Explanation for the beatdown

[AzubuikeandFitch]

Following UK's crushing loss to OSU in NYC news came out that both Chandler and Carr got engaged on the trip.

This explains a lot about our performance and lackadaisical play. Given the holiday break, semester ending finals, and the marriage purposals our guys simply weren't focused on the task at hand.

Hopefully, this game is an anomaly overall and the aforementioned reasons were a major reason for laying an egg

 

[Disappointed Cat]

Following UK's crushing loss to OSU in NYC news came out that both Chandler and Carr got engaged on the trip.

This explains a lot about our performance and lackadaisical play. Given the holiday break, semester ending finals, and the marriage purposals our guys simply weren't focused on the task at hand.

Hopefully, this game is an anomaly overall and the aforementioned reasons were a major reason for laying an egg

Grasping at straws!!

 

[stuway]

Nah, sometimes good teams play bad games. Just a bad game, hopefully our worst this year is outta the way.

 

[ukfan1622]

They just started thinking they were as good as we were thinking they were. They thought they had an easy game just like almost everybody on this board. It's something that seems to happen to all teams eventually at least once.

Somebody started a thread right after the game titled "We just didn't come to play" or something like that but I think that poster hit the nail on the head. I don't think the game means anything for the future except that we can lose any of our SEC games IF everybody doesn't have the proper mindset and doesn't play with intensity.

 

[Emarc]

Certainly a distraction.

 

[YardCat]

I’m just happy that we have a good coach and a good basketball team that was thrown together on the fly along with the coaches. We are going to have clunkers on the road, we just need to win at home and pick up a few on the road and we should be fine.

 

[B.B.H.]

Following UK's crushing loss to OSU in NYC news came out that both Chandler and Carr got engaged on the trip.

This explains a lot about our performance and lackadaisical play. Given the holiday break, semester ending finals, and the marriage purposals our guys simply weren't focused on the task at hand.

Hopefully, this game is an anomaly overall and the aforementioned reasons were a major reason for laying an egg

Everyone in this thread was quick to dismiss your explanation, but I think there is a ring of truth to it. During Pope’s call-in show last night, he alluded to distractions as being one of the factors related to performance, along with the break. It doesn’t mean there aren’t other glaring issues that also played a factor, as multiple things can simultaneously be truthful. Good post!

 

[cathouse]

The team was absolutely not mentally prepared to play this game.
I thought at the time watching the game, too much New York City. They were all on holiday in the Big Apple.

Hopefully, Pope learned something from this debacle.

 

[docholiday51]

The style/type of basketball this team plays lends itself to games like this. When shots are going in we can play with anyone, when shots don't go in anyone can beat us or keep it close. If fans were paying attention when this team was assembled we should have figured that out. In the time and situation Pope had to work with he did a masterful job on the roster. He found players who play like he coaches. I like this team and took in hard when they lost the way they did. Unfortunately I am more invested in this team than I have been in the last few years(last season was a fun team but they just folded in post season play.

The SEC will be a torture chamber for just about everybody. Five losses in conference will probably be good enough to win it.

 

[Wonky]

The style/type of basketball this team plays lends itself to games like this. When shots are going in we can play with anyone, when shots don't go in anyone can beat us or keep it close. If fans were paying attention when this team was assembled we should have figured that out. In the time and situation Pope had to work with he did a masterful job on the roster. He found players who play like he coaches. I like this team and took in hard when they lost the way they did. Unfortunately I am more invested in this team than I have been in the last few years(last season was a fun team but they just folded in post season play.

The SEC will be a torture chamber for just about everybody. Five losses in conference will probably be good enough to win it.

I agree with you, but still maintain that shots fall more frequently when they are the product of crisp ball and player movement. Skip passes, touch passes, and just extra passes in general were something we saw a lot of early. As these have decreased, so has our shooting %. Remember: an open shot is not necessarily a quality shot. It depends who is taking it, and at what point in the shot clock. Just ask Gonzaga, who had many wide open shots in the second half against us, but they did NOT come from within the flow of the offense — which is why they missed almost all of them.

