Not very good defensively. Looks more like a lack of desire to defend rather than lack of ability. Kind of an attitude of "I'm getting my check no matter what". Might need a few guys less worried about money and more interested in winning.

2 hours ago, futurecoach said:

The problem is and been a consistent problem for two years now. Is the lack of much contesting or making the shots tough. As a lot of the threes today were straight up good looks, which makes it even easier to make. Which if you let teams get in a rhythm, then they also make the few tough contested shots too. The defense struggled guarding Bellarmine the last game too. Essentially unless UK plays a bad shooting team like St. John’s was, who misses the open shots. Then they struggle to keep teams from scoring much. Which now it’s been two totally different teams player wise, but yes same issues now both year with Pope, and that is the concerning part. 

This has been a pattern but today those step back 27 footers that were falling consistently, especially in the first half would be tough for any team anywhere to defend, one three Bama nailed was from about 30 feet, so today’s game I throw out of the pattern, and this team still has lots of upside and Pope will figure out a way to get this team ready for March.

14 minutes ago, nikeman49 said:

This has been a pattern but today those step back 27 footers that were falling consistently, especially in the first half would be tough for any team anywhere to defend, one three Bama nailed was from about 30 feet, so today’s game I throw out of the pattern, and this team still has lots of upside and Pope will figure out a way to get this team ready for March.

I hope you are right. Even though his track record of having his teams ready for March isn’t that good. 

6 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

Always tough on the road in college basketball both Louisville and Kentucky found that out this weekend.

Plus North Carolina, Kansas and St Johns

This is the team we are getting this year. Beat the teams you should and lose the 50/50’games. Getting down double digits every game wouldn’t be a game plan a 4th grade coach would implement but here we are game after game. Alabama was hot in the first half and UK won the second half by 1 point but alas the first half had to be played.

5 hours ago, DragonFire said:

I'm not even kidding when I say I hope this wakes up Pope to the issue. But in turn I also hope he challenges his bigs with it as well. 

3 hours ago, futurecoach said:

I hope you are right. Even though his track record of having his teams ready for March isn’t that good. 

They were more prepared last year than they had been since before Covid. ?‍♂️

1 hour ago, sportsfan41 said:

They were more prepared last year than they had been since before Covid. ?‍♂️

Mark Pope has zero history to even fall back on as a coach, to show he is capable of making deep runs as a coach in March. Which if we’re being honest he didn’t even have the resume for this job, the only reason is because he was a former player. 
 

With that said doesn’t mean he can’t get it done, and I truly hope he does.  Cause he is a great guy and truly loves this University. But man, some of the trends in his two years as a coach is troubling. Struggling defense both years, many games getting down double digits when playing good teams and having to try to battle back. Now this year putting a roster together with only one true pg on the roster, so far not a team that looks well put together. The saving grace is hopefully that changes the healthier JQ and Lowe get, but man some of these bad trends have happened no matter what players he has used last two years, and that is what’s most worrisome. 

The honeymoon period for Pope definitely is starting to end. As more people now are starting to come out about these struggles and how Pope is handling things. 
 

 

5 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

This has been a pattern but today those step back 27 footers that were falling consistently, especially in the first half would be tough for any team anywhere to defend, one three Bama nailed was from about 30 feet, so today’s game I throw out of the pattern, and this team still has lots of upside and Pope will figure out a way to get this team ready for March.

It wasn’t just this game with Bama making a lot of threes on a Mark Pope defense. It’s been every game against Bama under Pope. Bama has made 13, 11, 11, and 15 in the games against UK since Pope got here. Now obviously Bama shoots a lot of threes against everyone, so they are going to make some. The problem is how easy of looks UK consistently gives them, by not being able to stop the ball or stop them from getting in the lane and getting the defense in rotation. Just not good. 

This was now the 8th in a year and a half that UK has trailed by 20 or more. I know there was a lot of double digit deficits, but I didn’t realize been down 20 or more that many times the last two years. Something has to change to prevent these bad first half’s the last two years. 

22 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

This was now the 8th in a year and a half that UK has trailed by 20 or more. I know there was a lot of double digit deficits, but I didn’t realize been down 20 or more that many times the last two years. Something has to change to prevent these bad first half’s the last two years. 

To add more to this. 
 

 

I’m still not putting Pope under the bus, he understands the deficiencies of this team and will do everything in his power to correct, he’s knowledgeable and the players know this, time to correct and move forward.

8 hours ago, futurecoach said:

To add more to this. 
 

 

You can find stats on every coach out there that are not necessarily positive so this is just par for the course.

1 hour ago, nikeman49 said:

…he understands the deficiencies of this team and will do everything in his power to correct… 

Who built the team?