I’ve heard Shulman mention Kentucky twice today

[bigblueinsanity]

Total BS, the roster was very solidly put together. Injuries devastated us at PG.

How many of our current guys did bama, Florida, or Auburn try to get? None that in aware of. Because they had better players.

I like pope but its absurd to act like there weren't some serious issues with this year.

 

[Mike-D]

And both times Bilas stayed mute.

During the first game, he was talking about last night’s game and mentioned Kentucky being decimated with injuries.

Just now, he mentioned Kentucky beating Florida 106-100 when healthy.

Might mean nothing. Incredibly subtle. But for a guy who runs his mouth as much as Bilas, he sure doesn’t take an opportunity to brag on us in any way.

I would think that was a natural softball to the color commentator to talk about how good we were when healthy, and that we could still make a run, or whatever.

Been watching a lot of basketball for a lot of years. It’s a television show. I don’t think his silence is accidental.

I think it’s very much like when Ravech suggested to Jimmy Dykes that Pope should be in the running for COTY, and Dykes sidestepped the pitch and immediately started talking about Pat Kelsey.

Again, could be my imagination. Obviously I’m a biased Kentucky fan who craves any discussion about our team. But I swear I’ve heard more about UNC lately the us.

Considering that we are a top brand with the biggest fanbase, and how we’ve weathered so much adversity beating 8 top 15 teams in the process, it all feels a little weird.

Truly feel like it’s us against the world.

we lost by 30 yesterday.

 

[OmahaCats]

And both times Bilas stayed mute.

During the first game, he was talking about last night’s game and mentioned Kentucky being decimated with injuries.

Just now, he mentioned Kentucky beating Florida 106-100 when healthy.

Might mean nothing. Incredibly subtle. But for a guy who runs his mouth as much as Bilas, he sure doesn’t take an opportunity to brag on us in any way.

I would think that was a natural softball to the color commentator to talk about how good we were when healthy, and that we could still make a run, or whatever.

Been watching a lot of basketball for a lot of years. It’s a television show. I don’t think his silence is accidental.

I think it’s very much like when Ravech suggested to Jimmy Dykes that Pope should be in the running for COTY, and Dykes sidestepped the pitch and immediately started talking about Pat Kelsey.

Again, could be my imagination. Obviously I’m a biased Kentucky fan who craves any discussion about our team. But I swear I’ve heard more about UNC lately the us.

Considering that we are a top brand with the biggest fanbase, and how we’ve weathered so much adversity beating 8 top 15 teams in the process, it all feels a little weird.

Truly feel like it’s us against the world.

Give it a rest man. No one is out to get us

 

[Aike]

we lost by 30 yesterday.

What are you on about? What does us losing by 30 have to do with Shulman bringing us up twice and crickets from Bilas both times?

You’ve already proclaimed the season over. Now you’re just trolling.

 

[Aike]

Give it a rest man. No one is out to get us

Not what I said, but thanks for your contribution.

 

[saxonburgcat]

How many of our current guys did bama, Florida, or Auburn try to get? None that in aware of. Because they had better players.

I like pope but its absurd to act like there weren't some serious issues with this year.

That is not a good argument. You are comparing apples to oranges. Those teams pretty much had their rosters. UK didn't. Do you really think that Auburn was going to go after Williams with Broome guaranteed being the starter? If you disagree with me, please just name some positions that any those teams needed to fill as much as we did.

I will even make it simpler: How many transfers did any of those 3 teams take for this season?

 

[saxonburgcat]

How many of our current guys did bama, Florida, or Auburn try to get? None that in aware of. Because they had better players.

I like pope but its absurd to act like there weren't some serious issues with this year.

I would love to hear the "serious issues" if you include injuries in the discussion. We beat UT twice, Duke, Louisville and even Florida with a healthy roster. Injuries killed us.

About the only serious issue is that our defense hasn't been great all year. We beat Florida 106 to 100 is a good example. But, having said that, we are most likely a 3 seed after injuries to Carr, Butler, JR, Kerr, etc. Imagine where we would be with a healthy team?

 

[rick64]

ESPN will probably fire him now for being complementary of UK.

