The three 7 footers going forward

[docholiday51]

I have been vocal about the Bradshaw situation and probably over the top a bit. It is time to let that go
whatever happens in his case happens. I truly hope he plays and plays well because I am a UK fan above
all else as it pertains to sports.

Turning attention to Z and the NCAA and O and his status, I have a question that I believe is worth discussion
Will we have at least 2 7 footers who will play at least 10 games this season? At this point I believe the chances
are about 50/50. I have no agenda in asking the question ,I am just curious as to what other posters think

We have a good team that has the potential to be great if we can add a couple of the players who thus far
are sitting on the bench. Vilify me and this post if you must but I think it is worthy of reasonable discussion

 

[Smashcat]

Will we have at least 2 7 footers who will play at least 10 games this season? At this point I believe the chances
are about 50/50.

 

[bucsrule8872]

The odds are pretty good that we have at least one available sometime this season.

It would be some monumentally bad luck to have all three out the entire season.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist like some on here, but I would have to think there were some powerful forces conspiring against us if none of the three ever played.

 

[Random UK Fan]

I’m not too emotionally invested about Z for self-preservation reasons. That being said ; I wouldn’t be a bit surprised for him to be ruled “ineligible” or to (at best case scenario) be activated so far down the line that it interferes with the team’s chemistry. Is that to say I think that’s what will happen? No. Just not surprised if it did.

 

[K_TIME]

Cal loves his 8 man rotation

Wagner
Reeves
Dilly
Reeves
Thiero
Mitchell
Edward
Bradshaw

Those guys will play all the minutes barring injuries

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Cal loves his 8 man rotation

Wagner
Reeves
Dilly
Reeves
Thiero
Mitchell
Edward
Bradshaw

Those guys will play all the minutes barring injuries

/Thread

 

[bucsrule8872]

Cal loves his 8 man rotation

Wagner
Reeves
Dilly
Reeves
Thiero
Mitchell
Edward
Bradshaw

Those guys will play all the minutes barring injuries

This is what I am expecting moving forward.

Except Sheppard instead of a second Reeves. LOL!

 

[NociHTTP]

The odds are pretty good that we have at least one available sometime this season.

It would be some monumentally bad luck to have all three out the entire season.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist like some on here, but I would have to think there were some powerful forces conspiring against us if none of the three ever played.

What would those forces be? I won't tell anyone.

 

[OleBum]

we need at least one 7 footer to seal the deal! like the icing on the cake!

 

[TFCats11]

Hardly anyone talks about Ugo anymore. It’s like an unspoken topic that he’s never going to play another second at UK.

There’s a reason Cal went after another big ( Big Z) when it made zero sense.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

We need a 2nd one, IMO, as insurance in case of foul trouble.

Imagine in the NCAA tournament we are playing Purdue and Aaron Bradshaw gets in early foul trouble.

Or a rematch with Kansas, etc.

You need at least 3 true bigs (in my opinion) for insurance reasons for things like this, or heaven forbid someone gets banged up and misses a few games.

Tre Mitchell
Bradshaw
Big Z

Those are our 3 big men, and Thiero in the 4 spot rotation as well.

 

[NociHTTP]

Hardly anyone talks about Ugo anymore. It’s like an unspoken topic that he’s never going to play another second at UK.

There’s a reason Cal went after another big ( Big Z) when it made zero sense.

Is it just a physical thing with him? Motor? I can barely remember him from last year.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Cal loves his 8 man rotation

Wagner
Reeves
Dilly
Reeves
Thiero
Mitchell
Edward
Bradshaw

Those guys will play all the minutes barring injuries

Reeves is so good he takes 2 of the 8 spots 😂

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

The odds are pretty good that we have at least one available sometime this season.

It would be some monumentally bad luck to have all three out the entire season.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist like some on here, but I would have to think there were some powerful forces conspiring against us if none of the three ever played.

Getting only one of them would be a train wreck of failed expectations and would likely cost us a shot at the Final Four.

If we've learned anything about Calipari, he needs an absolutely stacked roster to even have a shot at a Final Four. No bigs on this team would be disastrous.

 

[BBUK]

I have been vocal about the Bradshaw situation and probably over the top a bit. It is time to let that go
whatever happens in his case happens. I truly hope he plays and plays well because I am a UK fan above
all else as it pertains to sports.

