hourly. You are obsessed with UK. Obsessed with Cal. Obsessed with UK fans. We get it man. There is probably some therapy out there for you to get over your obsession. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

I almost never look at Rafters unless someone references something that’s funny. Don’t really care.

But I get it. Anyone who challenges anything you say must be obsessed with you. Poor guy.

 

[mcnicKY91]

LOL. You mention the one piece from your rants that other fans would agree with. Then you call me disingenuous. Gotta love it. 🤣



I almost never look at Rafters unless someone references something that’s funny. Don’t really care.

But I get it. Anyone who challenges anything you say must be obsessed with you. Poor guy.

No one believes you dude...carry on.

 

[thebasketballreasons]

And yet another loss to 1 seed, some things are never gonna change for Gonzaga. They need magical luck like last year’s UConn to have a shot at national title if they can never beat top teams.

 

[Deepelm]

And yet another loss to 1 seed, some things are never gonna change for Gonzaga. They need magical luck like last year’s UConn to have a shot at national title if they can never beat top teams.

Luck? lmfao

 

[AWilli6995]

And yet another loss to 1 seed, some things are never gonna change for Gonzaga. They need magical luck like last year’s UConn to have a shot at national title if they can never beat top teams.

Luck? You really don’t watch much basketball, do you?

 

[thebasketballreasons]

Luck? lmfao

Last year’s UConn team faced no top 2 seeds in the tournament, so that’s the kind of luck I am talking about. Of course UConn could have won it all without luck, but Gonzaga can’t.