2 minutes ago, mcpapa said:

The defense rests. 
 

You’re better off watching quality high school hoops. 

No doubt about it. 

1 hour ago, nikeman49 said:

Disregard for hustle and playing defense falls directly on the head coach, who else could you blame? Kids will do exactly what they can get by with, if you can get a pass for not playing defense and hustling on every single play, I don’t blame the lackluster play by the kids. Defense isn’t played in the NBA so Cal pays no attention to that. Thus Ky basketball is a meaningless thing to Ky players.

To the bolded, I'm not sure if you caught my last sentence, but that is effectively what I was saying.

I don't look at it as "getting a pass." I look at it as whatever Calipari is (not) doing, it is failing to motivate the players or his accountability tactics used in the past simply isn't working. Even in the COVID season when they won 7 games, or whatever it was, I didn't feel like the team didn't try, they just sucked. Something flipped the last third of last season and it hasn't come back. I think people forget by February 1st last year UK was regarded as the best team in the country.

Then you go out there with the "defense isn't played in the NBA" remark so Cal doesn't care about it. Let's put it this way, if Missouri was playing an NBA team last night, they would have been held to 30 points and run out of the gym by 75. I watch 50 x the amount of NBA as I do college and I assure you they defend at a much higher level than the amateurs.

 

6 minutes ago, mcpapa said:

The defense rests. 
 

You’re better off watching quality high school hoops. 

That is this UK's team mantra. ?

You know Cal is grasping when he switched up and was wearing a suit last night.

My hot take about this UK team: they would be better if they didn't try playing through Oscar. Only touches he should get are off rebounds. Too much goes wrong when they attempt to get him the ball or when he does get the ball.

8 minutes ago, bugatti said:

To the bolded, I'm not sure if you caught my last sentence, but that is effectively what I was saying.

I don't look at it as "getting a pass." I look at it as whatever Calipari is (not) doing, it is failing to motivate the players or his accountability tactics used in the past simply isn't working. Even in the COVID season when they won 7 games, or whatever it was, I didn't feel like the team didn't try, they just sucked.

Then you go out there with the "defense isn't played in the NBA" remark so Cal doesn't care about it. Let's put it this way, if Missouri was playing an NBA team last night, they would have been held to 30 points and run out of the gym by 75. I watch 50 x the amount of NBA as I do college and I assure you they defend at a much higher level than the amateurs.

 

Missouri wasn’t playing an NBA team last evening, they were playing a Ky team that puts zero emphasis on defense and that starts and finishes with the head coach.

1 hour ago, nikeman49 said:

Missouri wasn’t playing an NBA team last evening, they were playing a Ky team that puts zero emphasis on defense and that starts and finishes with the head coach.

Agree.  A wise old coach told me when I first started coaching, “what you’re ALLOWING them to do is what you’re TEACHING them to do”!!!  And he was exactly right!!!

I guess Cal’s latest TWEAK didn’t have much effect on them!!!

“Calipari by the numbers since signing his lifetime contract:

Overall record: 67-35
vs. ranked teams: 8-15
vs. non-conf. power 5 teams: 7-11
NCAA Tourney wins: 0
SEC Tourney wins: 1

Simple statistics: If you want to stop the Negativity, then change the grade on your Report Card!”

1 minute ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

“Calipari by the numbers since signing his lifetime contract:

Overall record: 67-35
vs. ranked teams: 8-15
vs. non-conf. power 5 teams: 7-11
NCAA Tourney wins: 0
SEC Tourney wins: 1

Simple statistics: If you want to stop the Negativity, then change the grade on your Report Card!”

Not defending Cal here because the numbers are what they are, but it is only right to point out the 2020 season ended with a win at UF and wrapping up the SEC by three games with no-post season to enhance those stats. Maybe they lose the next two, but unlikely (save the St. Peter's jokes :)).

I haven't watched enough UK to have a good opinion about their defense. I will say that defense has been one of the strengths of Calipari as a coach. He is better at coaching defense than offense. His offense is just spread it out and let the talent try to score. I checked kenpom for current defense rankings and he has UK at #20 in the nation. Last year UK finished at #36 in the nation in kenpom defense. The year before they were #35. 

I will add, Cason Wallace is one of heck of a defensive player for a freshman. I have been impressed with him in what I have seen.

2 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

Missouri wasn’t playing an NBA team last evening, they were playing a Ky team that puts zero emphasis on defense and that starts and finishes with the head coach.

 

5 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

The Missouri head coach changed defensive schemes throughout the entire game and made Ky and Cal look silly. Turnover after turnover on each defensive change, why can’t Ky do this? Out of bounds plays underneath our basket nonexistent, having to throw the ball into the back court just to get the ball inbounded. Just the slightest bit of coaching by Cal could make a world of difference. But guess what, isn’t going to happen.

 

3 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

Disregard for hustle and playing defense falls directly on the head coach, who else could you blame? Kids will do exactly what they can get by with, if you can get a pass for not playing defense and hustling on every single play, I don’t blame the lackluster play by the kids. Defense isn’t played in the NBA so Cal pays no attention to that. Thus Ky basketball is a meaningless thing to Ky players.

 

2 hours ago, bugatti said:

To the bolded, I'm not sure if you caught my last sentence, but that is effectively what I was saying.

I don't look at it as "getting a pass." I look at it as whatever Calipari is (not) doing, it is failing to motivate the players or his accountability tactics used in the past simply isn't working. Even in the COVID season when they won 7 games, or whatever it was, I didn't feel like the team didn't try, they just sucked. Something flipped the last third of last season and it hasn't come back. I think people forget by February 1st last year UK was regarded as the best team in the country.

Then you go out there with the "defense isn't played in the NBA" remark so Cal doesn't care about it. Let's put it this way, if Missouri was playing an NBA team last night, they would have been held to 30 points and run out of the gym by 75. I watch 50 x the amount of NBA as I do college and I assure you they defend at a much higher level than the amateurs.

 

 

2 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

Missouri wasn’t playing an NBA team last evening, they were playing a Ky team that puts zero emphasis on defense and that starts and finishes with the head coach.

 

34 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Agree.  A wise old coach told me when I first started coaching, “what you’re ALLOWING them to do is what you’re TEACHING them to do”!!!  And he was exactly right!!!

I guess Cal’s latest TWEAK didn’t have much effect on them!!!

Where are these Cal teaches no defense comments coming from? If anything that is the one thing Cal usually focuses on the most. Just because he doesn’t play zone like some of you all want, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about defense. Defense in the one thing he does focus on. In fact I wish he would focus more on offense than defense.  Which this is his 14th year coaching at UK. Under Cal UK had been in the top 35 in defensive efficiency for 7 of those years, and multiple years in the top 10 and one year as the top defensive team. 
 

Now last night the defense was horrible. Which I’m not saying this is a good defensive team, but even good defensive teams have nights where they get shredded. 
 

So very surprised to see the attack on the defense. When IMO it is still the offense that is the biggest issue and what people should complain about. If people want to complain about the offense, you won’t get any arguments from me, because the offensive system is plain bad. 

11 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

I haven't watched enough UK to have a good opinion about their defense. I will say that defense has been one of the strengths of Calipari as a coach. He is better at coaching defense than offense. His offense is just spread it out and let the talent try to score. I checked kenpom for current defense rankings and he has UK at #20 in the nation. Last year UK finished at #36 in the nation in kenpom defense. The year before they were #35. 

I will add, Cason Wallace is one of heck of a defensive player for a freshman. I have been impressed with him in what I have seen.

You must have posted this as I was typing mine. Very surprised by the comments of people acting like Cal doesn’t care about defense. Defense has always been his main focus. Offense is the bigger issue, and I wish he would adapt his offense and focus more on that end, because typically his teams defense is good. 

Here is an interesting stat in both the football and basketball teams last 71 games:

Football-44-27 .620

Basketball-43-28 .606

47 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Here is an interesting stat in both the football and basketball teams last 71 games:

Football-44-27 .620

Basketball-43-28 .606

Football school. 

52 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Here is an interesting stat in both the football and basketball teams last 71 games:

Football-44-27 .620

Basketball-43-28 .606

Ugh.

Again, the numbers are what they are (and by UK basketball standards it stinks, not saying otherwise), but this might be one of my favorite cherry picked stats of all time. For reference, the basketball record starts the COVID year when yeah, they were hot garbage, and through last night. I know I'm in the minority, but I give so little credence to the COVID season. Same for Duke, et al. It was just whacky. But, ok, it is still in the record books. The football number would go back what? 5 1/2 seasons, probably UK's greatest stretch in football history? That is sad in its own right, but I digress.

Facts are facts, the basketball program at the University of Kentucky is functioning at a very low level and needs immediate attention from the administration and athletic director. That’s just the plain old facts.