Turning attention to Z and the NCAA and O and his status, I have a question that I believe is worth discussion
Will we have at least 2 7 footers who will play at least 10 games this season? At this point I believe the chances
are about 50/50. I have no agenda in asking the question ,I am just curious as to what other posters think

We have a good team that has the potential to be great if we can add a couple of the players who thus far
are sitting on the bench. Vilify me and this post if you must but I think it is worthy of reasonable discussion

"Doc. You ought to be in bed. What the hell you doin' this for anyway. I know you got friends.... I got lot's of friends."

 

[Tampa_cat54]

Getting only one of them would be a train wreck of failed expectations and would likely cost us a shot at the Final Four.

If we've learned anything about Calipari, he needs an absolutely stacked roster to even have a shot at a Final Four. No bigs on this team would be disastrous.

To be fair, most teams need a stacked roster to make a Final Four- that isn't a Cal thing- you tend to need to be damn talented, or damn hot, to make a run to the final four.

 

[docholiday51]

"Doc. You ought to be in bed. What the hell you doin' this for anyway. I know you got friends.... I got lot's of friends."

I've been down at the creek watching Reed Sheppard walkin' on the water

 

[HagginHall1999]

The way Cal (and others) are talking Ugo is already doing some leg work. My guess is he comes back about a month from now. I see him as being used sparingly. If Z can get cleared I'm sure he will get some time...but I think the main 8 are listed above.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Hardly anyone talks about Ugo anymore. It’s like an unspoken topic that he’s never going to play another second at UK.

There’s a reason Cal went after another big ( Big Z) when it made zero sense.

I've read insiders stating UK was following Ivisic for a while. Have to remember Tre Mitchell fell in our laps.

UK was already working on Z before that. A big part of adding Z was likelihood of a second year as there is some project to him. Raw skill but apparently isn't very polished from what I've read. Also getting Chuck Martin to leverage a European pipeline for future recruiting.

Anyhow, long and short...they were going after Z when they only had AB and Ugo. Then with injuries I think it really picked up steam.

 

[docholiday51]

Some interesting basketball discussion but do at least 2 of them play in 10 games or not?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

To be fair, most teams need a stacked roster to make a Final Four- that isn't a Cal thing- you tend to need to be damn talented, or damn hot, to make a run to the final four.

Oh I get it, but Calipari is coming in about 2nd place on the all-time list of coaches who did the least with the most, 2nd only to Dean Smith.

That's a problem. At UK, he's never sniffed a Final Four without multiple top 20 picks. 2011 (2), 2012 (4), 2014 (2), 2015 (4). His other best teams at UK, the ones that won more than 30 games, also had multiple top 20 picks (2010, 2017).

That wasn't the case for 2022 UNC, 2022 Villanova, 2022 Kansas, 2021 UCLA, 2021 Houston, and so on and so forth.

Plenty of teams have made a Final Four with less than two top 20 picks. While at Kentucky, Calipari never has.

He needs stacked rosters. He simply can't get it done unless he's owning the green room with prospects.

 

[BBUK]

Some interesting basketball discussion but do at least 2 of them play in 10 games or not?

I'd have to think so... Geez UK has been bitten for the longest time with injuries and ineligible or just plain players not playing when they could.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

Oh I get it, but Calipari is coming in about 2nd place on the all-time list of coaches who did the least with the most, 2nd only to Dean Smith.

That's a problem. At UK, he's never sniffed a Final Four without multiple top 20 picks. 2011 (2), 2012 (4), 2014 (2), 2015 (4). His other best teams at UK, the ones that won more than 30 games, also had multiple top 20 picks (2010, 2017).

That wasn't the case for 2022 UNC, 2022 Villanova, 2022 Kansas, 2021 UCLA, 2021 Houston, and so on and so forth.

Plenty of teams have made a Final Four with less than two top 20 picks. While at Kentucky, Calipari never has.

He needs stacked rosters. He simply can't get it done unless he's owning the green room with prospects.

I do agree with everything you are saying- but those teams were all super veteran- you don't need top end NBA talent when you have junior and senior guys who are top-end college talent.

Bill Self, Jay Wright, etc. had guys like that- Cal's model is different. A 4th year Hunter Dickinson is better at this level than a freshman PJ Washington (for instance), but PJ Washington is the guy with better pro abilities and will have the NBA career where you look back and wonder.

