Always said this and will continue with if you can’t shoot the basketball, you cannot win at any level.

1 hour ago, nikeman49 said:

Always said this and will continue with if you can’t shoot the basketball, you cannot win at any level.

True, plus an offense in general that seem to have no rhyme or reason on what they are doing. Bad shooting to go along with the normal bad defense we seen the last two years, and the results won’t be good. Luckily the shooting was able to get them back in a few games last year that they got down double digits. Those comebacks, are really the only thing that has saved Pope’s start here at UK. 

Wow. I get wanting to vent; but you guys seem to think that there's no hope, and the season is over. But it's not over.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no; and it ain't over now.

Common perspective from several friends who are veterans: 

"no matter how much the current situation sucks , it still beats getting shot at while freezing your nuts off in a river at 4 a.m."

3 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

Always said this and will continue with if you can’t shoot the basketball, you cannot win at any level.

 

1 hour ago, futurecoach said:

True, plus an offense in general that seem to have no rhyme or reason on what they are doing. Bad shooting to go along with the normal bad defense we seen the last two years, and the results won’t be good. Luckily the shooting was able to get them back in a few games last year that they got down double digits. Those comebacks, are really the only thing that has saved Pope’s start here at UK. 

UK offense was horrible. When you constantly run nothing on offense except 5 out with almost zero penetration and then take bad shots, you have no chance.

UK DESPERATELY needs Quaintance on the court. More important than Lowe. They need an inside presence of strength on both ends and an offensive threat in the paint. When Quaintance starts playing, there will be a dramatic improvement for UK.

1 minute ago, Voice of Reason said:

 

UK offense was horrible. When you constantly run nothing on offense except 5 out with almost zero penetration and then take bad shots, you have no chance.

UK DESPERATELY needs Quaintance on the court. More important than Lowe. They need an inside presence of strength on both ends and an offensive threat in the paint. When Quaintance starts playing, there will be a dramatic improvement for UK.

I hope you're right about Quaintance.  I really do.  But I'm struggling to count too much on a guy that averaged 9.5 & 8 rpg for a bad team that went 13-20 overall & 4-16 in their conference.  AND he's coming off an ACL.

The most disturbing thing for me with UK, lack of intensity, especially on defense.

Chandler works hard all the time. Aberdeen is good on defense but played hard in spurts. I like Garrison's effort and strength but too many stupid fouls. He is killing his own PT. The minutes are there for the taking if he played smarter.

The rest of the team looks like they are working a puzzle on defense. More effort and intensity, more physicality and less standing straight up and reacting a second too late. They are late on everything on defense.

1 minute ago, Randy Parker said:

I hope you're right about Quaintance.  I really do.  But I'm struggling to count too much on a guy that averaged 9.5 & 8 rpg for a bad team that went 13-20 overall & 4-16 in their conference.  AND he's coming off an ACL.

I hear you. I am hoping. But he is an NBA lottery pick waiting to happen that UK must have to compete in the SEC. 

You don’t need talent to hustle and be agressive. That is something the individual wants and no individual on this team is bowing it

27 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

 

UK offense was horrible. When you constantly run nothing on offense except 5 out with almost zero penetration and then take bad shots, you have no chance.

UK DESPERATELY needs Quaintance on the court. More important than Lowe. They need an inside presence of strength on both ends and an offensive threat in the paint. When Quaintance starts playing, there will be a dramatic improvement for UK.

Agree with this. As JQ will bring a physical presence on both ends. Plus they don’t have any of those type tier players, he would give them that. So I agree he is the most important piece they need playing. If they get him and both Lowe playing, then it still could be a good team. I just literally have no idea what Pope is currently trying to do offensively. 

5 hours ago, bugatti said:

At this point of BCG’s second year, there were some tough games out of the gate (won and lost some), but Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson were providing a sense of hopefulness. Who are our hopeful guys? Colin Chandler and Jasper Johnson?

They got things rolling, had a fee few injuries, and it cratered down the stretch in a weak SEC going 8-8, finishing 22-14. If this year’s squad continues on the path they’ve been on, 15-16 wins is realistic.

Luckily the SEC isn’t as strong this year as it was last.

They may have given some hopefulness in that season alone, but the point for me is that Pope in year one easily exceeded anything Billy did in his two years.  Pope is fortunate to be in the NIL era where you can remake a team fast, and that's exactly what he did the first season - so if we were agreeing that this year is hopeless (which I don't at moment) - the hopefulness is that he'd simply remake it again next year, but better.  Billy had a couple of good players, but the trajectory that team was on was already bad year one and got worse year two.  Pope at least has a positive year one to point to. 

A lot of the hope for Kentucky fans is going to be wrapped up in Quaintance.  There will be some delusional hope that Oweh figures it out - he was great last year, and the hope will be that he can do it again.  

I am afraid Ohew is the classic "star" when he wasn't expected to be followed by "dud" when the limelight and pressure are placed on him to be the man.

I predicted Gonzaga 90-72.

UK is bad and getting worse.  Too many folks are making excuses...last year those guys played hard and played together.  Carr missed time, Butler missed time, Robinson missed time...but guys played hard and together.  

We have none of that right now.  That is a problem talent alone won't fix.  

7 hours ago, okie1 said:

I predicted Gonzaga 90-72.

UK is bad and getting worse.  Too many folks are making excuses...last year those guys played hard and played together.  Carr missed time, Butler missed time, Robinson missed time...but guys played hard and together.  

We have none of that right now.  That is a problem talent alone won't fix.  

Is that what $$$$$ motivation does when things are a little shakey?

14 hours ago, Oldercoach said:

Is that what $$$$$ motivation does when things are a little shakey?

Maybe...I am not sure how you motivate 20 year old millionaires who get paid their money up front.  Maybe you put them on the bench and label them a cancer but that isn't the modern way of doing business because it will bite you in the recruiting wars.