It's apparently not working for UK and UofL. Seems another method might be appropriate, something other than the Duke model, which UK is clearly emulating.

 

So if UL would have played more out of conference road games this year they would have learned how to shoot? If what UK is doing now isn't working I'm sure most UK fans would take a whole lot of not working for the next decade. And they're emulating the Duke model because it works. History shows you don't need to play a bunch of out of conference road games against top-25 opponents to have success. Strictly in terms of success on the basketball court (which was what the original argument you made was), it doesn't matter how many out of conference road games you play. If more evidence than I provided shows that your stance on this is right, then I would agree that UK needs to look into scheduling more tough road games out of conference.

OK, since you clearly are among the UK fans who enjoy watching your team beat the Sisters of The Poor by 100, every single second of it, let's approach it from a harsher angle: Who's missing from Zlatan's list?

 

I never said I wouldn't enjoy watching UK play a preconference schedule of UNC, UL, Duke, UConn, Kansas, IU, Syracuse etc. I just understand why they can't and won't. You went to great pains to point out that your post wasn't about UK but about the major programs in general. Why are you suddenly turning it into a UK thing now? Oh right, because your argument was riddled with holes and that's all you've got. I get it. But I'll go ahead and address it anyway since that's all you've got. Calipari took over a struggling program and has made an Elite 8 and Final Four in his two seasons and has maybe his most talented team yet this season. I think he's doing a fine job getting his team ready for the postseason as his 12-2 record reflects.

 

Besides, you can put together a very good out of conference schedule without going on the road for half of your games. Do you know who currently has the #1 strength of schedule? Syracuse, who played one true road game out of conference at NC State. If only the Orange were tougher.

If you want to look that up, be my guest. If you prove me wrong, I'll gladly admit it.

 

Um, UK. It seems UK might need to forge a different path than the rest of those chicken-poo schools. Unless you guys are happy being stuck at seven.

Sure it does! How hot a ticket was UK-UNC? Only one of the most sought-after tickets in years at Rupp. Again, nobody cares that UK beats Lamar by 40, and as a result that game ends up only on local TV. Everybody in the country wanted to see UK-UNC, and enough of them wanted to be there that those tickets were some of the hottest ever in Rupp history.

 

UK doesn't get anything extra from scalper's sales....unless scalpers have entered into a partnership with UK that I'm not aware of.

I never said I wouldn't enjoy watching UK play a preconference schedule of UNC, UL, Duke, UConn, Kansas, IU, Syracuse etc. I just understand why they can't and won't. You went to great pains to point out that your post wasn't about UK but about the major programs in general. Why are you suddenly turning it into a UK thing now? Oh right, because your argument was riddled with holes and that's all you've got. I get it. But I'll go ahead and address it anyway since that's all you've got. Calipari took over a struggling program and has made an Elite 8 and Final Four in his two seasons and has maybe his most talented team yet this season. I think he's doing a fine job getting his team ready for the postseason as his 12-2 record reflects.

 

Besides, you can put together a very good out of conference schedule without going on the road for half of your games. Do you know who currently has the #1 strength of schedule? Syracuse, who played one true road game out of conference at NC State. If only the Orange were tougher.

 

I'm just trying to help you guys get what you want. Clearly the current way of doing things isn't working. I've more than spoke my peace about my desire for Louisville to go back to the Crum method of scheduling, so it isn't like I'm suggesting UK is the only guilty party in this chicken-poo method of scheduling.

Again, true road games -- not "neutral site" games where your fans buy up all the tickets and turn it into a home-away-from-home atmosphere -- is what toughens up a team and prepares it for anything and everything it will possibly see during a season. You guys are so caught up hero worship that you can't see what's best for your team in the long run.

UK doesn't get anything extra from scalper's sales....unless scalpers have entered into a partnership with UK that I'm not aware of.

 

What's keeping them from charging a premium for the big games? I find it ridiculous that I would have to pay as much to see Lamar as I would Louisville, and would likely voice my displeasure by staying home for the Lamar game.

So if UL would have played more out of conference road games this year they would have learned how to shoot? If what UK is doing now isn't working I'm sure most UK fans would take a whole lot of not working for the next decade. And they're emulating the Duke model because it works. History shows you don't need to play a bunch of out of conference road games against top-25 opponents to have success. Strictly in terms of success on the basketball court (which was what the original argument you made was), it doesn't matter how many out of conference road games you play. If more evidence than I provided shows that your stance on this is right, then I would agree that UK needs to look into scheduling more tough road games out of conference.