Just a difference in how the program is built- not saying right or wrong, but those Jay Wright Villanova teams were just as talented AT THIS LEVEL than some of Cal's pro-prospect heavy teams, because those guys were just better college players who didn't have pro potential.

Long-winded way of saying, I don't put too much stock on how many NBA players a team has, because the NBA drafts on potential, not production RIGHT NOW. And in college, so many of the best players are not good pro prospects.

 

[crawfords corner]

If they stay healthy once they come back then yes I think Ugo and Bradshaw will play 10 games. If Ivisic is cleared Id expect him to have a shot at that. As good as I expect Bradshaw to end up being it might be hard for him to get in to every game. Depends on how well he practices and performs when given a chance.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Oh I get it, but Calipari is coming in about 2nd place on the all-time list of coaches who did the least with the most, 2nd only to Dean Smith.

That's a problem. At UK, he's never sniffed a Final Four without multiple top 20 picks. 2011 (2), 2012 (4), 2014 (2), 2015 (4). His other best teams at UK, the ones that won more than 30 games, also had multiple top 20 picks (2010, 2017).

That wasn't the case for 2022 UNC, 2022 Villanova, 2022 Kansas, 2021 UCLA, 2021 Houston, and so on and so forth.

Plenty of teams have made a Final Four with less than two top 20 picks. While at Kentucky, Calipari never has.

He needs stacked rosters. He simply can't get it done unless he's owning the green room with prospects.

Hard to argue but he is a distant second. Dean's guys were upperclassmen.

The devil's advocate argument is how many titles does UK have right now if these guys couldn't leave until after Sophomore season. It would be a different story I'm sure. Would at minimum be an interesting thread.

Look at 2013 for example:
Davis, MKG, Teague, Wiltjer all back for yr 2
Goodwin, Poythress, WCS
- That's undoubtedly a title team

2016:
Ulis, Booker, KAT, Lyles, Murray

All what ifs, just saying totally different eras and rules.

 

[jmw23712]

Some interesting basketball discussion but do at least 2 of them play in 10 games or not?

My heart says yes but my gut says no. I don’t think big Z ever plays for UK. NCAA has a chance to screw us again and they will.

For whatever reason I feel Ugo continues to recover slowly and ends up ready to go around February but Cal chooses not to play him since he doesn’t know the offense or isn’t in game shape or some other lame Cal excuse.

I think best case is Bradshaw gets healthy, starts getting 20-25 mins a game, and Burks gets demoted to walk on mins and maybe an occasional foul trouble game.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Getting only one of them would be a train wreck of failed expectations and would likely cost us a shot at the Final Four.

If we've learned anything about Calipari, he needs an absolutely stacked roster to even have a shot at a Final Four. No bigs on this team would be disastrous.

I see what you are saying, and I want to have all three available in case of injuries and such, but if we can get Bradshaw back and we stay healthy, we should have enough. This is assuming Bradshaw is as good as advertised.

If Bradshaw is the real deal, our 8-man rotation is the best we have seen in a long, long time here.

And this team can make a Final Four run.

But I hope we get all three back. The more options, the better.

 

[SkyPrince1]

I see what you are saying, and I want to have all three available in case of injuries and such, but if we can get Bradshaw back and we stay healthy, we should have enough. This is assuming Bradshaw is as good as advertised.

If Bradshaw is the real deal, our 8-man rotation is the best we have seen in a long, long time here.

And this team can make a Final Four run.

But I hope we get all three back. The more options, the better.

Agree
I really feel that when fans actually see Bradshaw play they will forget about the other two.
Plus you need Trey on the floor as much as possible.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Hard to argue but he is a distant second. Dean's guys were upperclassmen.

The devil's advocate argument is how many titles does UK have right now if these guys couldn't leave until after Sophomore season. It would be a different story I'm sure. Would at minimum be an interesting thread.

Look at 2013 for example:
Davis, MKG, Teague, Wiltjer all back for yr 2
Goodwin, Poythress, WCS
- That's undoubtedly a title team

2016:
Ulis, Booker, KAT, Lyles, Murray

All what ifs, just saying totally different eras and rules.

How many titles would Cal have here had we not gotten railroaded?! That’s the better question. I’ve been as hard on Cal as anyone last few years. However, the discrepancy regarding bad officiating has hurt our program worse than any other, and it’s not even close. It’s truly unbelievable the bad whistle we usually get in the tournament. It’s really deflating. 😑

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Agree
I really feel that when fans actually see Bradshaw play they will forget about the other two.
Plus you need Trey on the floor as much as possible.

