Briscoe is the best defender on the team and the best rebounder.

 

He's had two bad games and we all of a sudden want to act like he's awful? I'd even argue last night he wasn't nearly as bad as everyone is acting. 11 pts, 14 rbs, 5 assists, and 2 TOs....I'll take that every single night.

 

I'd argue outside of Fox, he's the most consistent all-around guy on the team.

He was 5 of 12 from the field....that isn't great especially when you realize several were layups he missed etc. The issue with Briscoe that is so frustrating is he chooses the most inopportune times to force up shots. He had a stretch last night where Tenn just took the lead and he goes down and chucks up 3 straight bricks which allowed Tenn to build their lead. They don't run any form of an offense at all. Like I said in an earlier post they all look like they are playing in a All Star game where they just chuck up shots and ignore the defensive side of the ball. They don't even block out which is like a cheese grater on my soul.

Briscoe had one game where he scored 40. Remember last year his excuse was he just didn't feel comfortable in the role he was playing in and why he wasn't scoring as much as he thought he should be etc. Well he's had another year under his belt and he still is as un-consistent as can be. That's why I said he reminds me of the Harrison twins, they were painful to watch at times especially when they got into the pass no one else theball mode and I see Briscoe doing that also. I think he is more concerned with putting up numbers for the NBA scouts than he is in the team winning. Hawkins at least we know what we will get, a player who will play hard no matter what and won't try and force his own agenda.

 

Briscoe avergages 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists a game. He's had a rough to game but he is usually very consistent.

 

He's been praised by many as one of Kentucky's best finishers around the rim. He's their best rebounding guard. He rarely takes selfish shots.

 

The guy had a couple off games. To say that he is selfish and inconsistent is just innacurate.

You and me both. The one and done has gotten really old and I wish the NBA would do something to either allow kids to go straight to the league after high school or make them sit 3 years like football. It's the same old thing every single year. We all get excited about the recruiting class and then we get frustrated because they play like they did in HS where they were the only one on their team that was good and could do anything they wanted. They don't know how to work together at all and the fundamentals go out the window because they didn't have to do any of that in HS. They are more concerned with their draft status than the team and that has always been my knock on Cal, he is more concerned about getting his kids to the NBA as fast as he can than he is about winning for UK. I also get a little tired of everyone saying it's ok because we make deep runs in the tournament, the problem is we should have more titles than just 1 with the recruiting classes we keep getting. That was always my knock on Dean Smith and Coach K in the 90's and 2000's because they would get top recruiting classes year in and year out and in Dean Smith's example only 2 titles in 30+ years. Cal has been here 7 and has had top class or top 2 class at least 4 -5 times yet only 1 title. This is UK and it may sound arrogant but we can get recruits here, quit thinking we have to push them out the door after 1 season every single year. If they don't want to come here and play for a couple years then I say good luck but we want to build something greater than a flash in the pan. We want consistency. Give me Goose, Walker, Macy etc. That is what was so great about the unforgetables, no names who would never make the NBA but loved playing for Kentucky and made one of the greatest runs with no names than any team in history. Give me Pelphrey and Woods and co.

 

With the current landscape, winning and getting kids drafted in the first round are not mutually exclusive.

 

The most talented team also doesn't always win. As much as we want to pretend it doesn't, winning the Championship has some luck to it as well.

 

You can have Pelphrey, Woods, and the magic days of old. I'll gladly take Monk, Wall, Davis and etc.

Cal has been here 7 and has had top class or top 2 class at least 4 -5 times yet only 1 title.

 

How many coaches have won a championship 15% of the years they coached at a particular school?

 

Coach K has five titles in 37 years...13.5%

FWIW, Kentucky is 15th in the country (or at least they were a few days ago) in defensive efficiency. Of course they're going to give up a lot of points, the style of play they play allows for more possessions. More possessions equals more points.

 

South Carolina

Louisville

Virginia

Baylor

Gonzaga

Cincinnati

Minnesota

Dayton

West Virginia

Illinois State

Arizona

Central Florida

Oregon

North Carolina

 

 

Those are the only teams better than the Cats in defensive efficiency. Just those 14 teams.

2012 team had a +.325 ppp margin.

2015 team had a +.369 ppp margin.

2017 team has a +.311 ppp margin. Only Gonzaga has a bigger margin.

