Do we beat Brown next up by more than 34 points or fewer than 34 points?🙃

Welcome to the Official Kentucky vs Brown OOC Prediction Contest!

Follow the rules below and make your prediction. I'll publish the results after the game. You can put any comment you would like below your score prediction (put '***' after your prediction to make it easier to separate the comments) but try not to put anything above as my scripts may not be able to find your prediction. This is the 1st of three prediction contests this season: the OOC Contest, the SEC Regular Season contest, and the Postseason Contest.

Whoever predicts the score closest to the actual score wins. I take the absolute value of the difference of your guess of the Kentucky score and the actual plus the absolute value of the difference of your guess of the opponent score and the actual. There is a penalty for picking the wrong winner. That penalty is the worst score among those who predicted the correct winner. In case of a tie, the tiebreaker is used. In case of a tie in the tiebreaker, we have more than one winner.

I will be awarding points for the first 10 places, including a 3 point bonus for a perfect prediction. I will track cumulative point totals and the number of games you make the top 10. This contest ends with the Brown game.

Your post should look something really close to the example below. Remember the ":"s and the word "Tiebreaker:"! Do not!! use a "-" as a separator because some of our tiebreakers will be negative.

This game's tiebreaker is Brown Blocks.

Kentucky vs Brown game:

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Kentucky: 96
Brown: 66

Tiebreaker: 3
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Just cut and paste everything between the lines above into your reply and then modify the scores and tiebreaker as you see fit. If you don't know how to do that, type very carefully. Remember to type in the word "Tiebreaker:" so that I can find it. Anything my scripts can't figure out will not count.

Don't edit your post or try to post a score after the game has started.

BTW I really would prefer exact names for the teams, but will try to be accommodating as long as it doesn't create too much work for me. If we are playing Louisville, just about anything not obscene will be OK.

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OOC Season Basketball Prediction Scores - Kentucky vs Ohio State (tiebreaker was 10 Kentucky Turnovers):

10 1 . WalterTheHippo : 22 points, tiebreaker=11
9 2 . Jazzycat : 24 points, tiebreaker=13
8 3 . ukfan041 : 25 points, tiebreaker=10
7 4 . rivercatinfl : 26 points, tiebreaker=9
6 5 . TOMCATS1990 : 28 points, tiebreaker=10
5 6 . Kycatspaws : 28 points, tiebreaker=11
4 7 . drew_ukfan : 28 points, tiebreaker=8
4 7 . GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone: 28 points, tiebreaker=8
2 9 . coolfred : 29 points, tiebreaker=10
2 9 . howercat : 29 points, tiebreaker=10
2 9 . ORCAT : 29 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 12 . kyfanrob : 29 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 12 . Demarcus Kidd-Miller: 29 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 14 . lyngz : 30 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 15 . YardCat : 30 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 15 . LogicalCat : 30 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 15 . Old_Red : 30 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 18 . AFSTALLION13 : 31 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 19 . number8please : 31 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 20 . ThreeHogNight : 31 points, tiebreaker=13
.. 21 . Short-Dawg-69 : 32 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 22 . pappy52 : 32 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 23 . BlobUK : 32 points, tiebreaker=14
.. 24 . Blueisbest : 33 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 24 . truckbrandon : 33 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 24 . Oldbluefart : 33 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 24 . nickhorvathsuxazz : 33 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 28 . Jperry1987 : 33 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 28 . jimmy cowboy : 33 points, tiebreaker=12
.. 28 . Wildcat_In_Florida: 33 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 31 . Roe07 : 34 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 32 . $Z71$ : 34 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 32 . Mrwildcats03 : 34 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 32 . UKCatWoman : 34 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 35 . CBBCrazy : 34 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 35 . UK Cats1 : 34 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 35 . TNCatfanforever : 34 points, tiebreaker=12
.. 35 . jrm693 : 34 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 39 . warrior-cat : 34 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 40 . Rideordiewildcat : 35 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 40 . maysvilleky : 35 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 42 . Blue_belly : 35 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 43 . TheBlueCat : 36 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 44 . Hargyt13 : 36 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 44 . ukypug : 36 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 44 . runt#69 : 36 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 47 . wfm101981 : 36 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 48 . cat tat2 : 37 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 48 . Chad Rock : 37 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 50 . *CatinIL* : 37 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 51 . kywildcat41035 : 38 points, tiebreaker=11
.. 52 . UK Widget : 38 points, tiebreaker=12
.. 52 . onearmedjesus : 38 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 54 . kennyskywalker34 : 38 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 55 . UK67KU59 : 40 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 56 . cat888 : 41 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 57 . yes_takeaside : 42 points, tiebreaker=9
.. 58 . the nail at the foul line: 42 points, tiebreaker=12
.. 59 . North Carolina Blue Wildcat: 42 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 60 . GoBIG BLUE : 44 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 61 . Bigblueincincy : 44 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 62 . M4CAT : 45 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 63 . blubo : 45 points, tiebreaker=7
.. 64 . docholiday51 : 46 points, tiebreaker=10
.. 65 . kybloo92 : 49 points, tiebreaker=8
.. 66 . kywildcatsfannumber1: 52 points, tiebreaker=9

