RD makes 4 shots in a row in the first half. Obviously in the zone….Cal takes him out.

Cal did the same exact effing thing in the Kansas game after he scored about 16 in a row.

You don’t take people out that are on fire like that until they miss a damn shot.

Add it to the LONG list of things our coach does/doesn’t do that makes zero sense.

Just some basketball thoughts.

Seems like a huge part of the conversation about the team this year has been how Cal will use three big men when they are ready to play. But the best lineup is probably Mitchell, Thiero, and three guards. When Thiero gets back they should probably do that a lot. If Thiero will actually get back out in game action you wouldn't have to play Edwards much.

What makes this team so interesting is the number of skilled scorers, shooters, and passers, particularly in the backcourt. The more of those guys they have on the court the better. The more they speed up the game the better. The more they get in passing lanes, the better.

The concern I'd have at this point is spending the next two months never finding lineups that you know you go to in crunch time, don't establish roles & form an identity. It feels like they have too much choice at times and might be better with one or two fewer parts. The less the big men play the more the guards play. Reed's a top-10 player analytically in the country and has played 30 minutes in four games, while Reeves has hit that benchmark 11 times and Wagner has eight times. Inevitable that lineups and usage would come into focus after a night like that.

Reed played for 1 minute of the first half of the 2nd half.

Great job, $9M man.

Just throwing this out there.

• 2011 we were robbed in the Final Four due to terrible calls by John Higgins ( Not the sole reason why we lost )
  • Terrible in game decisions by Cal
    
• 2015 we were also robbed by terrible calls by John Higgins ( Not the sole reason why we lost )
  • Played the Harrison Twins at the last moments of the game, even though they were playing terrible.
  • Should have had Ulis and Booker in, took them out for no reason.
  • Scouts where at that game. Cal wanted to get the Twins drafted. Where are they now?
    
• 2017 we were also robbed by terrible calls John Higgins in the UNC game ( Not the sole reason why we lost )
  • Big time scouts where there for that game for Fox and Monk
    
• Last Nights Game at USCjr.
  • Wagner played selfishly -- His dad was there
  • His selfish play lead to terrible turn overs and bad ball movement which should have resulted in a run for KY ( Not the sole reason why we lost )
    
• Misc. Games
  • Remember back when announcers say a players parent was there or if a lot of scouts where there.
  • We lost those games and played selfish

Here are my points....

Point A: If we won our championship in 2015, a good percentage of us would probably be frustrated but may not be calling for Cal's head

Point B: If we won 2015 and either 2011 or 2017, with us having 3 total championships under Cal, a major portion of us would be saying how many championships Cal has etc.

Point C: Championships is the ULTIMATE GOAL and the priority that matters to Kentucky Fans. Cal had so many opportunities but blew it.

Point D: When scouts or parents are around we play selfishly and bad. Team ball goes down the drain. Cal created an atmosphere that you're not here to win championships but to get to the NBA. When new recruits come in, they say they want to win it all, but it's merely just lip service.

Point E: John Higgins being our ref at crucial games in the NCAA tourney and us having an insane crazy losing record in the tournament of us losing is absolutely absurd. He hates Cal. Do you remember any time in Kentucky's history were we have a terrible losing record in the NCAA tourney like that?

Final Point: If Cal's priorities are to win Championships and has 2-3 under his belt, most of us would not worry as much about the future of the program.

For storming the court. Hope they got their moneys worth.

I don’t know about you guys, but I think Big Z has the potential to be Kentucky’s best player. Not only can he shoot the 3 and block shots, but the kid has some impressive footwork in the post. He could be that superstar we need for a deep run

The players team chemistry goes to hell. There will be some spats and infighting and no energy from the bench. You’ll see frustration and those on the bench will just sit on their hands. Happens every year with Triple C’s teams. I hate it for the good guys and the fans but it’s a sure sign that they just want to declare for the draft and leave. I still think it’s possible to turn this around but it very well could get ugly. Still hoping but not optimistic.

South Carolina simply wanted this game more than Kentucky. Kentucky is a soft team on defense. Kentucky has better players than SC, but they have a coach that is tougher, and his team reflected his personality.

Maybe, our team might ask the week off for rest. Cal has already admitted he has approved an earlier request for a day off. Can you imagine a team asking Nick Saban for a day off?

Simply soft!

Any new adds? The staff always seems to add a project type player on Day #2? A kid that was injured and got overlooked.
Travis Kearney RB out of Florida comes to mind?
Maybe the portal has changed all that?

