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Is it possible that our players just aren’t very good

Yeah but offensive teams are what’s wins. Yes you need a competent defense, that’s our issue. With our current offense we shouldn’t lose much. The fact that Cal trots out Man to Man every game with no adjustments it’s crazy to me.
I want to try a zone. But it really doesn’t matter. The kids are soft. I hate finesse teams. Hate in in basketball and hate it in football.
 
How do we know if our guys are talented enough?

When have we seen our full complement of players out on the floor?

Our coach is soft, our players are soft, so any little boo boo and they won’t play and he lets them sit out.

Talent, they’ve got that. Toughness is what they are missing.
 
Kind of where I am. In the last 40 years I remember exactly one national champion that played zone defense. But what could it hurt at this point.
We shouldn't play zone all of the time, anymore than we should be playing man-man 100% of the time. Switch from zone, to man, to another zone and then back again - make opponents have to guess and prepare for a change.

Rupp used a 1-3-1, so did Hall, Pitino used 2-3 and matchup zones, Tubby used a 2-3 drop zone and box and chaser - all used man-man and switched their defenses up to keep the opponent off guard.
 
How do we know if our guys are talented enough?

When have we seen our full complement of players out on the floor?

Our coach is soft, our players are soft, so any little boo boo and they won’t play and he lets them sit out.

Talent, they’ve got that. Toughness is what they are missing.
At this point I expect the next player is out because of a hang nail suffered in autograph signing.
 
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We shouldn't play zone all of the time, anymore than we should be playing man-man 100% of the time. Switch from zone to man to another zone and then back again, make opponents have to guess for a change.

Rupp used a 1-3-1, so did Hall, Pitino used 2-3 and matchup zones, Tubby used a 2-3 drop zone and box and chaser - all used man-man and switched their defenses up to keep the opponent off guard.
I don’t think Cal can even spell zone.
 
Hurley isn’t coming ever. I don’t get the fascination with Drew either, two E8s in 20 years. Give me young and hungry any day. I also don’t think one flash in the pan run in the NCAA proves much either. Any team can gel and get hot. 2014 proves that, Cal sucked with that team all year and they got hot when the “tweek” wasn’t much of anything. Players will come to UK for exposure and NIL. We need someone that understands the modern game and can relate to these kids. I’d take Paris or the Florida coach and could get behind supporting them because they have a system and they recruit to it and coach.
We won’t know until we try, 10M bucks is hard to turn down at a place you can definitely win at.
 
I stress that’s is past time for Cal to go and he created this team. But it think this is just another poorly constructed team that Cal just threw together. Tre just feel in our lap by luck as did Z.

-our bigs are not ready, even Z obviously can’t play big boy ball against the SEC

-Tre is mid, good games and bad games but not very athletic and can’t guard.

-Burks and Edwards not ready and not skilled as most of these transfer players that are older.

- Adou is just a sophomore and wasn’t developed last year and been injury prone.

- Our guards can score and are flashy but are young and can’t do it all.

~ Reeves has given us about all we can expect

2014 had Julius Randle, 2017 we had Bam. We don’t have that under the goal. Cal is in a rough spot for creating this team but the man hasn’t done himself any favors by not having a style and recruiting to that style.
Can't disagree about anything you said but I think Dilly, Shep, DJ, and Reeves are plenty good enough
at the 1-3. Playing Edwards at the 3 has hurt us. Our problems have been at the 4/5 spots. I think Thiero is probably our best option at the 4. Center? Ugo is an excellent help shot blocker but gets abused one on one. Bradshaw can't play and Mitchell can't guard and Z isn't being given a chance so we just don't know. Probably should rotate all 4 depending on the other team's strengths.

But playing the wrong combinations continues to be a problem. We much have been outscored 15 points when Bradshaw and Edwards were on the court together and that wasn't many minutes(I know they outscored that combination by 10 in less than 2 minutes in one stretch). And it was one of Edwards better games.

I'd like to see Cal try something different that what we're doing since we suck so bad on defense. Like playing Reeves at the 3 and Ugo and Z at the 4/5 in a 3-2 zone. That zone can cover the most dangerous threes(from the corner) and it would be hard to get shots off in the paint. Might not work but if I were the coach I'd try to make better use of my talent than so far this year.
 
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I stress that’s is past time for Cal to go and he created this team. But it think this is just another poorly constructed team that Cal just threw together. Tre just feel in our lap by luck as did Z.

-our bigs are not ready, even Z obviously can’t play big boy ball against the SEC

-Tre is mid, good games and bad games but not very athletic and can’t guard.

-Burks and Edwards not ready and not skilled as most of these transfer players that are older.

- Adou is just a sophomore and wasn’t developed last year and been injury prone.

- Our guards can score and are flashy but are young and can’t do it all.

~ Reeves has given us about all we can expect

2014 had Julius Randle, 2017 we had Bam. We don’t have that under the goal. Cal is in a rough spot for creating this team but the man hasn’t done himself any favors by not having a style and recruiting to that style.
I believe they are talented. They just aren't strong mentally and physically because they are freshmen. This team is too young.
 
