Do we eventually see this team clicking... and when?

[Wildcat-in-STL]

I think we will go through an 8-game stretch (give or take) where we look like a Final Four team. But we will likely lose 10 games and end on a disappointing note. I hate being this pessimistic, but we have no recent history to make me feel otherwise.

its because cal's offense is so limited during a season that when the team figures it out and clicks..........teams then eventually learn how to counter it and then cal's lost. he doesnt have time to throw in 20 more plays and the team learn it....... he then has to hope the team out talents the other teams and thats not happening last year or this year

 

[Backer cutter]

Thanks for illustrating my point. You've just offered nothing helpful, productive, or even the slightest hint of hope. Just a gripe session, which is exactly why I said what I said above. You might as well just find another team to support this season or take up a hobby. Are you hoping for losses to confirm your bias or will you be pleased if the team surprises you?

In all fairness, you started your post saying it’s pointless to try to rationalize, yet you did anyway. How is that different from his post? By the way, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m hoping for losses myself. If that disgusts you or other hang on too long Cal supporters, so be it. I’m in for the long haul. He can’t cut it no more. Make a change and move on. Sooner the better.

 

[docholiday51]

I think we are overestimating the talent on this team just a bit

Oscar and Wallace will give us a chance to win most games
Fredrick will regain his shooting eye to a greater extent than we have see so far
Wheeler is what he is, some good games and some games that cost us
Reeves will give us a solid 12 points a game
Toppin, Collins and Ware are what they appear to be they have reached their potential
Ugo will give us good minutes in spots but is still in the learning process and
get 10 to 14 minutes a game
Livingston could help but he may be the odd man out and never quite find his role with this team, the same can be said for Thiero only worse he might help but we likely will never know

I think this team wins 22/23 games and has some bright spots but doesn't get where we thought they could go. There is no dominant team in college basketball at this point and I'm not convinced there will be one.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

We saw the beginning stages of the clicking v Michigan as evidenced not only by the neutral court win but the 9 of 15 shooting from long range.

May God have mercy on not only Yale Sat. but on every team UK plays the rest of this season.

Are you a real person?

 

[cats#1again]

I think we will click and become even stronger during the SEC schedule. I do think it possible that we might lose a player or two within the next few weeks. Our rotation is getting smaller and several very good players are not getting the clock that they hoped for. I am not counting Theiro in that group. I definitely hope that Livingston stays. I think he can be more valuable than Toppin. Collins has to show improvement and make the most of his minutes or he will be sitting by Ware forever. He, and possibly Ware, may be portal candidates.

In March Toppin was all of our fans favorite player.... He gets quite a bit better in the off season and every fan on here talks about how bad he is. Our fans are bi polar

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I predict spurts of consistency during the month of January.

I like you brother.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

It's impossible to have a rational discussion right now on this board. It's pointless. Everything just devolves into "Cal is an idiot! Cal can't coach! Cal will just screw it up." It becomes no real discussion, just another gripe thread. But I'll give you an opinion...

I agree that this team is not what I thought it was back in the Bahamas. Once I saw what Reeves could bring and then with the way Toppin was playing and even Collins, I thought this team could be dominant, one of the best in the nation. I will say, the early injuries to Oscar and Wheeler hurt the early development. Having heard Calipari talk about how the team really doesn't put in offense in the Bahamas, it makes more sense. They were just playing man to man defense and running a couple sets on offense. Anyways, I think that's part of the problem. For Collins, the death of his father seems to have set him back significantly. He was playing with confidence and aggression in Bahamas but we haven't seen that yet.

But there is something else here that I didn't see coming. Reeves doesn't seem to deal well with physicality. And he also has backed off under pressure. He showed against Michigan that he can step up, though, so maybe he has turned a corner. Fredrick has also struggled against more athletic teams. I'm not sure that will change.

As for Toppin, he showed some signs against Michigan that he is ready to step up. Before that, he was backing down under pressure and disappeared in the big games, vs Mich St and Gonzaga. He must be a consistent player for this team to be what we thought.