 

[know1]

This must have been very upsetting for the OP.

 

[Aike]

Add a long overdue ignore to the list.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I would love to hear the "serious issues" if you include injuries in the discussion. We beat UT twice, Duke, Louisville and even Florida with a healthy roster. Injuries killed us.

About the only serious issue is that our defense hasn't been great all year. We beat Florida 106 to 100 is a good example. But, having said that, we are most likely a 3 seed after injuries to Carr, Butler, JR, Kerr, etc. Imagine where we would be with a healthy team?

Again you're focusing on single game coaching. Game prep and in game coaching is a strength.

Lets take defense since you admit that was an issue. When full strength, we have 3 elite defenders and 2 others that are really good. That means our defensive coaching is pretty poor. That needs addressed in the off-season.

It goes back to the flaw with his core philosophy of just outscoring people. In the sec, it doesn't work vs top teams because the top teams score just as much but defend way better.

 

[Aike]

Again you're focusing on single game coaching. Game prep and in game coaching is a strength.

Lets take defense since you admit that was an issue. When full strength, we have 3 elite defenders and 2 others that are really good. That means our defensive coaching is pretty poor. That needs addressed in the off-season.

It goes back to the flaw with his core philosophy of just outscoring people. In the sec, it doesn't work vs top teams because the top teams score just as much but defend way better.

Look at how much our defense improved over the last month. Pretty clear that it was addressed.

I don’t think his core philosophy is “just out scoring people.” Don’t believe that at all. 100% agree that we should work to be better defensively in December/January than we were this year.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Look at how much our defense improved over the last month. Pretty clear that it was addressed.

I don’t think his core philosophy is “just out scoring people.” Don’t believe that at all. 100% agree that we should work to be better defensively in December/January than we were this year.

I agree. That is promising. Very promising. However it should've never been that poor from the beginning. We have too many great individual defenders for it to be that bad.

 

[phyrekat]

I can't imagine a world where I cared enough what Jay Bilas thinks to start this thread.

And I can't imagine a world where I cared enough about what someone cared enough about what Jay Bilas thinks to comment on that thread.

 

[Whoppercat]

It isn’t about what Jay Bilas thinks. It’s the narrative strategy of the network that writes our checks and airs most of our games. We are being relegated to the dustbin as other programs are promoted.

We only represent programming to ESPN. People sit in meetings and discuss this strategy. None of these tv talking heads are free agents. They have producers.

We were the 6 seed in the SEC tourney. Why do you think they should be fawning over us, particularly when we just got beat by 30?

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

As for the idea that ESPN is deliberately " tarnishing" the UK brand what if they are. What difference would it make. It certainly wouldn't matter to the kids we are trying to recruit. They care about Money. Brands have become mostly irrelevant, the bag rules. I could care less about them

 

[phunterd]

I think Bilas is likely the best color commentator in college basketball. However, that’s mostly because his competition is horrendous. As long as it’s not a Duke game, Bilas does a good job, IMO. He’s much more likely to give an interesting opinion than Dykes who has never seen a bad call in his life.

To be honest, give me the no name commentators that we occasionally get for the lesser SEC teams. They generally do a good job with neutral, straight forward takes.

 

[Ky_Bred_Cat]

How many of our current guys did bama, Florida, or Auburn try to get? None that in aware of. Because they had better players.

I like pope but its absurd to act like there weren't some serious issues with this year.

Context is a good thing. You might want to apply some here and rethink this rediculous observation.

 

[know1]

It isn’t about what Jay Bilas thinks. It’s the narrative strategy of the network that writes our checks and airs most of our games. We are being relegated to the dustbin as other programs are promoted.

We only represent programming to ESPN. People sit in meetings and discuss this strategy. None of these tv talking heads are free agents. They have producers.

It was a couple of spur of the moment interactions, not some huge anti UK conspiracy. How many tinfoil hats do you own?

 

[Mike-D]

What are you on about? What does us losing by 30 have to do with Shulman bringing us up twice and crickets from Bilas both times?

You’ve already proclaimed the season over. Now you’re just trolling.

You asked why he was mute. I answered.

It's gonna be okay.

 

[Aike]

You asked why he was mute. I answered.

