It feels like an eternity now that we've missed the last two. How in the hell did we go 13 years without one?
How did we go 13 years without a Final 4?
- Thread starter kydmb99
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It's easier when you have no expectations to get to a final four. The problem under Cal is that we are at the point where we expect it every season which isn't realistic. Under Tubby/Billy I never expected to get to one even in '98 which was the only time during that span that we actually got to one. When you make Tubby and Billy your coach you have no aspirations of being a great program.
Four soul crushing elite 8 defeats contributed.
Ed Harris said it in Truman Show.
"We accept the reality of the world in which we are presented."
It's what we saw. It's what we were accustomed to. Fortunately Tubby's lay 2 years were a step down, even for him. It opened the eyes of those in charge and even though Billy was a huge failure, it led to Cal.
"We accept the reality of the world in which we are presented."
It's what we saw. It's what we were accustomed to. Fortunately Tubby's lay 2 years were a step down, even for him. It opened the eyes of those in charge and even though Billy was a huge failure, it led to Cal.
The Marquette and MSU games were particularly soul crushing.
Tubby got lazy, Gillispie got drunk.
If Keith Bogans does not get hurt, we get to a final 4 in 2003 and possibly win it all...no one was playing better than UK that season.
You know how Cal can't seem to land a top flight small forward? Tubby Smith could not land a power forward to save his life. As good as his 2003-2005 teams were, they started a very undersized 6'6" Chuck Hayes at PF. In both of UK's Elite 8 losses in those years, Hayes disappeared. He had no points against Marquette and I think only 4 against Michigan State. Other than Hayes, Erik Daniels was the best PF Tubby signed.
One of the reasons UK fans were ready to have a parade when Patrick Patterson signed was because we had literally had no one like him in 10 years. It still seemed like a novelty when Cal landed Julius Randle.
One of the reasons UK fans were ready to have a parade when Patrick Patterson signed was because we had literally had no one like him in 10 years. It still seemed like a novelty when Cal landed Julius Randle.
Tubby was a freakin weird recruiter though. He could land big guys when he wanted to. He had the Bogans/Stone class and the Crawford/Morris/Rondo/Bradley class, the latter of which was ALMOST Cal level. But I swear I heard an interview with him in around 05-06 where he said he didn't recruit any power forward because they were set with Sheray Thomas.
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anon_013cn8yrfncx2
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Ask the freaking ref who had his hand raised indicating a foul on the Sparks shot against MSU then changed his mind once the shot went in.
This is easy. Tubby traded in the Lamborghini he inherited for a Ford Taurus. He then drove that up to Minnesota and we tried to get by with a rebuilt Saab.
And if the foul on Sparks gets called, there's another in 2005.
Let's ask Tubby Smith and Billy G. They hold the keys that locked us out.
If an NCAA title, 3 Elite 8's, 5 SEC Championships and 5 SEC Tournament Championships in 10 years are a Tarus, what are the rest of the teams in the SEC?
Tubby Smith was a lot like Marvin Lewis for the longest time. Had a consistently warm to hot seat but did just enough to not be fired. You can't fire a coach who has your team ranked annually and can make an elite 8 type run every 3-4 years while also winning the SEC and beating your in-state rival. However, at that time it was also clear that UK was a step behind the other power programs
The era of college basketball and overall perceptions from the fanbase has changed quite a bit. If Tubby would land just one guy that Cal brings in multiple of it would have been a huge event. There was much less speculation from one year to the next on who would enter into the draft. It was basically "if they aren't a senior they will be back" outside of a few players
The era of college basketball and overall perceptions from the fanbase has changed quite a bit. If Tubby would land just one guy that Cal brings in multiple of it would have been a huge event. There was much less speculation from one year to the next on who would enter into the draft. It was basically "if they aren't a senior they will be back" outside of a few players
The analogy had nothing to do with our team but rather the way Tubby allowed our program to slowly decline from what and where it was when he took over. The program went to 3 straight championship games with him at the helm for the last one and he never made it back to a final four. It was just a slow, agonizing fall into mediocrity. He just got lazy on the recruiting trail.
Absolutely. I remember when played UConn and Kansas near the end of his tenure and knowing we had no shot. I had never felt that way before as a Kentucky fan.
Yes of coarse but since he doesn't get one every year ( though he has one this year) people act like it can' t be done. Silly.
This is spot on. I have used the Tubby Smith comparison a lot with Marvin Lewis. Bengals fans KNOW they aren't ever winning the super bowl with him as coach, heck even the afc, heck maybe not even appear in the afc championship game!
I supported Tubby for 8 loooooooong years. I defended him. I desired for him to get that elusive Final Four with his own players to open up his recruiting and hopefully reassert ourselves amongst the nation's elite. His stubbornness to NOT upgrade his assistants when approached by Mitch was his downfall. And then he proceeds to not take a single one with him to Minnesota. That told me all I needed to know about Tubby's stubbornness to change and pride.
Young was really a sg, Alex was never a sf. Played PF and C in H.S. I'll give you MKG. I say Young was a sg because that's what his game showed you more so than a top flight sf
With apologies to Tayshaun, the best PF commit he got while at Kentucky we lost when he jumped ship to Minnesota.
Recruiting wise, I'm not sure that staff ever recovered from not getting Hansbrough. Tubby thought Psycho T was ours ... instead, that started the long descent to Mark Coury and Rekalin Sims.
MKG was the last true SF, and he left in 2012. Young was not one, Poythress was not one, and Lyles was not one. For the most part Calipari has made it work, but I don't think that it's a coincidence that the last true wing player that UK was the last title team.
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With apologies to Tayshaun, the best PF commit he got while at Kentucky we lost when he jumped ship to Minnesota.
instead, that started the long descent to Mark Coury and Rekalin Sims.
And getting turned down by Tyrone Nash so he could go to prep school lol.
With apologies to Tayshaun, the best PF commit he got while at Kentucky we lost when he jumped ship to Minnesota.
Recruiting wise, I'm not sure that staff ever recovered from not getting Hansbrough. Tubby thought Psycho T was ours ... instead, that started the long descent to Mark Coury and Rekalin Sims.
![[sick]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/sick/sick0006.r191677.gif "Sick [sick]")
There's no real proof of the above. Marquette beat our ass at every position that day. Bogans would not have stopped Novak and the Williams kid from going off. Bogans also scored 15 points right around his average so not sure how much he scores without the ankle in the flow of the offense. I'm supposing you think he dominates D-Wade deensively and why I grant that Wade may not get 30, he probably still gets 20+ because he was very dang good.
The heart and soul of Kentucky's team in 2003 was the play of their leader Keith Bogans. Keith was a LOCKDOWN defender, heck even in his later years in the NBA the Bulls had him starting on their 1 seed team to play great D. He lacked energy and the team fed off of him.
An injured best player is a SIGNIFICANT loss to any team. Look at how fox player while injured...he put up decent numbers...but Kentucky did not play as well at all.
Wrong, we would have lost by only 12 if Bogans was healthy.
They were much better.
Well when Minnesota and Texas Tech both think they can do better you sure aren't UK material.
Good gosh man, Novak would more than likely have been on the bench if Bogans was healthy because he in no way have been able to guard Bogans! If Bogans was healthy we would have more than likely won that game!
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