I think we're still waiting on some guys- Fredrick, Collins, and Livingston- to become what we need them to be. We have seen some flashes from Onyenso which i didn't expect and could be a good addition.

The best news we've seen so far is from Cason Wallace. We knew he could become a great player as he progressed this season, and he has shown that he may be ahead of schedule.

So, what's next? I'm not sure. We need these guys who have been timid at times to step forward and be what they have the potential to be. Namely, Toppin and Reeves MUST be consistent threats every game out. We need Wallace to continue his production. We need Oscar to be Oscar. We need Wheeler to be more steady. We need Fredrick to get open and make shots.

Yale will be a challenge because of their style, which mirrors Bellarmine and Mich State. That will tell us if we're ready to step forward or not. And the next high pressure game will be UCLA at MSG. That game will tell us if we are ready for the pressure of a big game and atmosphere. The Michigan game was a step in the right direction but was still lacking consistency. Too many turnovers and dumb mistakes, too many missed free throws under pressure.

I think we will get there eventually. We're gonna have some more growing pains. I just hope we can win while growing. When we hit conference play, we'll need to take more steps ahead. I guess we'll see.

Solid.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I think we are overestimating the talent on this team just a bit

Oscar and Wallace will give us a chance to win most games
Fredrick will regain his shooting eye to a greater extent than we have see so far
Wheeler is what he is, some good games and some games that cost us
Reeves will give us a solid 12 points a game
Toppin, Collins and Ware are what they appear to be they have reached their potential
Ugo will give us good minutes in spots but is still in the learning process and
get 10 to 14 minutes a game
Livingston could help but he may be the odd man out and never quite find his role with this team, the same can be said for Thiero only worse he might help but we likely will never know

I think this team wins 22/23 games and has some bright spots but doesn't get where we thought they could go. There is no dominant team in college basketball at this point and I'm not convinced there will be one.

I love this post. I’ve been saying for quite a while that the talent on this team was misjudged. That’s it.

 

[bookerfan66]

In March Toppin was all of our fans favorite player.... He gets quite a bit better in the off season and every fan on here talks about how bad he is. Our fans are bi polar

I don't see where Toppin has gotten better at all.His outside shooting has been horrific.

 

[kyjeff1]

This is going to shock some people, because it's coming from me, but I'm going to say this team will click. Here's what I see and what I think needs to happen.

Cal is tinkering too much. He is trying to get Collins going and he's trying to slowly get Wallace into the flow.

In my opinion, he has to stop with the Collins experiment. He played him too much in the MSU and Gonzaga games. Played him too much in the Michigan game. Yeah, he got some rebounds in the UofM game, but lets be honest, Michigan abandoned the offensive glass so they could get back and set their defense.

Here's another thing, he's making a huge mistake by not getting Thiero in there.

The difference between Ado and Collins is, Ado is tougher, he isn't afraid to get in the mix.

Here's another thing, we have 3 other guys that can play the 4, we're good there, but this is a guards game, guards win tournament games and you all know what's going to happen, one of our guards is going to get hurt and be out a while, probably in February or worse, March and when that happens, we're going to look like crap. If he gets Ado going now, it will allow this team to keep it's stride. Getting Collins going, isn't going to help us all that much, he's never going to get in there and bang like you need to at the 4. Ado will play wrecking ball right now if you want him to.

If this team stays healthy, they SHOULD be one if the best teams by March and you guys know how this works, we see it every year, the hottest teams get to the FF.

I'm pissed because this team shouldn't be this far behind, I don't know what happened but we look more disjointed now, than we did in August.

Lastly, I keep seeing comments saying our players aren't very good, stop it, we have multiple elite shooters, a 5 man that is a returning NPOY and rebounds like nobody we have ever seen and we have Wallace, who is going to be unstoppable by March.

Cal just needs to stop tinkering before he kills any chance we get at a 1 seed. The SEC schedule is set up for us to win the league, he needs to make it happen. They look disjointed because he's not doing his job and he's tinkering too much. This team has all the pieces.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I

This is going to shock some people, because it's coming from me, but I'm going to say this team will click. Here's what I see and what I think needs to happen.