It's gonna be okay.

Dude, you’re just trying to be difficult.

Shulman brought us up twice.

Shulman brought up our injuries.

Bilas wasn’t silent because we lost big. That doesn’t even make sense.

Maybe he had a mouthful of ice cream. I don’t know.

I feel pretty comfortable saying there has been a narrative decision to de-emphasize Kentucky coverage.

Was that why Bilas was silent? Again, I don’t know.

But there has been a clear pattern. It hasn’t even been a secret. We’ve had the whole public blow up with Seth Greenberg. We’ve had the GameDay conversation.

I’m just reading the tea leaves. You don’t care, that’s awesome. You think I’m wrong, cool.

But I think you’re just trolling because I called you out yesterday for your declaration that we won’t make it to the second weekend.

Probably my imagination again and completely unrelated.

I would recommended that you just try to be optimistic and cheer for the team for as long as they’re playing, but you don’t seem to want to hear that.

 

[Aike]

As for the idea that ESPN is deliberately " tarnishing" the UK brand what if they are. What difference would it make. It certainly wouldn't matter to the kids we are trying to recruit. They care about Money. Brands have become mostly irrelevant, the bag rules. I could care less about them

It’s just a conversation. You could argue that none of this matters because it’s just a game where people toss a leather ball through a hoop.

But it’s also a multi-billion dollar industry, enjoyed by millions, employing thousands.

How the biggest voice in the game chooses to cover the game is of interest to me. Wonderful that it’s of no interest to you (although you still felt the need to comment).

 

[Mike-D]

Dude, you’re just trying to be difficult.

Shulman brought us up twice.

Shulman brought up our injuries.

Bilas wasn’t silent because we lost big. That doesn’t even make sense.

Maybe he had a mouthful of ice cream. I don’t know.

I feel pretty comfortable saying there has been a narrative decision to de-emphasize Kentucky coverage.

Was that why Bilas was silent? Again, I don’t know.

But there has been a clear pattern. It hasn’t even been a secret. We’ve had the whole public blow up with Seth Greenberg. We’ve had the GameDay conversation.

I’m just reading the tea leaves. You don’t care, that’s awesome. You think I’m wrong, cool.

But I think you’re just trolling because I called you out yesterday for your declaration that we won’t make it to the second weekend.

Probably my imagination again and completely unrelated.

I would recommended that you just try to be optimistic and cheer for the team for as long as they’re playing, but you don’t seem to want to hear that.

I just don't belive in a conspiracy that Bilas is out to get us, etc. We are not the same team after injuries, so I could see where a commentator would choose to be silent to the talking heads trying to prop us up, because the truth of the matter is that we aren't a good basketball team right now. If that makes me a lesser fan than you for saying it out loud, whatever. You asked a question, and I answered it. Moving on.

 

[Aike]

I just don't belive in a conspiracy that Bilas is out to get us, etc. We are not the same team after injuries, so I could see where a commentator would choose to be silent to the talking heads trying to prop us up, because the truth of the matter is that we aren't a good basketball team right now. If that makes me a lesser fan than you for saying it out loud, whatever. You asked a question, and I answered it. Moving on.

I have no doubt you’re a fan. I disagree that we aren’t a quality team. Just won a barnburner with Butler on the sidelines. Just won at a Missouri with him playing.

If he’s healthy then I think we are Sweet 16 quality. Maybe a little better depending on draw and luck.

Not going to let a bad performance against Alabama change my entire impression. Not with Butler out, and Oweh and Carr both hurt in game. Not when the Bama team that beat us basically pulled the same stunt next day when Nelson went out.

If we are as healthy this week as we were at Missouri, I’m excited about the possibility of making a Sweet 16 run at minimum.

 

[HagginHall1999]

How many of our current guys did bama, Florida, or Auburn try to get? None that in aware of. Because they had better players.

I like pope but its absurd to act like there weren't some serious issues with this year.

Wonder how many games Bama would when without Spears and Nelson.

Just Butler alone, UK is 18-6 with him and 4-5 without.

Bama returned 55% of scoring

Florida returned 57% of scoring

Auburn returned 58% of scoring

Pope had nothing lol