 

[uk78]

The truth is more that we had not been playing all the great during the last couple games before. We had tight games with both UL and Colgate. Neither are great teams (rival or not) that we should have comfortably defeated on our home court. Gonzaga was a big win but time has shown them not to be world beaters and we lost to Clemson which is possibly in the upper part of the ACC but not elite either. I am not being critical I will take ever win. But, we had played much better than the last few games.

It appears that teams have scouted us to see our defensive weakness which includes defense on line drives and rebounding. Our offense also other than Carr is not good on the interior. This has to be a 3-point shooting team to open up the middle and if not hitting them we are problematic. On the other hand if we are hitting from the outside we are a totally different offense. So, I think we will be fine.

 

[FirewithFire]

This explanation is as good as any. Maybe they had a big party before the game to celebrate. Whatever the case, they were for sure mentally checked out for that game. I think things will look very different come Saturday.

 

[B.B.H.]

If I’m Pope I’m asking every shooter to focus on taking floaters off the drive until teams stop overplaying our shooters on ball screens. Brea and Robinson are both capable but it needs to be a point of emphasis. Drive it to 10 feet and in, floater. If there is help, immediate kick outs. Also, post guys need to be accountable for not looking to kick it out and so does Oweh. Oweh has been driving with blinders on for awhile now and I know he is capable of better playmaking. That’s what I’m hoping for.

Thankfully, I’m not Pope and I’m certain his adjustments will be even better and more attuned to the strengths of his personnel.

 

[flacat22]

Certainly a distraction.

So, you feel that during the game all of the players were thinking about the engagements? That sounds silly just typing it.

 

[Kybluedude]

Be honest. Did any of you think we would lose this game after reviewing past performances of both teams?

I took the win for granted. Thought we would cruise. Can’t imagine the team thought differently after watching film. OSU wasn’t impressive. We beat Duke and Gonzaga.

Hope they learned a lesson. We’ve all played on teams where we took a win for granted and had low energy. Played poorly. Most times it doesn’t matter but Thornton made it different.

Also, thought we looked tired. Too many distractions by going up early. Distracted and not focused.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Ohio St. had more to play for. They wanted it more. Played like their backs were against the wall.

Did you hear the halftime interview with their PG? They were laser focused on the game.

UNC was the same way.

Sometimes the more desperate team wins.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

Listen Crusher, women weaken legs

 

[Scotty00]

Following UK's crushing loss to OSU in NYC news came out that both Chandler and Carr got engaged on the trip.

This explains a lot about our performance and lackadaisical play. Given the holiday break, semester ending finals, and the marriage purposals our guys simply weren't focused on the task at hand.

Hopefully, this game is an anomaly overall and the aforementioned reasons were a major reason for laying an egg

No man…just no! No excuses, we just got beat. On to the next!

 

[The_Answer1313]

Correlation doesn't equal causation.

I'm sure the six total mins that Chandler was out there really had a major impact on things.

And Carr had 13 points and was our second leading scorer lol.

 

[doc4UK]

It did seem like this was a field trip rather than an important game in the eventual NCAA seedings. Plays, sight seeing, engagement. If it was that important and playing the late game, perhaps flying up the night before at the earliest was a better strategy. Wondering if that is in fact what OSU did?

 

[UKWildcats1987]

It did seem like this was a field trip rather than an important game in the eventual NCAA seedings. Plays, sight seeing, engagement. If it was that important and playing the late game, perhaps flying up the night before at the earliest was a better strategy. Wondering if that is in fact what OSU did?

Most teams do this sort of thing.

It's not why we lost.

 

[Fox2monk]

Grasping at straws!!

I don’t think you have made one positive comment all year. At least your name checks out.

 

[TFCats11]

Nah, it should have had the opposite effect! Everyone should have played their asses off and tried to blow OSU out, like Auburn did, so those two engagements would have that memory associated with them!

Now it’s going be… “Remember when we got engaged and OSU gave us a beat down?” 😂