Cal is tinkering too much. He is trying to get Collins going and he's trying to slowly get Wallace into the flow.

In my opinion, he has to stop with the Collins experiment. He played him too much in the MSU and Gonzaga games. Played him too much in the Michigan game. Yeah, he got some rebounds in the UofM game, but lets be honest, Michigan abandoned the offensive glass so they could get back and set their defense.

Here's another thing, he's making a huge mistake by not getting Thiero in there.

The difference between Ado and Collins is, Ado is tougher, he isn't afraid to get in the mix.

Here's another thing, we have 3 other guys that can play the 4, we're good there, but this is a guards game, guards win tournament games and you all know what's going to happen, one of our guards is going to get hurt and be out a while, probably in February or worse, March and when that happens, we're going to look like crap. If he gets Ado going now, it will allow this team to keep it's stride. Getting Collins going, isn't going to help us all that much, he's never going to get in there and bang like you need to at the 4. Ado will play wrecking ball right now if you want him to.

If this team stays healthy, they SHOULD be one if the best teams by March and you guys know how this works, we see it every year, the hottest teams get to the FF.

I'm pissed because this team shouldn't be this far behind, I don't know what happened but we look more disjointed now, than we did in August.

Lastly, I keep seeing comments saying our players aren't very good, stop it, we have multiple elite shooters, a 5 man that is a returning NPOY and rebounds like nobody we have ever seen and we have Wallace, who is going to be unstoppable by March.

Cal just needs to stop tinkering before he kills any chance we get at a 1 seed. The SEC schedule is set up for us to win the league, he needs to make it happen. They look disjointed because he's not doing his job and he's tinkering too much. This team has all the pieces.

agree with you in terms of possibly clicking and Cal messing around too much. As for the talent, it’s good, but people here thought it was elite. I saw posts asking if we had more talent than ‘15? Crazy. Anyway, I didn’t say they were bad, or not good…but not as good as maybe we thought.

 

[kyjeff1]

its because cal's offense is so limited during a season that when the team figures it out and clicks..........teams then eventually learn how to counter it and then cal's lost. he doesnt have time to throw in 20 more plays and the team learn it....... he then has to hope the team out talents the other teams and thats not happening last year or this year

And this is what's so frustrating about the Cal era, I get it, talent wins, but that talent is cancelled out by the fact that we have a brand new mix of players every year that are competing against teams that have had players come through their system and develop for years. Their offenses are more advanced.

Heck, Cal can't even throw more than one or two inbounds plays at these guys, because there's just too many other things they have to learn in limited practice time.

Cal's overall system works, but only if players stay in it for 3+ years, you can't cram 3+ years of experience into one season.

Not only that, but young guys choke in NCAAT play.

I wish he would stop with these turnstyle rosters, we're missing the boat.

 

[sk73]

In March Toppin was all of our fans favorite player.... He gets quite a bit better in the off season and every fan on here talks about how bad he is. Our fans are bi polar

Oh, I do not think he is bad at all. I think he is a good player but the hype or, overhype this Summer and Fall made me expect more. I think after the adjustment that many freshmen need, Livingston will prove to be a better fit. Thats just my take after a few games. I may be way off on this one.

 

[kyjeff1]

I

agree with you in terms of possibly clicking and Cal messing around too much. As for the talent, it’s good, but people here thought it was elite. I saw posts asking if we had more talent than ‘15? Crazy. Anyway, I didn’t say they were bad, or not good…but not as good as maybe we thought.

But I think the talent is elite, they just look pedestrian, because they're lost and confused.

Not only that, but there's no set lineup, he's mixing up so many different lineups in these games and they don't play long enough together to gain cohesion.

Wallace, Oscar and Reeves are elite. Reeves is an elite shooter, but he has the potential to be more than just an elite shooter. CJ is also an elite shooter and his overall game is that of a + player, he's smart

Livingston has the body and athletesisn to be elite, but, he's a freshman and he needs game minutes. He's one to watch.

You know who's not elite? Wheeler, Collins and Toppin. He needs to start limiting their minutes.

