I think this team is much more talented than last year's team.

 

And there are only three teams at Louisville that you can say were Pitino's players, those being of course the past three years. 2004-05 was the best, 05-06 was the worst, this team is in the middle.

 

 

We shall see.. I think they could struggle to make the NIT this year before it's all said and done. Lately his teams have fell flat on their face the second half of the season.

Maybe true that the Cats have had a final four drought. I am just so glad however that we can watch our team during March to see how they are doing in the office pool. Hard to imagine having a high paid coach like Pitino and not being able to participate in the real tourney.

Thats funny. If you check out all the message boards most Cat fans haven't been very "glad" in March for the past 8 years. In fact some I know (along with many more I'm sure) are getting pretty mad about March.

At this point, yes. It is funny how quickly a team can rise and fall in today's basketball. After the run that UK had in the 90s would anyone have predicted that they would win it all in 98 and then not return to the final 4 for the longest stretch in team history? Believe it or not, this season may be the 9th in a row of final 4 frustration. FYI, the wife is more of a fair-weather-fan than she appears. She is pretty down on Rick and the Cards right now. I just call them like I see them.

I think you've nailed the difference between UL and UK:

 

For UK the current standard is a Final Four

 

For UL the current standard is making the NCAA.

The Cards will win more Big East games than they did last year AND make the NCAA. Winning a game or two in the Big East tourney wouldn't hurt either...

We shall see.. I think they could struggle to make the NIT this year before it's all said and done. Lately his teams have fell flat on their face the second half of the season.

Uh, how does that make sense? Two years ago, Louisville went on a run where they lost only one game between January 5th and April.

I think you've nailed the difference between UL and UK:

 

For UK the current standard is a Final Four

 

For UL the current standard is making the NCAA.

And yet, we're the ones that have done it with any of our current players... or the four year batch before that.:walk:

And yet, we're the ones that have done it with any of our current players... or the four year batch before that.:walk:

No doubt about it, UL went to a Final Four in 2005. That was a very good team. That's what makes UL's fall so surprising, from a Final Four to back-to-back NITs. Has that been done before?

I think you've nailed the difference between UL and UK:

 

For UK the current standard is a Final Four

 

For UL the current standard is making the NCAA.

 

Sorry but I think you are wrong on this one. I can't speak to the standards at UofL. But the standards used to be winning the NC at UK. Now its "going deep into the NCAAs". They are currently falling short in that goal. I hear many Cat fans hang their hat on "being one shot away from the final four" in 05. I think you would agree that Tubby has lowered expectations during his tenure. Its true that a great number of so called "Tubby-Bashers" have had enough. But the greater number have just accepted the reality. The reality of it is that Coach Stansbury had it right. Ten years ago did you hear any UK fans write off a home court loss to an unranked SEC foe because of "parity"? I would suggest that true UK fans quit trying to bolster your egos by down playing UofL and take a look in the "cold hard truthful mirror".

Sorry but I think you are wrong on this one. I can't speak to the standards at UofL. But the standards used to be winning the NC at UK. Now its "going deep into the NCAAs". They are currently falling short in that goal. I hear many Cat fans hang their hat on "being one shot away from the final four" in 05. I think you would agree that Tubby has lowered expectations during his tenure. Its true that a great number of so called "Tubby-Bashers" have had enough. But the greater number have just accepted the reality. The reality of it is that Coach Stansbury had it right. Ten years ago did you hear any UK fans write off a home court loss to an unranked SEC foe because of "parity"? I would suggest that true UK fans quit trying to bolster your egos by down playing UofL and take a look in the "cold hard truthful mirror".

Why can you speak to the standards at UK but not UL?

 

:laugh: Try that rhetoric on another poster. See you Friday.

Why can you speak to the standards at UK but not UL?

 

:laugh: Try that rhetoric on another poster. See you Friday.

 

You should know that I have much more history with UK than UofL. I look at UK in much the same way I look at Bama in football. In my day we hated both in their respective sports. But we respected both as well. While at LSU I never saw my Tigers defeat Bama. That fact got a man I knew and admired fired. I did however watch from about the third row as the Tigers defeated the Cats in their championship season. It is a scene I will never forget. OT, all five LSU starters fouled out, Jordy Hultberg is the hero of the game. I commend Tubby for running a clean program (something that isn't easy to do in Lexington) but is the price too steep? I just don't think the guy is up to the job, do you? I already know the answer.

 

My point is UK isn't what it used to be. Is your point, thats OK because UofL is struggling as well? Meanwhile UF, UT, etc. have closed the gap right under your nose.

My point is UK isn't what it used to be.

 

 

College basketball isn't what it used to be. It's called pairity.

College basketball isn't what it used to be. It's called pairity.

There doesn't seem to be much parity in Chapel Hill right now. UK should have a recruiting class in the top 5 every year. UK's decline has given birth to a number of programs in the past few years. A number of kids that started out looking at UK blue ended up on Tobacco Road or Gainesville or Lawrence etc. Thats not so much parity as getting beat out by your competition. Trust me, after another five years of "parity" someone at UK will finally do something.

There doesn't seem to be much parity in Chapel Hill right now. UK should have a recruiting class in the top 5 every year. UK's decline has given birth to a number of programs in the past few years. A number of kids that started out looking at UK blue ended up on Tobacco Road or Gainesville or Lawrence etc. Thats not so much parity as getting beat out by your competition. Trust me, after another five years of "parity" someone at UK will finally do something.

 

 

 

When they go on a national title run get back to me. One title and a few good recruiting classes doesn't exactly separate them from the pack. Your putting way to much emphasis on recruiting rankings, they're meaningless IMO.

When they go on a national title run get back to me. One title and a few good recruiting classes doesn't exactly separate them from the pack. Your putting way to much emphasis on recruiting rankings, they're meaningless IMO.

 

Top players and national titles go hand in hand. Look at UNC's last title team. Loaded with Hamburger AAs. Look at UKs super run in the late 90s, big time talent from top recruiting classes. You can ignore the decline, but only for so long.

Top players and national titles go hand in hand. Look at UNC's last title team. Loaded with Hamburger AAs. Look at UKs super run in the late 90s, big time talent from top recruiting classes. You can ignore the decline, but only for so long.

 

 

Like I said, your putting to much emphasis on recruiting rankings. A couple of years ago UK had the #1 class, so far it hasn't earned them much. IMO, they could have done more with less. As far as the 90's run, UK was not getting any more burger boys then than they do now. There are a lot of politics involved in ranking high school basketball players on a national level.