 

Gosh, I can't imagine what I was thinking -- that putting my team through the ringer early and exposing weaknesses early-on might make them better in the long run. I guess an inflated record against crummy teams, like what UofL has, is better. Oh, right, we see what that got Rick. A 31-point loss to an atrociously bad Providence team and a 2OT loss to a terrible NDU team, because the Cardinals were unprepared because of their being coddled early.

Um, UK. It seems UK might need to forge a different path than the rest of those chicken-poo schools. Unless you guys are happy being stuck at seven.

 

UK's out of conference road opponents from 2001-2010 (0 final fours during this time):

Duke, Indiana X4, Gonzaga, North Carolina X4, Louisville X4, Marshall, UCLA, Michigan St, West Virginia, Georgia St., Kansas, Memphis, Houston.

 

They played a lot of road games, and amazingly it didn't result in tourney success. You simply cannot make the argument that there is a correlation between how many out of conference road games you play and how far you go in March. The facts do not back it up in any way, shape, or form.

I'm just trying to help you guys get what you want. Clearly the current way of doing things isn't working. I've more than spoke my peace about my desire for Louisville to go back to the Crum method of scheduling, so it isn't like I'm suggesting UK is the only guilty party in this chicken-poo method of scheduling.

 

I'm sure if the elite powers in college basketball got to play in a conference like the old Metro Conference they would greatly increase their out of conference schedule. Besides, the 1985-86 Cards didn't play a true road game until the UK game on December 28th. As a matter of fact that was the only road game that they played before the Metro Schedule started.

Again, true road games -- not "neutral site" games where your fans buy up all the tickets and turn it into a home-away-from-home atmosphere -- is what toughens up a team and prepares it for anything and everything it will possibly see during a season. You guys are so caught up hero worship that you can't see what's best for your team in the long run.

 

The teams that are cutting down the nets in March each season aren't doing it. It seems to be working just fine for them. Why lose revenue and beat your team up and end up with a 4-5 seed in the NCAAs when the FACTS show that the teams that are winning the championships aren't doing that?

UK's out of conference road opponents from 2001-2010 (0 final fours during this time):

Duke, Indiana X4, Gonzaga, North Carolina X4, Louisville X4, Marshall, UCLA, Michigan St, West Virginia, Georgia St., Kansas, Memphis, Houston.

 

They played a lot of road games, and amazingly it didn't result in tourney success. You simply cannot make the argument that there is a correlation between how many out of conference road games you play and how far you go in March. The facts do not back it up in any way, shape, or form.

 

Mostly because zero of those teams have enjoyed the talent we've seen at UK the past three seasons. They could've played a murderer's row most of those years and it wouldn't matter because the talent wasn't there. It is now. There's no excuse to be dodging. A team with UK's talent -- which has been more than anybody in college hoops the past three years -- should adopt an "anybody, anywhere, any time" schedule, because they can.

 

And I'm going to have to check your list, because I think you're slipping a few neutral site games in there that I don't recall.

Mostly because zero of those teams have enjoyed the talent we've seen at UK the past three seasons. They could've played a murderer's row most of those years and it wouldn't matter because the talent wasn't there. It is now. There's no excuse to be dodging. A team with UK's talent -- which has been more than anybody in college hoops the past three years -- should adopt an "anybody, anywhere, any time" schedule, because they can.

 

And I'm going to have to check your list, because I think you're slipping a few neutral site games in there that I don't recall.

 

There is a flip side to that coin. How many of the big time powers want to come into Rupp Arena every other year? I'll tell you....not many. Most prefer to play in tourneys or events like the Coaches vs Cancer or the Champions Classic etc.

Mostly because zero of those teams have enjoyed the talent we've seen at UK the past three seasons. They could've played a murderer's row most of those years and it wouldn't matter because the talent wasn't there. It is now. There's no excuse to be dodging. A team with UK's talent -- which has been more than anybody in college hoops the past three years -- should adopt an "anybody, anywhere, any time" schedule, because they can.

 

And I'm going to have to check your list, because I think you're slipping a few neutral site games in there that I don't recall.

 

The 2001-2005 teams didn't have talent? Please. Those were the years that most of those games were played as well. And unless ESPN is wrong, I'm not. If your argument is that games against Lamar, Loyola, etc. aren't exactly the most entertaining things to watch in the world, no one would disagree, but to suggest that UK would have more success by simply scheduling more out of conference road games is completely unfounded.

There is a flip side to that coin. How many of the big time powers want to come into Rupp Arena every other year? I'll tell you....not many. Most prefer to play in tourneys or events like the Coaches vs Cancer or the Champions Classic etc.

 

Please don't play the "other teams are doing it" card. You can't go around claiming to be the kingpin of college hoops and fall back on lame excuses like that. You guys are supposed to be above what everybody else is doing.

 

And again, I called them out, too.