I also think Ado can be elite, he makes plays, he's just not getting a chance.

I think we have more overall talent and weapons than most teams out there, problem is, we're disjointed because Cal keeps tinkering.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

And this is what's so frustrating about the Cal era, I get it, talent wins, but that talent is cancelled out by the fact that we have a brand new mix of players every year that are competing against teams that have had players come through their system and develop for years. Their offenses are more advanced.

Heck, Cal can't even throw more than one or two inbounds plays at these guys, because there's just too many other things they have to learn in limited practice time.

Cal's overall system works, but only if players stay in it for 3+ years, you can't cram 3+ years of experience into one season.

Not only that, but young guys choke in NCAAT play.

I wish he would stop with these turnstyle rosters, we're missing the boat.

He should just pick a damn offense .....find an assistant coach that is great with that offense and let them handle it and that way even though players might only be in it 1 or 2 years, you can hand them the playbook the second they sign on to UK, let them look it over and tapes of practices to prepare for being here.. during summers have a walk on or manager have the team run plays since thats not considered actual practices... or do what most other good teams do. now that its allowed some practice in the summer, use that as a door into practicing a sh*t load because if someone else sees it, you can just say oh we're here using our small amount of practice time and no one outside of the team is there all the time to know any better. I mean sh*t we have 2 former Pitino players in the last 6 years admit they practiced well over the limit so why care if we do it again now.

 

[SparksCat]

For those of you who are optimistic that this team will get better, go ahead and tell us what seed we should be anticipating for the big dance.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

This is going to be a very good team. Cal always fits a team together. With one exception. It's going to be tougher to make this team fit if Cal sticks with playing Wheeler 25 to 35 minutes. Cal's best teams come from empowering the players. You can't empower Wheeler. Wheeler has very few basketball skills and absolutely no "feel" for basketball.

 

[Mike-McD]

Thanks for illustrating my point. You've just offered nothing helpful, productive, or even the slightest hint of hope. Just a gripe session, which is exactly why I said what I said above. You might as well just find another team to support this season or take up a hobby. Are you hoping for losses to confirm your bias or will you be pleased if the team surprises you?

You didn't read his post at all, because he made a series of valid, substantive points and observations. And you just came back with the "go root for another team" response which is a classic example of the kind of antagonistic discourse you were just bitching about.

 

[DreadLox]

You didn't read his post at all, because he made a series of valid, substantive points and observations. And you just came back with the "go root for another team" response which is a classic example of the kind of antagonistic discourse you were just bitching about.

Back in the early USENET days, basketball was discussed on rec.sport.basketball (rsb). That split into pro and college forums. (rsbp and rsbc).

This forum should split into 2 -- a forum for those who hate Calipari and one for those who don't.

And never the twain shall meet.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

its because cal's offense is so limited during a season that when the team figures it out and clicks..........teams then eventually learn how to counter it and then cal's lost. he doesnt have time to throw in 20 more plays and the team learn it....... he then has to hope the team out talents the other teams and thats not happening last year or this year

Has this poster never heard of the tweak? Camp Cal?

Your description is perfect.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Has this poster never heard of the tweak? Camp Cal?

Your description is perfect.

and the first ever tweak..... worked for 3 weeks..... because it was done right at post season time and was figured out by Uconn 3 weeks later.. Cal was smart he'd look ahead and think of how teams can counter the "tweak" and have something in place ready for the next step . I thought cal was a genius at one time.... now I think he was just lucky to know Phil Knight personally and be friends

 

[SparksCat]

We do realize the tweak relied heavily on Aaron Harrison hitting last second shots in 3 games?

 

[KENTUCKY_FLYER]

Thanks for illustrating my point. You've just offered nothing helpful, productive, or even the slightest hint of hope. Just a gripe session, which is exactly why I said what I said above. You might as well just find another team to support this season or take up a hobby. Are you hoping for losses to confirm your bias or will you be pleased if the team surprises you?

And you just made my point, I cant help the news is depressing, it is what it is. My point is that that you think if we discuss the problems were being negative and that's just not true. Calling a spade a spade is not being negative, its seeing reality.

There's a very well developed patterns evolving. One pattern is cal never develops players, the ones that do develop come in pretty much developed. Second is this guy can pull some real crazy excuses out of his quiver really quick. Like Oscar doesn't know the plays. Come on man, i can't believe he tried to shove that shit sandwich down our throats. Third pattern is the fans saying that the team will develop after a few more games until there are no more games left to play.

The only way to resolve a problem is to confront it, acknowledge it, offer solutions and move forward. At his point the solution is not to continue making a ton of excuses for the players and coaches, Its the coaches position, responsibility, obligation, or in other words it's his JOB to right the ship. I sorry if troubles you that some of us think we've put our finger on the problem and refuse to continually have Cal and fans with blinders on making excuses. The pattern is there. Open your eyes. Sorry but I don't mind talking about it. Enough of us talked about until Tubby was gone. Cal IS TUBBY. Same guy. I'm ready to get rid of him using the same method.

Wanted to add, that regretfully UK is so predictable and boring to watch, and i want a team like we had in the 70's and the 90's and the early cal years that yeah, I don't really care if we win at this point. I want a fundamentally sound team that runs plays and presses and defend like UK used to. I want fun exciting ball games. Cal will never deliver that. I hope he loses every game, I hate that for Kentucky but you gotta cut the cancer out to heal.

 

[KENTUCKY_FLYER]

Back in the early USENET days, basketball was discussed on rec.sport.basketball (rsb). That split into pro and college forums. (rsbp and rsbc).

This forum should split into 2 -- a forum for those who hate Calipari and one for those who don't.

And never the twain shall meet.

lol I'm tempted but that's not the way to handle disagreements or we would have billions of different groups. The Idea is to respect the others guys right to have an opinion. If you disagree just do it respectfully.

 

[IL Wildcat]

And you just made my point, I cant help the news is depressing, it is what it is. My point is that that you think if we discuss the problems were being negative and that's just not true. Calling a spade a spade is not being negative, its seeing reality.

There's a very well developed patterns evolving. One pattern is cal never develops players, the ones that do develop come in pretty much developed. Second is this guy can pull some real crazy excuses out of his quiver really quick. Like Oscar doesn't know the plays. Come on man, i can't believe he tried to shove that shit sandwich down our throats. Third pattern is the fans saying that the team will develop after a few more games until there are no more games left to play.

The only way to resolve a problem is to confront it, acknowledge it, offer solutions and move forward. At his point the solution is not to continue making a ton of excuses for the players and coaches, Its the coaches position, responsibility, obligation, or in other words it's his JOB to right the ship. I sorry if troubles you that some of us think we've put our finger on the problem and refuse to continually have Cal and fans with blinders on making excuses. The pattern is there. Open your eyes. Sorry but I don't mind talking about it. Enough of us talked about until Tubby was gone. Cal IS TUBBY. Same guy. I'm ready to get rid of him using the same method.

Wanted to add, that regretfully UK is so predictable and boring to watch, and i want a team like we had in the 70's and the 90's and the early cal years that yeah, I don't really care if we win at this point. I want a fundamentally sound team that runs plays and presses and defend like UK used to. I want fun exciting ball games. Cal will never deliver that. I hope he loses every game, I hate that for Kentucky but you gotta cut the cancer out to heal.

And there it is. You hope we lose every game. Is there any reason to even discuss this current team with you? NOT A SINGLE, RATIONAL REASON! Thanks for your honesty. I really do appreciate that. I appreciate it much more than the ones who continue to pretend they actually still cheer for this team. Merry Christmas to you and yours, sincerely. 🙂

 

[BlueWhite21]

Wheeler has to play 10-15 minutes a game for us to win anything.

Yeah I think if we can get that number down to about 10 mins the better off we would be. And give him the yellow light to shoot. If it gets blocked or misses badly then give him a red light. I hate for coaches to ruin players and their confidence by not giving them green light to shoot like Huggins with Oscar for example but that's when Wheeler starts killing us. He is in the game to use his Wheels and kick it off to an able shooter/ scorer.

