USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 B-Ball (Dec 4-10)

[Wireman]

7 of the next 10 are at home and include Chattanooga, Santa Clara, Massachussetts, EKU, Houston, Ole Miss, and Miss St. also are Indiana, Louisville, and Auburn.

 

I think that most average teams will look favorably on this stretch of the schedule.

 

The next 10 include LSU, Alabama, Tenn (2), SC (2), @GA, @Ark, Vandy, and Florida.

 

How many of those should they win?

 

There's a good chance they'll lose 5 in a row in January.

[Wireman]

It's ok, Ramel Bradley said tonight on the news that the Cats still believe they're the best team in the country and they're excited to get out and prove it. :thumb:

 

Yeah, we're excited to have them actually prove something on the court, as well.

[Booge]

Yeah, I am a bit disappointed in the dropoff at UK , but it all goes back the inability to get the bigtime talent the last few years.It has started to catch up to the Cats. Tubby can coach. Make no mistake about that. No one else would have gotten more W's with the talent he's had at UK. The Tubster knows how coach. Recruiting has been the problem. Don't blame the Tubbmeister for his x's and o's , blame the lack of the Jim's and Joe's.

 

So the bottom line is he is still the guy to blame for the sorry state of affairs???

I thought so.

[h.s.sportsrbest]

I don't think its unrealistic at all to expect UK to be ranked in the top 40 every week. North Carolina and Duke don't have any problems with it do they? I can't believe how the entire mindset of UK fans has changed with all the losing. I just hate that mediocre losing mentality.

No one has changed Wireman...many of us just keep things in perspective. If UK is out of the Top 40 in DECEMBER it means less than nothing.

[Wireman]

No one has changed Wireman...many of us just keep things in perspective. If UK is out of the Top 40 in DECEMBER it means less than nothing.

 

It'll mean something in March when they are a number 8 seed because they didn't pick up any quality wins in November/December.

[h.s.sportsrbest]

It'll mean something in March when they are a number 8 seed because they didn't pick up any quality wins in November/December.

Okay, and then they'll lose in the first round and then my son will be okay (knock on wood) and I'll still drive to work on Monday. I can't believe how wound up this makes you guys. I've been a big UK fan for 30 years -- been a supporter for 14. I'll be in Nashville on the 29th, I count Rob Mullens among my broad circle of acquaintances, I love UK. However, if they lose basketball games the world doesn't come screeching to a halt. It's as if some UK fans (and I'm not necessarily painting you with this brush) judge their self-worth by how UK performs at Rupp. It is still only college basketball. If they do well, awesome, if they don't, let's talk about next year around the keyboard or the water cooler. When they come calling for donations to help the program(s), you do so hoping that you get repaid with W's, and if not, oh well.

 

Just exhale... :lol:

[Wireman]

Okay, and then they'll lose in the first round and then my son will be okay (knock on wood) and I'll still drive to work on Monday. I can't believe how wound up this makes you guys. I've been a big UK fan for 30 years -- been a supporter for 14. I'll be in Nashville on the 29th, I count Rob Mullens among my broad circle of acquaintances, I love UK. However, if they lose basketball games the world doesn't come screeching to a halt. It's as if some UK fans (and I'm not necessarily painting you with this brush) judge their self-worth by how UK performs at Rupp. It is still only college basketball. If they do well, awesome, if they don't, let's talk about next year around the keyboard or the water cooler. When they come calling for donations to help the program(s), you do so hoping that you get repaid with W's, and if not, oh well.

 

Just exhale... :lol:

 

This is a sports site that we all get on to discuss sports. I'm not going to commit suicide if UK goes 0-25, but I will sure be on here discussing it.

[Booge]

Okay, and then they'll lose in the first round and then my son will be okay (knock on wood) and I'll still drive to work on Monday. I can't believe how wound up this makes you guys. I've been a big UK fan for 30 years -- been a supporter for 14. I'll be in Nashville on the 29th, I count Rob Mullens among my broad circle of acquaintances, I love UK. However, if they lose basketball games the world doesn't come screeching to a halt. It's as if some UK fans (and I'm not necessarily painting you with this brush) judge their self-worth by how UK performs at Rupp. It is still only college basketball. If they do well, awesome, if they don't, let's talk about next year around the keyboard or the water cooler. When they come calling for donations to help the program(s), you do so hoping that you get repaid with W's, and if not, oh well.

 

Just exhale... :lol:

 

Why can't they win in the first round and then your son will be okay (knock on wood) and you'll still drive to work on Monday?

 

And the "if not, oh well" is off base. Nowhere on earth does anyone not expect a return on their investment.

[h.s.sportsrbest]

This is a sports site that we all get on to discuss sports. I'm not going to commit suicide if UK goes 0-25, but I will sure be on here discussing it.

Discuss it all you'd like -- that is what makes Sports and BGP so awesome. However, to question mine or someone else's level of fan-dom because of our "....mediocre losing mentality..." is out-of-line. You want to discuss why Tubby can't recruit...fire away. You want to bemoan UK's lack of Final 4's, it's all you. You want to be aggravated that UK is no longer at the top of the Pantheon of College Basketball? Perfect. However, save your editorials on my mentality or how I take Tubby's reign for your buddies at the water cooler. I'll thank you for not attacking how I respond to losses in College athletics.