OOC Season Basketball Prediction Contest Leader Board:

24 : CBBCrazy
23 : cat888
21 : Jazzycat
21 : jimmy cowboy
20 : Short-Dawg-69
20 : The Grand Poohbah
19 : Hargyt13
18 : Chad Rock
16 : kybloo92
15 : truckbrandon
14 : cat tat2
14 : ukfan041
13 : Blueisbest
13 : drew_ukfan
13 : Kycatspaws
13 : onearmedjesus
13 : Rideordiewildcat
13 : YardCat
12 : BlobUK
12 : Blueworld_3.0
12 : docholiday51
12 : ORCAT
11 : Bigblueincincy
11 : Blue_belly
11 : LogicalCat
10 : 19jhadams
10 : Jperry1987
10 : kyfanrob
10 : kywildcat41086
10 : maysvilleky
10 : Oldbluefart
10 : Roe07
10 : TheBlueCat
10 : ThreeHogNight
10 : TOMCATS1990
10 : UK Widget
10 : UKCatWoman
10 : WalterTheHippo
10 : yes_takeaside
9 : GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone
9 : TFCats11
9 : the nail at the foul line
8 : blubo
8 : runt#69
8 : Smashcat
7 : coolfred
7 : Creed Bratton
7 : number8please
7 : OldEvilleCat
7 : pappy52
7 : rivercatinfl
7 : wfm101981
6 : howercat
5 : Demarcus Kidd-Miller
5 : Farsight
5 : GoBIG BLUE
5 : Old_Red
4 : kennyskywalker34
4 : lyngz
4 : TexKat
3 : mrjuk
3 : TheKentuckyKid
3 : warrior-cat
2 : BC_Wader
2 : JFCats22
2 : JonathanUSAF
1 : kywildcatsfannumber1
1 : ukypug
1 : Wildcat_In_Florida


Players Who've Made the Top Ten at Least Once:

5 : cat888
4 : onearmedjesus
3 : Blueisbest
3 : Blueworld_3.0
3 : cat tat2
3 : CBBCrazy
3 : Chad Rock
3 : Jazzycat
3 : Kycatspaws
3 : kyfanrob
3 : LogicalCat
3 : ORCAT
3 : The Grand Poohbah
3 : TOMCATS1990
3 : ukfan041
2 : Bigblueincincy
2 : BlobUK
2 : Blue_belly
2 : coolfred
2 : docholiday51
2 : drew_ukfan
2 : GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone
2 : Hargyt13
2 : howercat
2 : jimmy cowboy
2 : Jperry1987
2 : kybloo92
2 : maysvilleky
2 : Oldbluefart
2 : Rideordiewildcat
2 : Roe07
2 : Short-Dawg-69
2 : truckbrandon
2 : wfm101981
2 : YardCat
2 : yes_takeaside
1 : 19jhadams
1 : BC_Wader
1 : blubo
1 : Creed Bratton
1 : Demarcus Kidd-Miller
1 : Farsight
1 : GoBIG BLUE
1 : JFCats22
1 : JonathanUSAF
1 : kennyskywalker34
1 : kywildcat41086
1 : kywildcatsfannumber1
1 : lyngz
1 : mrjuk
1 : number8please
1 : OldEvilleCat
1 : Old_Red
1 : pappy52
1 : rivercatinfl
1 : runt#69
1 : Smashcat
1 : TexKat
1 : TFCats11
1 : the nail at the foul line
1 : TheBlueCat
1 : TheKentuckyKid
1 : ThreeHogNight
1 : UK Widget
1 : UKCatWoman
1 : ukypug
1 : WalterTheHippo
1 : warrior-cat
1 : Wildcat_In_Florida


Total Players:
Kentucky vs Wright State : 96
Kentucky vs Bucknell : 63
Kentucky vs Duke : 73
Kentucky vs Lipscomb : 61
Kentucky vs Jackson State : 80
Kentucky vs Western Kentucky : 67
Kentucky vs Georgia State : 62
Kentucky @ Clemson : 75
Kentucky @ Gonzaga : 73
Kentucky vs Colgate : 69
Kentucky vs Louisville : 73
Kentucky vs Ohio State : 66

Season Average for Players: 71.5


OOC Season Basketball Prediction Champs:
Kentucky vs Wright State : kywildcat41086: 1
Kentucky vs Bucknell : Short-Dawg-69: 2
Kentucky vs Duke : 19jhadams: 2
Kentucky vs Lipscomb : UKCatWoman: 1
Kentucky vs Jackson State : Rideordiewildcat: 1
Kentucky vs Jackson State : UK Widget: 1
Kentucky vs Western Kentucky : jimmy cowboy: 0
Kentucky vs Georgia State : cat888: 4
Kentucky @ Clemson : ThreeHogNight: 19
Kentucky @ Gonzaga : Hargyt13: 2
Kentucky vs Colgate : TheBlueCat: 13
Kentucky vs Louisville : Short-Dawg-69: 7
Kentucky vs Ohio State : WalterTheHippo: 22


@Deeeefense

I had surgery last Thursday, a biopsy/removal of some nymph nodes on both sides of my neck. Although I have an ear to ear "Frankenstein" scar, I received the news today that the pathology came back and showed no signs of cancer. I have never received any better news. Go Cats!

Kansas goes down.

UT has Norfolk St on their heels with 17 min left in 2nd, Vols up 8

Duke sucks.

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.
DEC 31, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 20,042

Final Score: No. 10/11 Kentucky 88, Brown 54

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky ends the non-conference schedule with a 11-2 record while Brown is now 7-5.
• This was the first matchup between Kentucky and Brown in men’s basketball.
• Mark Pope is 198-110 as head coach, including 11-2 at Kentucky.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats begin Southeastern Conference play Saturday at home vs. undefeated, No. 6/5-ranked Florida. Game time is 11 a.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.

Team Notes

• Kentucky allowed only 54 points, a season low.
• Kentucky won the turnover battle, 23-5, the most miscues by a Wildcat opponent since Texas A&M had 25 giveaways on Jan. 3, 2017.
  • Five offensive turnovers is the fewest by UK this season.
  • UK won points off turnovers, 33-4.
• Kentucky had a season-best 14 steals.
• Kentucky made 50 percent from the field, 30 of 60. It is the sixth time this season that the Wildcats made at least half of their field goal attempts.
• Kentucky is now 2-0 this season in bounce-back games after losses.

Player Notes

• Andrew Carr led the Wildcats with 14 points, his fifth straight double-figure game and 10th of the season. He also had five rebounds, tying Brandon Garrison for team honors today.
• Otega Oweh had 13 points and has scored in double figures in every game this season.
  • He also had a season-high four steals.
• Koby Brea had 13 points, including two 3-pointers. He has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season and this was his 11th game with multiples threes. He also matched a career-high with two blocked shots.
• Amari Williams had 13 points and added three blocked shots.
• Trent Noah hit a pair of 3-pointers for a season-high six points.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 9-2 record with this lineup.
• Koby Brea was the first substitution at 16:04.
• Both teams were cold early. With Brown leading 6-4, Kentucky warmed to the task with a 15-3 run, opening a 19-9 lead.
• An 8-0 run pushed the count to 37-21, Kentucky’s largest lead of the half.
• Sparked by a 19-4 advantage in points off turnovers, UK took a 39-27 score into intermission. Carr led the Wildcats with 14 points.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
• Oweh tallied five quick points, causing a Brown(time)out with 17:59 remaining.
• Kentucky led by as many as 36 points at 83-47.

I don’t usually post real personal info on social media etc but man there’s been some really tough news to hear on this forum last week or so. So, I figured I’d throw some good news at ya. Our daughter, the newest Big Blue fan, was born 12/27. She was scheduled for Jan 24th originally but had to come early. She is perfect and 100% healthy and the rumor around the OB was, if you listened closely when she was born, you could hear a small Go Big Blue chant.

It made me wonder what y’all got as a first UK gear for your newborns?

Top 25 CBB games



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Lizzie Carr, 6'6" redshirt sophomore middle blocker announced Wednesday that she will be enrolling at UK in January and will be on the volleyball team. After a redshirt year and a year of playing at Purdue, it looks like she has 3 years of eligibility left, but Andrew, unless I am mistaken, will be done with his eligibility at the end of this school year, so he will have to come back to see sis play. Lizzie Carr Announces Transfer to Kentucky Volleyball

Move to where this belongs if ya want. What bar is safe and fun in town? Thx

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KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE Q&A:

* Brown is a terrific team. They're going to be a big-time problem in the Ivy League. A lot of talent. Gave Kansas and us some problems for a half.

* Liked the way we responded today, outside of the glass at times. Season-high in deflections.

* Nowhere else in the world where you can walk in on New Year's Eve at 2 o'clock and have every seat packed to see you play.

* On the ball-screen defense improvement... A lot of the deflections came there. Spent a lot of time working on it during the last week. I think there were times, if you asked them, if our guys thought basketball had anything but ball-screen defense. That's how much we talked about it.

* All we care about right now is little moments where we can get better. That's what it's all about.

* On different lineup combos... Trying to see how some different things look, a couple of duos that make us look different. Have to keep working Travis Perry into these backup minutes at the point. Very, very serviceable as he settles into this. Thing I'm learning about Trent Noah, too, is if I ever need a 3, I just need to sub him in and let him go. (laughs)

* On having 18 assists and 5 turnovers... It means everything to us. Of everything on the stat sheet, that might be the biggest manifestation of how we're playing.

* On entering SEC play... Every game is going to feel like a toss-up. Execution will be big, resolve will be big, can you handle frustration and fight through it. You can't get too high or too low with this kind of league.

* On Acaden Lewis and Jasper Johnson visiting today and Lewis getting introduced to the crowd during a timeout... I got so excited. It was the first time I've seen them on the court together. Hard to contain my excitement for them. This is going to be so fun.

******

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BROWN HC MIKE MARTIN Q&A:

* Great opp to play in Phog Allen and Rupp back to back games, just wish we had performed a little better.

* They scored a lot in transition off our turnovers in the first half and in every way possible in the second half.

* Butler and Oweh are tough at the point of attack. Their pressure at the point of the defense and Williams at the back end made it tough on our offense.

