Did we really impoved that much on defense against Ole Miss. I would say yes to inside play even though Ole Miss didn't have anyone down low that played bully ball like Gonzaga did and no to perimeter defense. If you rewatch the Ole Miss game they got tons of wide open looks from three they just werent hitting. We are still pinching down to much on help defense on drives
Anonymous Coaches on UK’s Defense
- Thread starter LXWildcat
- Start date
I'm sorry all of you defending Cal and what he is or isn't doing all I see are excuses. Young blah blah blah. These freshmen aren't as good as past freshmen again blah blah blah. Zone is awful blah blah blah. Just every single excuse that can be thought of. Here is the bottom line. I/we just want to see improvement and results. Tired of the talking and the excuses just fix the problem/s and give us results.
Well now that coach k is gone , Calipari probably gets more players he wants than any coach in the country so what are trying to argue here ?
Ball pressure took Auburn out of their offense…ball pressure
Counter point: Look at our last 2 games. Pretty good defensive performance, wouldn't you agree? You don't get to that level of defense if you start compromising and spending time on zone in practice instead of continuing to chip away and preach your defensive priorities. Again, just a counter-point
Did it work pretty well against Ole Miss? Did it work pretty well against Auburn? It's honestly the most clear sign on here of posters who have very little, if any, legit basketball knowledge. If you start compromising your defensive priorities and just say, he lets play zone since we suck at defense - you're going to continue to suck at defense. But if you CONTINUE focusing on your defensive identity and devensive priorities, you'll continue to improve throughout the season. And look at this, wouldn't you know it, a terrific defensive week for the Kentucky basketball team.
It's almost, jussssssst almost, like the entire Kentucky basketball coaching staff knows more about basketball than the entirety of Rupps Rafters. I know I know, going to be a tough pillow for some on here to swallow
Did it work out in 4 home losses this year, including 3 in a row at home? These kind of posts, where you can't question anyone, regardless of results are ****ing insane.
Attention everyone: We won our last 2 games, therefore the losses prior to those don't mean shit. Calipari had everything correct all along. Take the the 3 straight home losses that hadn't happened to this program since the 1960's, shine em up really nice, and deposit them up your anus'.
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Some of our fans just have the constant hopeful outlook.
Thats fine, just stop trying to convince everyone that things will work out differently than they have in recent years. Stop puffing chests and doing Cal victory laps after one good win.
At the very least, wait for a decent winning streak?
Yeah, like win a SEC regular season title, or win more than 1 SEC tournament game since 2019, or maybe even go back to a Final-4.
Winning 2 regular season games doesn't give you some fan trump card to override the rest of the season.
You answered your own question kind of. High school competition.
In high school, one or two players who are actually good can dominate other teams on their own. In high school, you have a lot less athleticism and skilled players. Zones would therefore work better in more circumstances versus high school competition.
No. But when the team is a work in progress and there are signs of progress starting to show it’s ok to remind the haters that it’s work in progress.
Not that it will make one iota of difference to the hater.
Cal does what he does the way he does it. He doesn’t sway from his methods or mission.
And he’s not going anywhere.
One can chose to appreciate the ride and revel in its successes or one can chose to just wallow in blind hatred.
But it is a choice.
Mike-D clearly doesn't understand how development across a season works. Mike-D knows he has no argument to make, so he moves the goalposts and decides to ramble about irrelevant otherwise topics
"We're sooooo bad boooohooo booohoo, we lost 3 games in a row, boooohoooo". UK then snags 2 great wins, best 2 defensive performances of the season, then we get: "BUT HE DIDNT PLAY ZONE!!!! BUT BIG Z DIDNT PLAY!!! BUT CAL IS STILL THE COACH!!! ARGGHHH!!!"
lmao, get a grip man
We lost three in a row at home. Not understanding how significant that is and then making a post like this is pretty funny. Talk about somebody not understanding something, when you don’t understand that apparently lmao
Good Lort, you're ****in weird.
Our defense has been ****ing atrocious, whether you want to admit it or not. Winning our last 2 games doesn't change that. We are still rated in the 100's in adjusted defensive efficiency. So yeah, if I wanna get on a fan page, and give suggestions as to how we can improve our defense, ****in deal with it.
And if you can't deal with it, hug your Cal shrine a little tighter. Find your safe space. Whatever it takes.
Ok Mike-Suck-A-D, good one!
Winning our last 2 games, actually, does change that. Whether you're intelligent enough to figure that out or not. Maybe your Cal-Hatred-Lenses are blocking that.
Cats are inside the Top 100 in defensive efficiency - I guess reading tables and charts isn't your strong suit?
Cats had the top defensive efficiency in the entire nation last week. I guess thats....good?
You seem like an articulate and well-reasoned poster. Have a good one!
Speaking of reading charts. Here we are, dumbass. Updated 2/20/24
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Defensive Efficiency | TeamRankings.com
NCAA Basketball defensive efficiency, by team.
www.teamrankings.com
134th
Bye dumbass
You're every bit as dumb as I thought you were, since you're not using KenPom.Speaking of reading charts. Here we are, dumbass. Updated 2/20/24
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Defensive Efficiency | TeamRankings.com
NCAA Basketball defensive efficiency, by team.