[h.s.sportsrbest]

 

And the "if not, oh well" is off base. Nowhere on earth does anyone not expect a return on their investment.

Really? The Duke Football season ticket holders are holding for you on line 1. Do you prefer I call the UK Athletic Department and threaten them that if they don't make a Final 4 they can forget my support? Should I get some folks with some deeeeeeeeep pockets to join me in this ultimatum? How about we spend our money however we'd like and if all we do is end up paying for a poor kid to get a scholarship to play soccer, then that's good enough for me.

[Booge]

Really? The Duke Football season ticket holders are holding for you on line 1. Do you prefer I call the UK Athletic Department and threaten them that if they don't make a Final 4 they can forget my support? Should I get some folks with some deeeeeeeeep pockets to join me in this ultimatum? How about we spend our money however we'd like and if all we do is end up paying for a poor kid to get a scholarship to play soccer, then that's good enough for me.

 

I thought the Duke football boosters would light up lines 1 and 2...:lol:

It is admirable that you continue support for the athletics program, as I do, and I didn't see where anyone is trying to tell anyone how to spend their money, but it's not OK with me when someone lets the basketball program slide to anything less than elite. And I think everyone will agree that an unranked, mediocre basketball program will cost the university a huge amount of money if not turned around...

[h.s.sportsrbest]

I thought the Duke football boosters would light up lines 1 and 2...:lol:

It is admirable that you continue support for the athletics program, as I do, and I didn't see where anyone is trying to tell anyone how to spend their money, but it's not OK with me when someone lets the basketball program slide to anything less than elite. And I think everyone will agree that an unranked, mediocre basketball program will cost the university a huge amount of money if not turned around...

BRJB, I was waiting for 8 minutes for that response...I was expecting more angst.

 

Yes, we can agree that continued unranked (mind you, that hasn't been the case [continued being the key word]) basketball would be costly in the long-term. Again, all of this being said, I think the general athletic program at UK is stronger now than it has been at any point that UK was at the Pantheon in basketball. Is it a coincidence? Is it worth it for the slippage in basketball to see a general excellence where there were a list of doormat programs? Things to ponder.

[Booge]

BRJB, I was waiting for 8 minutes for that response...I was expecting more angst.

 

Yes, we can agree that continued unranked (mind you, that hasn't been the case [continued being the key word]) basketball would be costly in the long-term. Again, all of this being said, I think the general athletic program at UK is stronger now than it has been at any point that UK was at the Pantheon in basketball. Is it a coincidence? Is it worth it for the slippage in basketball to see a general excellence where there were a list of doormat programs? Things to ponder.

 

For sure the general athletic program is stronger than ever, but my own opinion is that men's basketball does not have to suffer for it...I don't think the basketball budget has been cut, or the facilities, or ahem, the coach's salary...

 

I am a big football fan more than basketball. UK fan, Cleveland Browns fan and Pikeville fan...I have seen too much program slippage in my lifetime already, lol...take UK basketball away from me and I'll have to take up needlepoint or something even less exciting...

 

One more thing to consider is it's tougher on people who don't live in urban areas when UK struggles, if only because there's not much else to do in the rural areas during basketball season...

[h.s.sportsrbest]

For sure the general athletic program is stronger than ever, but my own opinion is that men's basketball does not have to suffer for it...I don't think the basketball budget has been cut, or the facilities, or ahem, the coach's salary...

 

I am a big football fan more than basketball. UK fan, Cleveland Browns fan and Pikeville fan...I have seen too much program slippage in my lifetime already, lol...take UK basketball away from me and I'll have to take up needlepoint or something even less exciting...

 

One more thing to consider is it's tougher on people who don't live in urban areas when UK struggles, if only because there's not much else to do in the rural areas during basketball season...

Your first point -- you may be right. Like I said, maybe it's a coincidence. I wasn't sure so I sought your opinion. I hadn't made the connection until I was typing that.

 

Wow, I thought I had it bad.

 

Frankly, that is a great point, one I hadn't thought about, and frankly, one I feel poorly for not perceiving. While I don't want to be demeaned for my stance on the importance of UK basketball, I also shouldn't pretend to understand fully UK basketball's place in rural communities around our state. I apologize for not thinking about that or for not taking that into consideration when I fired off my rants earlier.

[gametime]

Your first point -- you may be right. Like I said, maybe it's a coincidence. I wasn't sure so I sought your opinion. I hadn't made the connection until I was typing that.

 

Wow, I thought I had it bad.

 

Frankly, that is a great point, one I hadn't thought about, and frankly, one I feel poorly for not perceiving. While I don't want to be demeaned for my stance on the importance of UK basketball, I also shouldn't pretend to understand fully UK basketball's place in rural communities around our state. I apologize for not thinking about that or for not taking that into consideration when I fired off my rants earlier.

What a guy... :lol: