The refs just made a terrible call that is probably going to cost Samford.

Great after the Kansas game as they were going to the studio CBS already had Greg Kampe saying "yes we busted your bracket".

1 minute ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Great after the Kansas game as they were going to the studio CBS already had Greg Kampe saying "yes we busted your bracket".

Saw that, but they didn't bust mine. I knew who UK was. Watched them all year.

40 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

Saw that, but they didn't bust mine. I knew who UK was. Watched them all year.

Busted mine. I had the Cats in the Round of 8. Should've known better. Freshman playing against hardened veterans. Cal doesn't allow his teams to play in the early season tournaments, so this was their first experience in a "lose or go home" environment.  It seemed that Reed and Dillingham felt that pressure and didn't respond well to it. 

 

"One and done" has run its course. Time to either adjust or double down. Cal will more than likely choose the latter if he sticks around. 

 

It'll be interesting to see the path of the program going forward. 

Another subject, we may have three 7'ers on the team but they play like they're 6 foot tall. UK got dominated on offensive rebounding. I'd hate to see what the point differential was on second chance points. 

7 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Kentucky has now lost 7 of its last 9 postseason games.

L  Texas A&M (2024 SEC Tournament)
L  Kansas State (2023 NCAA Tournament)
W Providence (2023 NCAA Tournament)
L  Vanderbilt (2023 SEC Tournament)
L  Saint Peters (2022 NCAA Tournament)
L  Tennessee (2022 SEC Tournament)
W Vanderbilt (2022 SEC Tournament)
L  Mississippi State (2021 SEC Tournament)
L  Auburn (2019 NCAA Tournament)

I know some will say well in 2020 we would have won it all if not for it being cancelled yeah right I can see that based on the proof above.

I mean, the numbers are correct (and are bad), but cherry picked info like this always drives me insane. Each year you show all of what happened in the postseason, except 2019, when you show only the final game when UK lost in the Elite 8 (believe it was OT), They also lost in the quarters of the SEC tournament that season. 8 of their last 13 is more accurate. Not saying that is good, btw.

RE: 2020. UK would have had a shot and probably come up short like 66 other teams, it’s just irritating when people cite 2020 as a bad season or hold it against the resume when the truth is UK won the SEC by three games and was locked into a #2 seed.

And this isn’t a defense of Calipari, it’s in defense of intellectual honesty.

8 hours ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Job Interview...

 

Nailed it. Two things can be true: Calipari coached these guys well, but his coaching is not meant for this era. Procuring talent (a MAJOR part of coaching college basketball), looks differently than what it was even five years ago. You still take the Cooper Flaggs and high caliber guys, but you have to be much more strategic in how you build a roster today. UK does look poised with their new collective setup to (maybe) make this happen, but a new person leading the charge is probably necessary.

7 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

It had a clear path to the Final Four with a relatively easy draw through the bracket.

Crush Cal, I won't defend. But this narrative of their draw this year has to stop.

There is no such thing as a clear path to a Final Four in something called Madness. Especially when the #1 Defensive Team in the country is on that path.

5 hours ago, Kentucky Windage said:

Another subject, we may have three 7'ers on the team but they play like they're 6 foot tall. UK got dominated on offensive rebounding. I'd hate to see what the point differential was on second chance points. 

I blame the guards just as much for that too. When a team chucks 3s like Oakland, guards need to be ready to rebound (e.g Sheppard = 0).

In today's NCAA, with NIL, a team made up of a majority of freshman will not win an NCAA tournament.  For example, just look at the UK big men.  They got pushed around and manhandled all year.  Now put them in a weight room for a couple years and that will be a different story.  However, with Cal's philosophy, they are either pushed to the NBA or they transfer to make room for the new freshman coming in.  Heck, I could see Big Z being an all-American next year if he puts the work in. 

Cal is Cal, he will have his favorites (Wagner) and will stick with them through thick and thin, sometimes to the detriment of the team.  This team had some major struggles this year and through it all, he still kept Sheppard and Dillingham on the bench to start the game and the 2nd half.  I mean, why not switch things up and try something different.  Just hard headed and it has gotten old.  I used to be upset when UK lost a game and it would be several days before I got over it.  Now I could careless.  The new UK standard under Cal, the Snake Oil Salesman.    

Here is Cal's biggest problem. He does not change. He plays his way and expects his talent to win. Last night, UK should have pressed that team full court, hard pressure the whole game. Speed up the tempo, use your depth, don't let them walk up court into their sets. Push the ball even after made baskets. Turn the game into a track meet. Do just that and UK wins by double digits. 

As long as we keep shoving kids to the NBA, who cares about Ky basketball!!!!

I don't know if that #LaFamilia Fund is going to grow at the rate they hoped it would unless some of that $4 billion in max NBA contracts gets donated.

8 hours ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Okay. Hate this...

 

Pitiful

We don’t need to ask the kids Cal, when the Coach coaches tight and panics the kids will too!!!  He looks like a man being led to a firing squad on the sidelines, when you do that the kids will too!!

21 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

Here is Cal's biggest problem. He does not change. He plays his way and expects his talent to win. Last night, UK should have pressed that team full court, hard pressure the whole game. Speed up the tempo, use your depth, don't let them walk up court into their sets. Push the ball even after made baskets. Turn the game into a track meet. Do just that and UK wins by double digits. 

Couldn’t agree more, great recruiter, can’t game plan or coach during the game!!!  This team never got a bit better from Nov. 6 to last night and that HAS to fall the coach!