134th
Bye dumbass
Lol you probably even have to wear velcro shoes, laces probably too much for you...
The biggest problem we have had on defense is / was aa simple fix. Effort and communication. I said it in other threads, you can coach defense all you want, but if the players are not giving the effort or applying it, it does you no good. The last two games, the players have given the effort and actually trying to play what they are being taught. They are talking and communicating, knowing where everyone is suppose to be. All it takes is for ONE player to be out of position and it completely breaks down the whole team defense. They still have areas to improve, but the effort is at least there. Same with rebounding, it is all positioning and effort.
Something else to keep in mind is health: as in, not only are you (DJ, Tre, etc) healthy enough to play in the game, but were you healthy enough to string together multiple practices in a row. You have to practice consistently in able to develop and progress - so when you miss practices, you fall behind, pretty simple.
Effort was great, absolutely. If we can get Rob to be more disciplined on defense (same with Reed, to a lesser extent), and keep the intensity high, we'll keep improving
Yeah, you're correct, I'm not paying for Kenpom. From what I can google, we are 81st in Kenpom's adjusted defensive efficiency. Further proof that you're 110% absolutely correct that nobody can question the shit. Because that's top tier defense for a program like Kentucky.
Agree. I was mostly referring to Dillingham with the "all it takes is for one player to be out of position". He is not alone in this, be he looks lost quite a bit on the court. He gets caught trying to play help defense when it is not needed, then kind of ends up running around in circles, lost in the middle of the court when the opposing team reverses the ball. Sheppard will over gamble on plays and gets out of position, but he tries to deflect the ball, has great hands and a knack for the steal. But like a great cornerback in football, sometimes the gamble is not worth the reward and he gets burned. A couple inside guys (Bradshaw /Edwards, who has been better lately), needs to move their feet and stay between the player and the goal. It is a lot to learn for these kids, and are learning on the fly, but they seem to be finally "getting" it. Just have to make sure the EFFORT is always there, because if not, none of it works. Effort is the easiest part, you either give it or you don't. Should never be an excuse. Talking is just as important as effort or technique. Players are learning to talk more and tell other players where to go to / what is happening. Just keep working on it, give all out effort, and see what happens. I have said it all year, the problems are easy fixes, just need to do it.
Good post. There is no doubt, our defense has been terrible in multiple games. I think the Rupp Arena effect combined with lack of defensive effort, and just trying to outscore people, led to that 3-game home losing streak. It never should have come to that, but it apparently took that kind of embarrassment to make these guys realize something had to change. And truthfully, when you're making shots and in an offensive rhythm it's easy to allow defensive intensity to lapse- you'll just outscore them, until you don't.
Do the Ole Miss and Auburn games change anything? Yes, it shows that this team is capable of defending well. They held Ole Miss to one of their lowest offensive numbers of the season and they held Auburn to their lowest score at home of the season. But does it change the rest of the season? Only if they continue to give the same effort and continue applying what they've been learning.
I will add 2 other things: 1. settling on Onyenso as the main center has been helpful. He's a defense first player and he makes a huge difference on that end. 2. It's clear to me Calipari made a switch to his previous offensive style in the last 2 games, which is more focused on controlling tempo. I would guess if you look at UK's 2 games last week, their adjusted tempo numbers were WAY lower than before. Those were both old school Calipari style games. How many times did UK shoot with under 10 seconds against Auburn in the 2nd half? I'd say it was well over 90% of our possessions. We didn't turn the ball over and Auburn didn't get opportunities to make runs. That equals 70-59.
Good post, but we can't sacrifice too much offense to try and help the defense. The defense needs to improve by itself. We can't just turn this team into a grind it out half-court offense to limit defensive possessions, IMO. Keep the offense elite, and keep working on the defense.
I'll add something else: when you play as fast as Kentucky has played, you're going to give your opponent more possessions. So every time we come down and take a quick 3 or a quick contested shot, we're giving the opponent more possessions. Cal will let them play, but he'll also try to manage possessions, especially late in 2nd half. But typically teams that play fast, they give up points too - and that's because their opponents are getting more possessions than they typically get
Ugonna has been big as of late, absolutely. He's the most deserving center we have for playing time, and right now, it's not even close
Edwards seems more "bought in" defensively. Hopefully his offense can catch him. But his length is valuable if he's focused defensively.
DJ pressure on the ball - puts opponents in a tougher spot initiating the offense, forcing the offense further away from the basket, etc.
I've never seen haters enjoy hating more in their hateful filled lives. Bizarre human behavior.
Cats win a good game, they hate because Big Z didn't play.
Cats win a good game, they hate because we didn't play zone
Cats win a good game, they hate because Reed came off the bench
Cats win a good game, they hate because Auburn missed too many shots
Cats win back to back good games, "yeah but remember in November when we lost..."