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Can't disagree about anything you said but I think Dilly, Shep, DJ, and Reeves are plenty good enough
at the 1-3. Playing Edwards at the 3 has hurt us. Our problems have been at the 4/5 spots. I think Thiero is probably our best option at the 4. Center? Ugo is an excellent help shot blocker but gets abused one on one. Bradshaw can't play and Mitchell can't guard and Z isn't being given a chance so we just don't know. Probably should rotate all 4 depending on the other team's strengths.

But playing the wrong combinations continues to be a problem. We much have been outscored 15 points when Bradshaw and Edwards were on the court together and that wasn't many minutes(I know they outscored that combination by 10 in less than 2 minutes in one stretch). And it was one of Edwards better games.

I'd like to see Cal try something different that what we're doing since we suck so bad on defense. Like playing Reeves at the 3 and Ugo and Z at the 4/5 in a 3-2 zone. That zone can cover the most dangerous threes(from the corner) and it would be hard to get shots off in the paint. Might not work but if I were the coach I'd try to make better use of my talent than so far this year.
Cal isn’t going to try any of that. He is just gonna say fight and block out the noise. But I love the idea of trying Z at the 4
 
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Nope. Not possible at all.

Even the players that the fans are trashing are really good players. They just aren't being set up for success in the college game by their coach.
That is why they excel in other programs and the NBA
 
Of course they are not very good! Why do you think they lost at Rupp against UNCW? It sure in the heck wasn’t the coaches fault? Calipari is a HOF’r who poops ice cream and feeds it to his dogs while watching Little House on The Prairie!

No way that was on Calipari, or the 9-16 season, or the loss to Evansville, or the NCAAT flameouts the past 4 years! It’s CONvid and the players fault! Farrr all the players, for tricking Cal into recruiting and signing them, and forcing him into making stupid coaching decisions!
 
Cal isn’t going to try any of that. He is just gonna say fight and block out the noise. But I love the idea of trying Z at the 4
Cal loves a good rock fight, because he knows in that setting, he's likely met his strategic equal and will not be exposed by the coaching expertise of the opponent. Problem is he still uses his bigs like he did 20 years ago, so we get crushed down low and burned to a crisp on back doors and pick and rolls. He lets our bigs get dragged out to the post by the other teams guard on a switch, and then wonders why we can't rebound worth a shit.

Cal is a MF dumbass!

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Our frontcourt was overrated. AB is just not skilled and is very weak, Ugo is a solid backup but still raw, Thiero is a good rotation guy but has been hurt, Mitchell is a finesse guy on his 4th school. Who knows with Z, he won't play him. There were some really good and tough forwards in the portal and a couple even visited (David Jones, Keshad Johnson, Knecht). He should be getting a couple of those type of guys and a combo guard every year.
 
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I stress that’s is past time for Cal to go and he created this team. But it think this is just another poorly constructed team that Cal just threw together. Tre just feel in our lap by luck as did Z.

-our bigs are not ready, even Z obviously can’t play big boy ball against the SEC

-Tre is mid, good games and bad games but not very athletic and can’t guard.

-Burks and Edwards not ready and not skilled as most of these transfer players that are older.

- Adou is just a sophomore and wasn’t developed last year and been injury prone.

- Our guards can score and are flashy but are young and can’t do it all.

~ Reeves has given us about all we can expect

2014 had Julius Randle, 2017 we had Bam. We don’t have that under the goal. Cal is in a rough spot for creating this team but the man hasn’t done himself any favors by not having a style and recruiting to that style.
This is spot on! This is exactly what Pitino did.
 
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You got 40 million?
The money in his contract is guaranteed money. Don’t get blinded by a number. Nothing says he gets the whole pile of unearned money in a lump sum. Should be fired for cause then negotiate that buyout way down but it’s not about keeping someone who is not doing what he’s paid to do. Do we need to see any more? It’s been 9 years of failure. Fire this clown. Immediately. To answer your question summarily, I’ll be happy to donate $2500 if it gets rid of him. I’ll donate another $2500 to hiring a competent coach and not a coward dog sitter.
 
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We have the best players in the country coming out of high school Cal has messed them up, he does the same thing every year, but once they get to the NBA they become stars again.
 
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I think someone see's the writing on the wall.

Lets just make the winningest program, lose games...

So that fans will welcome the new coach without a fault, when we start winning again.
 
Can't disagree about anything you said but I think Dilly, Shep, DJ, and Reeves are plenty good enough
at the 1-3. Playing Edwards at the 3 has hurt us. Our problems have been at the 4/5 spots. I think Thiero is probably our best option at the 4. Center? Ugo is an excellent help shot blocker but gets abused one on one. Bradshaw can't play and Mitchell can't guard and Z isn't being given a chance so we just don't know. Probably should rotate all 4 depending on the other team's strengths.

But playing the wrong combinations continues to be a problem. We much have been outscored 15 points when Bradshaw and Edwards were on the court together and that wasn't many minutes(I know they outscored that combination by 10 in less than 2 minutes in one stretch). And it was one of Edwards better games.