 

[UK-chulo]

You may be right. The cream will rise to the top if it's there. I personally don't think it's a lack of talent. I think so far it's been a lack of confidence and execution. If I'm right, this team can push through and become what I think they are. If you're right, sweet 16 is the peak.

To be fair there are coaches who can get lesser talent to compete with better teams. Not sure the current version of Cal can do that.

 

[KENTUCKY_FLYER]

And there it is. You hope we lose every game. Is there any reason to even discuss this current team with you? NOT A SINGLE, RATIONAL REASON! Thanks for your honesty. I really do appreciate that. I appreciate it much more than the ones who continue to pretend they actually still cheer for this team. Merry Christmas to you and yours, sincerely. 🙂

lol there it is.. It not a gotcha moment my friend. I've seen 20 people on here say the same thing at one time or another. Saw one just today... i think in this very thread. They said when Tubby was here, they said it when Billy G was here. Don't discuss it if you don't want to, it's alright with me. Merry Christmas right back at ya my friend...

 

[UK-chulo]

This team is built for the draft.

 

[BlueWhite21]

I think this team will end up being fine and will gel at some point. I think you have alot of different reasons why we slow out the gate this season. For one, that time Oscar missed was very much needed time that could've been useful. It may not seem like alot of time to some as I recall I kept seeing many of you saying it's just Vienna Sausage Tech that we playing so let him sit we will be fine and win by 100. True true. But we done it by throwing chemistry off, even if just a little bit. I didn't want Oscar playing if he wasn't 100% either though.

CJ looked good against though weaker teams and he will be fine also. Let him get some real games under his belt before we decide he ain't worth the Charmin he wipes his butt with. He hasn't played in a real game in 7 yrs cause of injuries but he has produced before and put up nice respectable numbers against P5 teams. He will again.

We all wanted a tougher schedule and we got it. We didn't want to get smashed but we did against Zags. MSU beat us 2 OTs and Oscar Fouled out. Unfortunately Oscar was one of the few to show up that night. A win would've been nice but it took 2OTs and it wasn't like it was Evansville at home. I think we will get settled down and some things will start to come together pretty soon. I don't think SW playing 40MPG is going to bode well or give us our best shot to be the best we can be but if he could ever figure out to pass it to the better percentage shooter instead of tryin to take it himself and get his then maybe he can make Cal look like all of us ppl are crazy. I doubt it happens, but I wished it would. I think the thing with Collins father and those types of things like that also has impacts and slows stuff down more than some would realize. But we will finally get it all on the same page at some point I do believe. Now, I can't guarantee that we stay on it once we get on the page. Staying consistent and not jumping off the track happens often with Calipari coached teams.

 

[Sejonesy]

Yep. No way can he play 30+ minutes a game and us expect to win anything significant. He’s just not a high basketball IQ PG. He doesn’t control the flow and pace of the game very well. He struggles with finishing at the rim, outside shooting and doing anything whatsoever in crunch time. He’s a bonehead mistake waiting for a place to happen.

My goodness, you are clueless

 

[BlueWhite21]

My goodness, you are clueless

View embedded media

Clueless??? Clueless yo ass. I thought Cowtown Cat hit nail on the head. Just because some talking head gives a star out don't mean shit. Hell, did he tell how many times he got his shit blocked at the rim or how many Ill advised other things he does. Glad he good on assist to turnover ratio but he bad for bonehead to bonehead plays ratio also.

 

[BlueWhite21]

My goodness, you are clueless

View embedded media

If Wheeler just came in and done these things like pass the ball and tried to get his assists in which he does get dimes... Even tho I don't know how he gets wat he gets in the dime department sometimes because seems like he always looking to make a play or get a basket for himself. Forces alot of things and that's all I'm saying is he'd b better off slow down and let it come to him at certain times. But I don't hate Wheeler and I'm not in that club that just can't stand the guy but I do agree with Cowtown here that he a bonehead play waiting to happen .