* We had 14 first-half turnovers and were only down 12 at the half, so I was feeling pretty good at that point. But we didn't take care of the ball well enough, and the start of the second half kinda opened things up.

* Impressive to see how cohesive UK is with all new players and the way they share the ball. 18 assists and only 5 turnovers is really impressive.

* When you have guys at center like Williams and Garrison who can really pass the ball, you have to pick your poison defensively. We focused more on the drives than the 3s, but it's a hard team to guard.

* On comparing games with Kansas and Kentucky... Rupp is bigger than Allen Fieldhouse (laughs). It all starts with how you defend the post with Kansas; with Kentucky, how you deal with the constant movement.

It's Bruins, FYI.

The Brown Hornets. Homage to Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

Perry loooks like a different player without it. Maybe Reed should shave his to find his shooting strike again.

Heading to my first Bengals game in over 15 years and surprised the family with tickets over the holidays. Already picked up decent tickets in hand, and assume for parking it will be like a Reds game and just pay to park at the lot between GABP and Bengals stadium? Any suggestions would be appreciated and thank you in advance for the help.

* Good to get back on the court, back to work after a nice holiday break for everyone with their families. Excited to play against a good Brown team on Tuesday at Rupp.

* Dialed in on several areas in practice after the "Ohio State debacle." Ball-screen defense was a big one. Made some huge growth with that one. Team is really excited to get back on the court and get better.

* Brown is really good. They have an incredibly explosive combo guard who's known as "Ivy League Iverson." Really dangerous. Will shoot it from anywhere. Good off the bounce. A special talent. You don't see this in the Ivy League a lot, but they are No. 11 nationally in blocked shots.

* Listener asks about FTs... Pope says they do a lot of work on those, both in practice and individual instruction. They get a lot of shots up. Sometimes it depends on a player to get even more up.

* Listener asks who gave him the hardest time in practice when he played at UK... Pope says there were so many. What made that team so incredible was the second team beat the first team a lot. Rick Pitino may have been the toughest guy in practice, just meeting his expectations.

* Listener asks about ball-screen hand-offs... Combination of a lot of things affecting it. We actually have a big upside there.

* Kerr Kriisa working hard in rehab, getting better. Not sure about his timetable, though.

* Caller asks if Brandon Garrison will be playing more with the "quicker team." Pope says his ceiling is so high. Fun to see how he fits into all this over time. Says it's nothing serious, but not 100% healthy right now. Just something we have to monitor.

* Caller asks about the current Wildcat logo and disdain for it. Pope notes that the crowd where they are tonight reacted to that comment more than any other that has been made tonight. (Ha) Also said he loves the Wildcat logo they had when he was playing. Says he'll defer to the people signing his paycheck, but he loves that old logo.

* A few extra practices during the break. Got to do some two-a-days, which are a nice way to really work on some things. "A wonderful, functional week."

* Caller asks who was the toughest guy Mark Pope had to guard when he was at UK... Pope says take your pick between Antoine Walker, "a bear with incredible core strength," and Walter McCarty was a real challenge because of how he played and how well he ran the floor. Pope took a lot of pride in being the best running big guy, and Walter McCarty beat him in some team testing runs on the mile.

* Listener asks if there will be more full- or half-court pressure when SEC play begins... Pope says yes, at times, but notes it's a little trickier with Kerr being out.

* Caller asks about the 5 man in the offense... Pope says it's essential that guy has to be an initiator and a good passer. Noted that Garrison hit a game-winning 3 in their scrimmage yesterday. A lot better shooter than people realize.

* Caller wants to know if they need to be taking more 3s.... Pope says he's "desperate for our guys to shoot some more." When we EARN then, we have to shoot them. When we are playing at an elite level, we earn those 3s. Thirty is an arbitrary marker, but there is some science behind it, Pope adds.

Former D-Coordinator Eliot is back in football!!