Cats win back to back good games, "yeah but Cal is going to the all-star game"
I agree Mike. I'm just making an observation, not a suggestion. Haha! I think Calipari let the guys play in the first half as normal. Auburn's defense slowed us down some. But in the 2nd half, especially, when we had the double digit lead mid-way through the half, Cal slowed them down to prevent a big run. And it worked.
Yes, but zones do also work in college, even used in spurts. That was my point, Cal doesn't seem willing to even consider an alternate defensive plan even just for short periods of time during a game to mix things up. That is just sound coaching, having more than one plan. Wasn't trying to compare high school players to college, talking about coaching strategies.
My post about trying zone or mixing up defenses was on Friday, before we won at Auburn, so I'm not sure who else you're referring to when it comes to your term "the haters." I don't hate Cal, but I do hate losing, and there is nothing wrong with being critical as a fan when your team is losing. Nothing wrong with offering suggestions. At the end of the day, Cal's man to man defense is his bread and butter, but to say that he shouldn't ever switch defenses is crazy to me.
Now, if we continue improving in our man-to-man, and we keep winning, obviously I will change my mind on that stance. This stuff is game to game. Hence why I thought it was crazy that we were still running man after losing 3 straight home games. Hopefully Cal is on to something.
It wasn't directed at you specifically, and I'm being sincere when I say that. But if you don't think those exact complaints haven't been made after wins (the exact ones I listed), then you're not reading enough threads on here (not that I blame you, it tends to be a cestpool at times).
I don't have a problem criticizing Cal, or Stoops, or other coaches. I'm a coach myself, and I understand criticisms are a part of the job. But we literally have "fans", on here and twitter, that have publcly posted they'd rather lose games if that meant Cal would be fired. What kind of nonsense is that? And if you point it out, you're just labeled as a "Cal lover boy" - which I'm sure you've observed on here.
I approach things a little more like a coach, less like a fan - I know defense takes the longest time to develop. I know, especially with new players, communication takes a long time to develop. And I know, again with new players especially freshmen, it takes a while for them to actually understand how hard, how physical you have to play every possession. I HATE losing to teams like UNC-W or going OT with teams like St. Joseph's, but I also understand the process. And as cliche as it is, the process takes time. If you abandon it too early, that can be destructive.
But like I said in an earlier post, I DO support having a zone in the back pocket. But zones are rarely the "fix all" solution most casual fans expect them to be
I would love to see us try a 1/3/1 trapping defense with Z at the top for two minutes a game. Maybe Bradshaw in the middle of the three with the responsibility of joining Z to form the trap . Would b fun to watch and I think may result in a steal or 2 .
I agree with your suggestion about mixing up defenses. I've always thought it would be good if Calipari had a zone ready for times when our guys are struggling to stay in front or if they're in foul trouble. It seems he's got a zone ready now, which is good, though I think he tried it against Auburn just to say "I told you so" in the postgame, which he did.
I think the team at least has shown they can defend if they want to, and that's definitely a good thing. They just can't become satisfied with 2 good defensive games and lapse. The margin for error is completely gone. They really need to win every game now. They can probably afford to lose 1 more- to Alabama or at Tennessee maybe but not both. For the sake of the NCAAT, they really need to win out.
Most of those seasons the portal rules were different and many of those teams now have 4 or 5 portal players 20 and above.
Yep, "We're young" again... CCC was on the radio again this week pleading with us to be patient. He must think we're stupid.
Ugo has made a difference in our defense. In games where he plays 15 minutes or more he is averaging 4.1 blocks per game which would lead the nation if would have played more minutes in some of those earlier games and played more games.
Yep, he makes a huge difference. Teams will think twice before going into the lane now, and that's a win. The 10 blocks against Ole Miss spoke volumes. It's obvious Auburn saw that. They were clearly avoiding him, taking tougher shots and more difficult angles on drives. He affected the game even when he wasn't defending a shot.
I will also add this- Auburn is most dangerous when they are forcing turnovers and scoring off their defense. That's how they get on runs and blow people out- especially at home. But Kentucky didn't turn the ball over much, and even when we did turn it over Auburn didn't score much. UK turned it over 12 times. Auburn turned it over 11 times. UK scored 23 points off turnovers (scored off every t/o) and Auburn only had 10. That was the difference in the game.
Can't lose anymore home games. I don't care. No excuses. Beat Bama at home, because we are the home team, with better players. Just go out and do it. It would be nice to win at UT, but you were supposed to beat them at home. That's a much harder game to win on the road. I'd like to make it to SEC tournament play with no more than 1 more loss.
This. Last year was composed of mostly different players and the same problems persisted throughout the season. It doesn't matter where freshman start as long as they steadily improve through the season. We use to see teams steadily improving as the season progressed. No more. They look the exact same from the first game to the last. Why does it take to mid February multiple home losses to unranked teams before Cal begins to do something about it? It paints the picture of pure laziness and trying to skate by on talent from the coaching staff to me.
I read the most recent post game notes and Cal said, something like, Did anyone notice we played a zone on 1 possession? He went on to say "we didn't know what we were doing, I didn't know what we were doing, so how can the other team know??"
$9 Million doesn't go as far as it used to.......