 

[IL Wildcat]

I just want to reiterate my point above. I don't mind having a discussion of the team and possible improvements that are needed and how the team can be better and win more games when I'm talking to people who can discuss the team without turning the entire discussion into an attack on Calipari. And, perhaps more importantly, I can have an honest discussion of the team and players when I know we all want the same thing, which is for the team to do well, win games, and for the players to become their best. But it's clear from this thread that is not the case for many. At least 2 posters here want the team to lose every game. The desire for the team to lose every game and to blame Calipari for every issue clouds the judgment of many. You can't have an honest discussion or logical evaluation of the team when your bias clouds your judgment.

I will say, I do appreciate the honest admissions here. I really do. It helps me know where you're coming from and that you've ceased to be a fan of this team. You may still want the best for the program (or claim that is the case, at least) but you've checked out on this particular team. So long as I know that, I can see there is no need to discuss it with you. Sad part is, many here not only hate Calipari they're beginning to hate anyone who doesn't also hate him. This is where we are now.

So, just to be clear. I still hope we win games. Ahhhh! I can send my picture to anyone who wants to make a dart board of my face. I know, it's shameful to want the team I've cheered on my entire life to actually win games.

I'm actually going to the Yale game with my son. Should I wear Yale colors and chant "EFF Kentucky" like an Indiana fan? Should we cheer if the team scores or wins? And to think, some of you people hope the team loses that game and ruins our weekend trip. That's where we are.

 

[megablue]

It's impossible to have a rational discussion right now on this board. It's pointless. Everything just devolves into "Cal is an idiot! Cal can't coach! Cal will just screw it up." It becomes no real discussion, just another gripe thread. But I'll give you an opinion...

I agree that this team is not what I thought it was back in the Bahamas. Once I saw what Reeves could bring and then with the way Toppin was playing and even Collins, I thought this team could be dominant, one of the best in the nation. I will say, the early injuries to Oscar and Wheeler hurt the early development. Having heard Calipari talk about how the team really doesn't put in offense in the Bahamas, it makes more sense. They were just playing man to man defense and running a couple sets on offense. Anyways, I think that's part of the problem. For Collins, the death of his father seems to have set him back significantly. He was playing with confidence and aggression in Bahamas but we haven't seen that yet.

But there is something else here that I didn't see coming. Reeves doesn't seem to deal well with physicality. And he also has backed off under pressure. He showed against Michigan that he can step up, though, so maybe he has turned a corner. Fredrick has also struggled against more athletic teams. I'm not sure that will change.

As for Toppin, he showed some signs against Michigan that he is ready to step up. Before that, he was backing down under pressure and disappeared in the big games, vs Mich St and Gonzaga. He must be a consistent player for this team to be what we thought.

I think we're still waiting on some guys- Fredrick, Collins, and Livingston- to become what we need them to be. We have seen some flashes from Onyenso which i didn't expect and could be a good addition.

The best news we've seen so far is from Cason Wallace. We knew he could become a great player as he progressed this season, and he has shown that he may be ahead of schedule.

So, what's next? I'm not sure. We need these guys who have been timid at times to step forward and be what they have the potential to be. Namely, Toppin and Reeves MUST be consistent threats every game out. We need Wallace to continue his production. We need Oscar to be Oscar. We need Wheeler to be more steady. We need Fredrick to get open and make shots.

Yale will be a challenge because of their style, which mirrors Bellarmine and Mich State. That will tell us if we're ready to step forward or not. And the next high pressure game will be UCLA at MSG. That game will tell us if we are ready for the pressure of a big game and atmosphere. The Michigan game was a step in the right direction but was still lacking consistency. Too many turnovers and dumb mistakes, too many missed free throws under pressure.

I think we will get there eventually. We're gonna have some more growing pains. I just hope we can win while growing. When we hit conference play, we'll need to take more steps ahead. I guess we'll see.

Thoughtful post with fair observations.
Cautious optimism, tempered by reality.

 

[megablue]

In March Toppin was all of our fans favorite player.... He gets quite a bit better in the off season and every fan on here talks about how bad he is. Our fans are bi polar

Toppin was the back-up QB last year.
Livingston appears to be this year.