Beware fans and reporters!

At a QB Club meeting in 2014, or 2015, I asked if and how often he asked defensive linemen to “stunt” or “twist.” He flatly said he had never heard the terms “stunt” or “twist.”

A strange silence fell over the crowd: half or more of the QB Club played some football, and the rest are fairly knowledgeable.

I wouldn’t let it drop, so I asked him if he ever asked defensive linemen to “cross” paths, such as sending a defensive end behind a DT, to attack from the interior position, hoping to confuse the O-linemen in their blocking assignments.

Eliot responded, “Oh, you mean, run a “trick!” Sure, we run “trick” plays . . . .”

Sounds like Jeff Drummond has had a similar experience.

“There was also a very awkward post-practice media conversation between Eliot and Jeff Drummond. Kentucky was transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 and JD was asking DJ to talk about the nuances that come with the transition. Eliot didn’t get the question. “My 4-year-old could tell you the difference.” Jeff tried asking him in a different way three different times, but nothing worked. That was something else.”


Anyone that hires Eliot needs to be warned, he cannot artfully handle questions, and is VERY willing to show his a$$, like a fifth grader!!

The Vol Vault


...


Sean Sparks • 19m • Pa


I'll start with Nico and camp. Nico and his father did have a meeting with Huepel yesterday to discuss the future of the offense as they were not happy with the oline or Wr play, they felt some of their best playmakers were not on the field or being utilized correctly, which is fair. They DID NOT ask for money even though they have heard from multiple schools.


In fact Nico visited both Miami and Oregon during the season (do with that what you will). Which leads me to the Francis Mauigoa situation were I misunderstood what I was being told, I was told


"Francis wants to protect Nico" I took that as Francis coming here but what was really being told to me was "watch out for Miami with Nico". Coach Nic, is not a fan of Kelsey Pope, nor of Glen Elarbee. I'll go ahead and get this out also, it's not 100% that Nico returns after this season

Per the Herald Leader but I won't link it and give them clicks. Starting at Rupp next December 13th.

The article is a few days old.

My apologies if this has already been discussed. Two weeks ago I woke up from a dream in which I was scrolling through Facebook posts. I was scrolling through Facebook posts IN MY DREAMS. That really scared me because, if my life is so sucky that I wind up spending my time mindlessly scrolling Facebook posts, okay whatever. But if my soul is so pathetic that I can't even DREAM of anything better than scrolling Facebook posts....... so I quit social media cold turkey and pulled back from everything else phone related. I searched tonight and couldn't find anything here, but if it was discussed previously I missed the post.

Back to the renewed series, this is a good thing.

Peace and blessings you all. If you need me I'll me screenwriting. Or stagewriting. And dreaming stories, God willing.

Does anyone know who will stream the Brown game? How about a non-paying site? TIA I can get ESPNU by paying for 30 days about 30.00......

Kalib Perry from Great Crossing in Georgetown KY is in the portal. He has 1 yr of eligibility remaining. UK was late to the party in recruiting him and he ultimately opted for Tennessee.

Perry contributed early in his career on special teams and has been a member of the LB rotation the last 2 seasons. This past year, he started 3 games when Tennessee played 3 LB's in response to the oppositions offensive scheme.

Might be someone to watch

That is a true indication that the CMS era is done and totally has run off the cliff. it does show if you have a competent HC and a very good recruiting staff then you move up. Mizzou poaching UK's best recruit the last week, UK losing recruits to USC this past week, Ball St corner is just more rubbing it in. Vandy is much better positioned than UK for the next few years.
Mizzou is set up to be a pretty good factor due to having an organized staff and an offensive system to compete.

Just alarming how far down UK is to S Carolina , Mizzou, Vandy, Ark who is better this year than UK. UK has zero chance to jump any of these teams in the next few years. Just not a good enough offensive system or OC, not a real approach to the NIL and Portal. Team approach from UK staff and AD, just awful.