John Calipari. Most talented teams in America 1 title thanks to AD. Otherwise a flop.

1. Bradshaw played very hard and I thought pretty well.
2. Big Z just didn't haveit on offense but I was watching him off ball on defense and, when it comes to defense and rebounding, the guy knows what he is doing.
3. Dilly is a player
4. Sheppard is much better than what we saw last night; he can't play worse and might have gotten hot if he had played his normal minutes.

I can't think of anything else. That was a total team suck last night!

How does the plus Minus from the game fit with what you thought?

In order of best to worst:
Bradshaw=4
Onyenso=-1
Edwards=-5
Wagner=-9
Reed=-10
Dillingham= -11
Ivisic=-13
Reeves =-18
Mitchell=-22

How good would this team be if it used its depth and ran a full court press 40 min a game? Run and gun? We have two teams basically. We can’t defend in the halfcourt nor rebound so why not use our depth and our fouls to be an aggressive pressing team ? Try to turn teams and if not at least wear them out.

Per Kenpom. Maybe this crazy stat site is correct. We can’t guard ANYONE.

And USC jumps 14, from 62 to 48.

You're welcome, Cocks.

When the shots ain’t falling we’ve got nothing. At all. Defense is laughably nonexistent. So little effort tonight. Got punched and folded like a bitch.

Something has to change or this team ain’t winning it in March.

We were dazed and humbled and confused last night. Best team won.

But a Day of Reckoning is coming. Showdown at Bridgestone Arena (Nashville)
Neutral Floor. 3 unbiased Officials. No surprises. Post Season rotations.

Likely another tough one, but these young 'Cats have a chance to get shit right with a proper beat down of the Razorbacks. Here's to hoping they slap 'em around! I think they will.

IF Big Z is for real-and I think he is, the only team that can beat us is the CATS themselves. We have so much talent and depth. The only coach that can beat us is Coach Cal himself. Sometimes he plays NOT to lose and slows us down too much-But, I don't think he will do it this year. This team wants to run and run some more. They are unselfish and play for the team. AS many have said, the only weakness is their team and one-on-one defense. I think they will improve a lot before the NCAA tournament. GO BB!

Cal played Edwards 23 minutes for a grand total of zero baskets lmao AND HE ONLY ATTEMPTED 1!

His 2 points came off free throws.

Just stealing money to portray a basketball coach

However that may be. I want to organize a party for all on this forum. It will be a big one a major celebration. This has to happen before cal goes anywhere because we don’t need this goober making anymore hiring decisions.

Did last night alter everybodies expectations for this team. Or is everybody still in on them being a final four team or a dangerous team in the tourney. Last night just highlighted for me that the mantra being said of “ oh Kentucky can just score 90 every game and they will be fine” is absolute bullshit. With the defense and rebounding being as it currently is I just don’t see this team going anywhere past the round of 32 or sweet 16

Had a great seat for the carnage. What struck me during warm ups was how big and strong SC looked compared to us....lots of older grown men out there. Player observations:
1. Reeves. Just not an elite athlete, which we already knew. Poor lateral quickness and got owned taking it to the hoop. Crafty shooter. Shot it poorly tonite.
2. Edwards. He gets the spectator award along with another guy (Reed). Just seemed to be an observer out there. Doesn't look like he's in great shape. Why he got 23 minutes is beyond me.
3. Bradshaw. I thought he was awful. Gets pushed around with ease.
4. Mitchell. Crafty but not very athletic. Played decent.
5. DJ. Took a lot of poor shots...doesn't look for shooters when he drives the lane and it isn't there. Not as athletic in person as I thought he'd be.
6. Dilly. Of all our guys, he's the only one who looked the part of a sure fire NBA prospect. Great hops and athleticism. Shot the ball well. A few bonehead plays of course.
7. Sheppard. Did absolutely nothing. Looked scared when he got in the game. Never seemed to want the ball. Looked like a 4 year guy. He's not exactly cut up himself and needs to drop a few pounds and work on his body.
8. Ugonna. He's was terrible.
9. Z ....Looked like a guy who thought it was going to be easy and found out he was in a rock fight. 10 minutes? C'mon Cal he's your best big.

Gotta give SC some props...they shot the ball extremely well and fed off the home crowd. Better days ahead for the Cats hopefully, but this was a reality check in terms of our ceiling. Cal needs to determine how he wants to play. The two 7 footers on the floor (wrong ones of course) experiment was a disaster.