Reeves is shooting better than I thought he could and Fredrick is shooting poorer than I thought he would. I think they will both gravitate to their historical percentages. My biggest concern is that neither can defend well enough against good teams, based on what I’ve seen.
I hope I am wrong and both will be solid on both ends of the floor. We need them to be.

 

[IL Wildcat]

Thoughtful post with fair observations.
Cautious optimism, tempered by reality.

Yes, I think that is a wise approach. I hope I'm no fool for holding out hopes this team can do well. I do see the pieces of a very good team still. When I see a team shooting so well against lesser teams but struggling against stronger teams and missing open shots against those teams, it makes me think the issue is mental more than ability. They need to see shots fall and believe. They need to play with confidence and become the best version of themselves. Cal may not be a great in-game coach, but he has always been good at motivating guys and helping them become their best version. So, I think there is reason for optimism on that front. We're not trying to squeeze orange juice from a bunch of lemons. We're just trying to get these guys to produce. I guess we'll see. I'll be at Rupp this weekend for Yale and I'm hoping we see another step forward. Here's hoping. 🙂

 

[KENTUCKY_FLYER]

I just want to reiterate my point above. I don't mind having a discussion of the team and possible improvements that are needed and how the team can be better and win more games when I'm talking to people who can discuss the team without turning the entire discussion into an attack on Calipari. And, perhaps more importantly, I can have an honest discussion of the team and players when I know we all want the same thing, which is for the team to do well, win games, and for the players to become their best. But it's clear from this thread that is not the case for many. At least 2 posters here want the team to lose every game. The desire for the team to lose every game and to blame Calipari for every issue clouds the judgment of many. You can't have an honest discussion or logical evaluation of the team when your bias clouds your judgment.

I will say, I do appreciate the honest admissions here. I really do. It helps me know where you're coming from and that you've ceased to be a fan of this team. You may still want the best for the program (or claim that is the case, at least) but you've checked out on this particular team. So long as I know that, I can see there is no need to discuss it with you. Sad part is, many here not only hate Calipari they're beginning to hate anyone who doesn't also hate him. This is where we are now.

So, just to be clear. I still hope we win games. Ahhhh! I can send my picture to anyone who wants to make a dart board of my face. I know, it's shameful to want the team I've cheered on my entire life to actually win games.

I'm actually going to the Yale game with my son. Should I wear Yale colors and chant "EFF Kentucky" like an Indiana fan? Should we cheer if the team scores or wins? And to think, some of you people hope the team loses that game and ruins our weekend trip. That's where we are.

I truly appreciate that you are trying to understand my and a few others opinions. And while I don't agree with you I honestly wish I had your prospective. its probably healthier and more fun to see it from your point of view.

But Id like to clarify one point, I don't place any blame on these players, none at all. They may be overrated, I honestly don't know. They may be putting unnecessary pressure on themselves, I don't know. They maybe physically weaker, I don't know. But what I do know is they are not being properly prepared. When these guys do get drafted they are producing big time pretty quickly for the most part. Why is that? all roads lead to Coaching.

Ill make one more admission that I wish I didn't have to and I wish I didn't feel this way. But even in the good years, Cal just rubbed me the wrong way. By 2013 I just didn't like the guy. I like him better from a distance when he was at UMASS and Memphis. I honestly hope it doesn't color my opinion of his coaching. I don't think it does.

Hope you and the kids have a great time at the game...

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

I think this can be a good UK squad. We got rolled in our first real road game, and we lost in a double overtime thriller. Alot of Basketball to be played. If so many weren't thirsting for Cals blood there wouldn't be near as many negative comments about the team. I don't see a Final Four calibre team right now but we could improve and change my mind. Bottom line We are playing a pretty toughen conference schedule, if we can get to conference play with 2 losses we can turn this into a good season

 

[Cowtown Cat]

My goodness, you are clueless

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Lmao you’re clueless about basketball and life in general. Congrats. Wheeler and elite shouldn’t be used in the same sentence. Most fans cringe every time he has the ball. That doesn’t seem very “elite” to me. There’s several PGs I would take over him in college right now.