re: Richmond handing KENTUCKY its arse

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This guy gets it.

UK should dominate a Richmond team that doesn't have a fraction of the resources a Kentucky has when it comes to basketball.

But at UK (and others - don't think you're alone) identifying and selecting players solely for their perceived NBA potential has taken priority over recruiting players with great basketball skills... they're largely ranked this way as well.

Players who've stood out for their physical skills since they were 10yrs old are repeatedly exposed when they come up against more fundamentally sound and fairly talented players who've had excellent coaching.

Put a whole team of those great athletes with mediocre coaching, and you've got UK.
Problem is Cal is not going to improve them much... but he'll put them in touch with NBA people who eventually just might.

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We didn't have a single assist the second half. NOT ONE!

If today's loss were an isolated loss, sure, I'd still be pissed off. Richmond is allegedly going to win their conference. We all know how solid mid majors are these days and how P5 talent has regressed to the mean with the OAD rules. Duke has had some wild losses. UNC was horrible last year. ETc etc.

But with Cal, we've had these losses for years now. We've lost to 22 unranked teams the last 5 years. Rick Barnes is whipping Cal's arse head to head. Evansville. Duke whips our arse by 25. Today. The list goes on. I wouldn't be up in arms and advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water if this wasn't a demonstrable trend with the program at this point. I hear a lot of our fans say on the postgame shows say we'll be OK in March. Maybe, maybe not. But I know seeding sure as hell matters and I know Kentucky didn't become Kentucky because fans were totally cool with just losing games to teams that should be inferior to us.


I might be wrong, but I'd be willing to wager a large sum you wouldn't see the excuse making amongst Alabama fans if they dropped a football game to Vanderbilt. Certainly not to the extent I've seen with our fanbase with Cal these last few seasons. The reality is, and stats back it up, Cals last several seasons have been exactly on par with Tubby Smith's last few seasons at Kentucky. We run one guy off over that and then make all the excuses in the world for the other one.

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But with Cal, we've had these losses for years now. We've lost to 22 unranked teams the last 5 years. Rick Barnes is whipping Cal's arse head to head. Evansville. Duke whips our arse by 25. Today. The list goes on. I wouldn't be up in arms and advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water if this wasn't a demonstrable trend with the program at this point. I hear a lot of our fans say on the postgame shows say we'll be OK in March. Maybe, maybe not. But I know seeding sure as hell matters and I know Kentucky didn't become Kentucky because fans were totally cool with just losing games to teams that should be inferior to us.

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I agree with this.

While Richmond is a good team, they should not beat any UK team at home, regardless of whether we have returning players or not. Cal prides himself on getting players to the next level, and he does, better than anyone. However, UK fans don't want to just be a practice squad for the NBA.

Cal is a great recruiter, but because the roster flips mostly every year, it's a start over, and yes, they are better in March, but with all the talent he has brought in, one title, when we should have 4-5.

He's a great recruiter, average game coach. Against good teams, you need good coaching to win games.

We are headed to another 20-10 season.

With that said, I don't know what the answer is. If you don't get the best players someone will.

I agree man. I don't know what we do at this point. Some of our fans like the NBA. I personally don't watch it and don't care at all about it. So when people try to trot those stats out there, I just roll my eyes. That's great for the players. I don't buy a ticket to Rupp Arena to go watch guys learn on the fly for the NBA.

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I agree man. I don't know what we do at this point. Some of our fans like the NBA. I personally don't watch it and don't care at all about it. So when people try to trot those stats out there, I just roll my eyes. That's great for the players. I don't buy a ticket to Rupp Arena to go watch guys learn on the fly for the NBA.

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I don't watch the NBA either, I might watch a playoff game if a UK player is in it, but with that said, didn't watch the lakers or AD a few months ago.

Cal is also not a great developer of talent. It might be because there are so many of them to get PT to, I'm not sure. Players get somewhat better, but it seems when the get to the NBA they flourish - see Bam Adebayo.

I'm still mad about the Wisconsin Final 4 game. Cal decides to pull Ulis and put Harrison back in and we lose our lead and then the game. The most talented team ever in college basketball, season ends with an L.

Cal and UK are made for each other, but he's an average game day coach and that loses us games, like today.

They give a shite about going to the NBA. Anything beyond that really doesn’t matter.

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They still won the SEC when it was said and done.

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Winning the SEC in basketball is like Louisville bragging about winning the old Big East in football

When you're literally the only program among 14 who has a dedication to the sport, you should win every year. Nobody else is putting forth an effort

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When you're literally the only program among 14 who has a dedication to the sport, you should win every year. Nobody else is putting forth an effort

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If LSU doesnt care about basketball, why the hell are they spending so much money on players to attempt to win something of relevance? In basketball.

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Rick Barnes is whipping Cal's arse head to head

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As a UT fan, this baffles me. I simply do not understand why Cal can't beat UT. He struggles at home and in Knoxville with far better talent.

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Count me amongst the Kentucky fans who doesn't give a flying frick about that shite.

Not gonna make excuses for losing these games like we do every year either. Enough of this crap.

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So then who do you prefer we go get that would win at a level that would appease your clearly unsustainable level?

Because if it’s back to the days of Tubby Smith and a decade of maxing out at an Elite Eight when he has his players, I’m going to kindly say no thanks.

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So then who do you prefer we go get that would win at a level that would appease your clearly unsustainable level?

Because if it’s back to the days of Tubby Smith and a decade of maxing out at an Elite Eight when he has his players, I’m going to kindly say no thanks.

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Well....that's EXACTLY where we are. So maybe look at the fricking stats

Tubby's last 5 years at Kentucky
131-40 overall
61-19 - SEC
2 Reg SEC titles
2 SEC Tourney titles
2 Elite 8s
3 Round of 32


Cal's last 5 years at Kentucky
140-39
69-21 - SEC
2 Reg SEC titles
3 SEC Tourney titles
2 Elite 8s
1 Sweet 16
1 Round of 32






Rick Barnes owns us. Duke humiliated us by 34. Evansville. Utah. Today. Seton Hall. Losing to Kansas fricking State. I mean...what the frick have you been watching these last several seasons. We ARE at Tubby Smith levels. Wake the frick up. When you can come up with some stats that aren't "UK had this many players drafted and they make this much money so what are you complaining about" maybe I'll give a frick. Until then, we ARE losing at Tubby levels. It's easy to sit in the comfort of your living room in Louisville and just say "oh everything is fine." When you pony up for season tickets and pay the cost of admission every season like I do, then maybe your perspective on what's OK and what isn't will change when you actually have money on the line for the product you're watching.

5 assists. 0 the second half. 21 turnovers. That shite today was embarassing. When did this kinda crap become OK here? Can someone tell me?