I'd like to see Cal try something different that what we're doing since we suck so bad on defense. Like playing Reeves at the 3 and Ugo and Z at the 4/5 in a 3-2 zone. That zone can cover the most dangerous threes(from the corner) and it would be hard to get shots off in the paint. Might not work but if I were the coach I'd try to make better use of my talent than so far this year.
Good post , what stuck out to me was " Z ISNT BEING GIVEN A CHANCE" I mean it's crazy , Cal wiped that guy off the team . Would be great at the 4 when Mitchell is struggling . Or simply to provide rest .. I love some dudes comment " Obviously Z cant play big boy SEC ball". so stupid , we have no clue what the guy can and cant do .. but based on the Ga performance he gets a legit chance .
 
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I stress that’s is past time for Cal to go and he created this team. But it think this is just another poorly constructed team that Cal just threw together. Tre just feel in our lap by luck as did Z.

-our bigs are not ready, even Z obviously can’t play big boy ball against the SEC

-Tre is mid, good games and bad games but not very athletic and can’t guard.

-Burks and Edwards not ready and not skilled as most of these transfer players that are older.

- Adou is just a sophomore and wasn’t developed last year and been injury prone.

- Our guards can score and are flashy but are young and can’t do it all.

~ Reeves has given us about all we can expect

2014 had Julius Randle, 2017 we had Bam. We don’t have that under the goal. Cal is in a rough spot for creating this team but the man hasn’t done himself any favors by not having a style and recruiting to that style.

This is all on coaching. I'd venture to guess 99% of college coaches in America would change rosters with Cal.
 
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Average UCONN recruit rankings (RIVALS) of the current eight roster players who were recruited to UCONN by Hurley, over the last three years.

UCONN:
2023: #127/ #69/ #63/ #80/ #10
2022: #39
2021: #70/ #75
So only Castle (#10) of UCONN was rated higher than Kentucky's UGO at #37..
Two of the most important players for UCONN are 5th year Seniors, who were transfers.

While UK has:
2023: #2/ #3/ #6/ #15/ #28 (Conceivably 4-5 of these won't be at UK next year)
2022: #37/ NR
2021: None available, 1-DNP/ 1-NBA/ 2-transfers
 
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Well we score 90 per. So they are talented scorers. But these kids are soft and brittle. They have no desire to play defense. It has to be lack of desire because there’s no way they are this stupid. They stay lost on D. The lack of grit and effort is embarrassing

We spent all of last year arguing that all we needed was a modern offense. But alas, defense is king.
Defense has always been King.
 
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I think that our players are extremely talented...........on offense.

But just because you are talented on one side of the ball doesn't necessarily mean that translates to the other side. UK isn't the first team in America to be extremely efficient on one side but sorely lacking on the other.



LM made it to the elite eight one year, but their offense prowess tended to prove you need defense to win in March.
 
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We shouldn't play zone all of the time, anymore than we should be playing man-man 100% of the time. Switch from zone, to man, to another zone and then back again - make opponents have to guess and prepare for a change.

Rupp used a 1-3-1, so did Hall, Pitino used 2-3 and matchup zones, Tubby used a 2-3 drop zone and box and chaser - all used man-man and switched their defenses up to keep the opponent off guard.
You do understand that would require some effort

Cal is lazy. Just rolling out the ball is a lot closer to what’s going on than many think.

Cal is gonna Cal and he shouldn’t be questioned.
 
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See I tend to think it's not about man to man or zone or switching between the two.

I think we just have players that suck at defense lol.
 
There's enough blame to go around here.

Cal runs the ship. He's responsible for putting together a roster that's capable of winning titles.

Honestly tho these players just aren't good on defense. It's on everyone
 
We shouldn't play zone all of the time, anymore than we should be playing man-man 100% of the time. Switch from zone, to man, to another zone and then back again - make opponents have to guess and prepare for a change.

Rupp used a 1-3-1, so did Hall, Pitino used 2-3 and matchup zones, Tubby used a 2-3 drop zone and box and chaser - all used man-man and switched their defenses up to keep the opponent off guard.
That sounds good in principle but do you trust our players to get into the right position when a switch is called from the bench.
I could see guys slow to react and give up a layup.
A "poor" zone is not going to help.
I'm not against a zone but I believe the root cause of our defensive woes are more effort based.
 
We have good but not great players. They're a step up in talent from the Toppin's, Wheeler's, Brooks', Mintz's and Grady's of the world but not quite as talented as Davis, Wall, Cousins, Towns, Booker, Fox, Monk, Bam, etc. We miss having game changers
Haven’t had one of those since 2017.
 
Anybody that looks at this team and sees a lack of talent…
Lots of people see an abundance of talented skinny players. After SC bullied the team the light when on for how to play UK. I'm not the only one but I posted about the lack of bulk back in the summer when they played in Canada.

The critics have their reasons for frothing at the mouth. Their reasons seem to me to be wrong, and the critics just like to froth.
 
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