You and me both. The one and done has gotten really old and I wish the NBA would do something to either allow kids to go straight to the league after high school or make them sit 3 years like football. It's the same old thing every single year. We all get excited about the recruiting class and then we get frustrated because they play like they did in HS where they were the only one on their team that was good and could do anything they wanted. They don't know how to work together at all and the fundamentals go out the window because they didn't have to do any of that in HS. They are more concerned with their draft status than the team and that has always been my knock on Cal, he is more concerned about getting his kids to the NBA as fast as he can than he is about winning for UK. I also get a little tired of everyone saying it's ok because we make deep runs in the tournament, the problem is we should have more titles than just 1 with the recruiting classes we keep getting. That was always my knock on Dean Smith and Coach K in the 90's and 2000's because they would get top recruiting classes year in and year out and in Dean Smith's example only 2 titles in 30+ years. Cal has been here 7 and has had top class or top 2 class at least 4 -5 times yet only 1 title. This is UK and it may sound arrogant but we can get recruits here, quit thinking we have to push them out the door after 1 season every single year. If they don't want to come here and play for a couple years then I say good luck but we want to build something greater than a flash in the pan. We want consistency. Give me Goose, Walker, Macy etc. That is what was so great about the unforgetables, no names who would never make the NBA but loved playing for Kentucky and made one of the greatest runs with no names than any team in history. Give me Pelphrey and Woods and co.

 

This is Luddite-type thinking. It's akin to saying "things were better before automobiles." Well, maybe it was. But you aren't riding a horse to Florida for vacation are you?

If College basketball played series like they do in the NBA. Where teams have to beat UK 4 times in a best of 7 to beat them. Then I could understand people being upset with UK only winning one title during Cal's tenure. However college basketball as it is, is probably the hardest championship to win it sports. All it takes is one game where you played bad, or one game where another team plays great or has a player that just goes off and then your season is over.

 

At that same time during Calipari's tenure. We have went on runs and made final fours by beating teams that were better than us. 2011 and 2014, we knocked off teams that were better than us. However on those given days, we made the plays to win the game.

Just one of those nights. Cats kept having those close plays go against them and weird things happening ... Monk slips, Fox loses his handle, Briscoe has a loose ball bounce off him, etc., etc. It was one of those games where it just wasn't meant to be.

 

I agree with the above. Some freak things happened including a few odd calls that happen in every game. Just the timing and the fact most folks on here watched the game thru blue tinted glasses. Tenn. made some difficult shots when KY finally decided to turn up the heat. Tenn. choked at the line in the later part of the game and KY was solid. Thought that may give them the momentum, but freak thing after another let this one slip away.

See you all on Saturday.

I'll win or lose with guys like Goose Givens, James Lee, Charles Hurt, Melvin Turpin, Dirk Minnifield, ... guys for whom the name on the jersey means more than just a ticket to the next level.

 

Here is the problem with those you cited from Kentucky history and today.

 

Each of those guys were McDonald's All-Americans. They could have gone anywhere in the country. They chose UK not just because of state roots but because they were good enough to go anywhere.

 

When was the last time KY produced a High School All-American or McDonald's kid and he came to UK? How many times in the last ten years?

 

In those days, KY HS Basketball was producing serious talent. Do you think it is now?

 

(Actually I don't think Turpin was an AA. But I know Goose was and I think Lee as well. Minnifield and Hurt both were.)

Shocking it took 7 whole post before it the bad refs in a Kentucky loss was posted.

 

Actually, post #3 had a vague reference. 4 of the 1st 25 posts as well, if you're counting.

Wasn't too difficult to figure out ... U.K. came in flat and stayed that way throughout the game, even when coming down to crunch time. I didn't see one time, one player acting, playing like they wanted to be there. Yes, UK got a bad whistle tonight but after the way the Cats seemed lifeless at times and with the poor defense

 

 

NBA is really where their heart and minds are.

 

and that if not corrected, will be the downfall of this team. Especially in March

I listened to his post game presser and was glad that I heard Calapari say a couple of the same things that I thought after the loss vs. Tenn.. At least it didn't make me feel like an idiot. LOL. ..I had said / thought that that regardless if he takes the shot or not, Bam Adebayo should touch the basketball on every possession that U.K. has on offense.....

1. He's too good not to....

2. Going inside - out opens up the outside shooters even more...

3. We (UK) has a couple of players that in the last 3 or 4 games or so seem to be getting the ("me", not "team" flu), making it all about them.

That's my opinion anyway

The not going to Bam is akin to the Harrison twins not going to Karl-Towns in 2015 Final Four. Instead of Cal calling a TO and telling them to get KT a touch each time down or Ulis will be in, he let them play hero ball and we lost to a team we should've beat. Likewise tonight, Monk and Fox did the same. Cal needs to call TO and say the same about getting the ball to Bam. These seem like easy instances to be a good coach.

 

From what I understood in Cal's presser is that Cal told them exactly that and they didn't do it, or not enough. I also heard him comment again in an interview that if the certain players (didn't mention the name / names to call them out publicly) didn't start going to Bam, they would be benched ...period.

Lots of teams finding out this week that it's hard to beat decent teams on the road in late January.