Meh, I still think he’s quite raw. His ceiling is definitely much higher than his contributions will show during one season of college. He’s not real bulky and strong. Would LOVE to have both of the other bigs available also.

 

[JonathanW]

IMO, 95% Bradshaw plays at least 10 games.
80% Onyenso does (I think his first game will be when SEC play starts)
Ivisic I give 30% chance, but I think they screw him/us over like they did Kanter.

If all 3 were to play, whoever joined last may have trouble breaking into the rotation

 

[grevey35]

Some interesting basketball discussion but do at least 2 of them play in 10 games or not?

Flip a coin. None of us have a crystal ball. Time will tell. We are rolling for now as is and this will be answered in time. My guess would be yes but it is pretty much just a guess.

 

[HagginHall1999]

How many titles would Cal have here had we not gotten railroaded?! That’s the better question. I’ve been as hard on Cal as anyone last few years. However, the discrepancy regarding bad officiating has hurt our program worse than any other, and it’s not even close. It’s truly unbelievable the bad whistle we usually get in the tournament. It’s really deflating. 😑

Agreed. In trying be objective though...

To me 2017 is the most glaring. Cal did a fantastic job with that team. That UNC game was a joke all the way down to Monk getting fouled on made 3 at the end.

2011 is second. Though we didn't help ourselves with FT's.

2015 I am seriously torn on. I agree there were some horrible calls, none worse than the shot clock violation. That said, I feel like we peaked way too early and the guys were under an immense amount of pressure to make history. Best thing that could have happened to that team would have been a loss in one of the back to back OT games in early SEC schedule. I cannot remember who we played but I think one was at Rupp and other on the road. I just feel like we played like crap against Wisconsin and were hanging by a thread...could've easily loss EE game vs ND. Roofer didn't help anything and clearly had an objective!

 

[SemperFiCat]

My guess, Bradshaw plays the rest of the season (in another week or two), Z never get cleared and never plays, and Ugo plays very little backup spot min the second half of the season.

 

[SemperFiCat]

I think a good question is, why nobody is talking about red shifting UGO? The fact that there isn't even whispers about it makes me think Cal thinks he'll be available and needed towards the end of the season.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Agreed. In trying be objective though...

To me 2017 is the most glaring. Cal did a fantastic job with that team. That UNC game was a joke all the way down to Monk getting fouled on made 3 at the end.

2011 is second. Though we didn't help ourselves with FT's.

2015 I am seriously torn on. I agree there were some horrible calls, none worse than the shot clock violation. That said, I feel like we peaked way too early and the guys were under an immense amount of pressure to make history. Best thing that could have happened to that team would have been a loss in one of the back to back OT games in early SEC schedule. I cannot remember who we played but I think one was at Rupp and other on the road. I just feel like we played like crap against Wisconsin and were hanging by a thread...could've easily loss EE game vs ND. Roofer didn't help anything and clearly had an objective!

Ole Miss and TAMU IIRC. Worst thing that happened to that team was the injury to POY.

 

[ganner918]

I think a good question is, why nobody is talking about red shifting UGO? The fact that there isn't even whispers about it makes me think Cal thinks he'll be available and needed towards the end of the season.

Cal doesn't redshirt players. And nobody sticks around long enough for a redshirt to be worth it. Who is the last scholarship guy who played 4 seasons, let alone staying 5? Willis and Hawkins? And before that Poythress. Anybody else in the Cal era play 4 years?

 

[saxonburgcat]

Turning attention to Z and the NCAA and O and his status, I have a question that I believe is worth discussion
Will we have at least 2 7 footers who will play at least 10 games this season? At this point I believe the chances
are about 50/50. I have no agenda in asking the question ,I am just curious as to what other posters think

I have to question the "10 games" number I keep seeing. I would bump that number to 18 or so. I don't see any of our 7 footers being used for 10 or 11 games.

 

[rivercatinfl]

I so wish we would already be drating a lawsuit against the clowns at the NCAA if they don't allow Z to play. Unless there is some major league issue, we should file suit.
They already hate us. Let's grow a pair and take them to task.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Ole Miss and TAMU IIRC. Worst thing that happened to that team was the injury to POY.

Very true!