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I dont understand all of the negativity at this point

Lol! What?

Nothing anyone said here changed anything. Just as it didn't after Cal fumbled the trophy in 2015. Still won't. If he loses with this team, everyone knows it's on him except him and his worshippers, but it won't change anything.

If he wins, it won't change anything, except UK and this team will have a trophy. It will take a lot for them to overcome his leadership style, coaching, and the officiating no doubt, but this team is what it is now.

I'm OK with people choosing to dwell in negativity for the sake of negativity, though. Just trying to encourage them to make a better choice. Like I would encourage people not to listen back when Coach Smith said, "we're going to run the floor more" almost every year. Lol
But were you negative at all during that season? Or will you just remain completely positive no matter how bad we are (not saying we are bad this season)? If you were a fan of Louisville, would you have any negativity at all or is that still wrong in your eyes?
 
Thanks. Comes with the territory. I get it.

Girth is good people... (Oh Hi Girth...) (He "ain't" nuthin but a "thang"...) 😁 ;)

The negativity on my part comes from what has not happened, coaching up to maximum potential. It all stems from that. These players are the real deal. Not being a downer but these players are not 2012 good but they sure are good enough. (They have "killer" in them.) Just hope this coach can overcome himself and end near generational poverty in the area of coaching prowess....(Wishing he can come up to his recruiting level greatness in the coaching level over the next several weeks...) Darn he can do this, just energize your inner-coaching desires and perform. This team can do it with just a little more coaching than the norm that has been for a lot of years now...

jmuo
 
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Sometimes just a couple of things that players are not good at can break down a defense, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t been taught the fundamentals of defense. Cal has had teams that were top 10 defensively. For instance, if you lack lateral quickness in one or two spots, or if you’re reacting slow in the interior, you can break down an entire Defense. For instance, if a quick ball handler breaks shepherd down and gets in the lane, and then you have Ugo waiting for him, who’s slow to react, it just looks awful. It doesn’t mean that those players don’t know how to prevent that, it’s just that they could not.
Agree 100%. Also, defense takes EFFORT and knowledge. Cal can coach defense till he is blue in the face, but if the PLAYERS do not have the fortitude to lock in and stay committed, all it takes is for just ONE of the 5 players to not do his assignment, defense blown. So many times I see players out of position, or gambling. You have to be disciplined to play defense. Most of these guys have never had to play defense and just do not have the will to commit to it. They want to run up and down the floor and score as much as possible, get the ball back quick as possible to score again. The only way we win doing this is the other team not shoot as good. A defense this bad is pretty obvious, they just can't be coached to get better, which is why Cal has finally decided the best chance for this team is to just let them run and outscore people. He knows if he slows tempo it will affect the guys scoring and they will get bored. Then they will still not be engaged on defense, and bored to the point the offense will suffer.
 
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OP is right to some extent, but it sucks that a team with this much talent likely won't get to make a deep tournament run. The margin for error gets a lot smaller, and defense and rebounding become critical for advancing through the field.

If the team shoots lights out without any letdowns, they can beat any college team I've watched this year. But defense is the difference in games where they go cold for a segment or two.
 
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Agree 100%. Also, defense takes EFFORT and knowledge. Cal can coach defense till he is blue in the face, but if the PLAYERS do not have the fortitude to lock in and stay committed, all it takes is for just ONE of the 5 players to not do his assignment, defense blown. So many times I see players out of position, or gambling. You have to be disciplined to play defense. Most of these guys have never had to play defense and just do not have the will to commit to it. They want to run up and down the floor and score as much as possible, get the ball back quick as possible to score again. The only way we win doing this is the other team not shoot as good. A defense this bad is pretty obvious, they just can't be coached to get better, which is why Cal has finally decided the best chance for this team is to just let them run and outscore people. He knows if he slows tempo it will affect the guys scoring and they will get bored. Then they will still not be engaged on defense, and bored to the point the offense will suffer.

The issue is, Cal has not been coaching defense until he is blue in the face....... That is the entire issue...
 
The issue is, Cal has not been coaching defense until he is blue in the face....... That is the entire issue...
And you know this how ? Cal is known for his defensive teams. You really think after 25 years he decided to not teach defense ? MAYBE, just maybe, this team is NOT capable of playing TEAM defense. We have a couple of guys who are solid defenders, but all it takes is for ONE of the five on the floor to blow a assignment and the whole team defense suffers. Like I said, you can coach t, but if the players can't transform it to the game, doesn't matter. Have you not watched Dillingham run around in circles, lost not guarding ANYBODY ? have you not watched pretty much all of our guards just stop being engaged and let their man drive right by them ? That is not coaching, that is will to stay engaged and locked in on guarding your man. That is NOT coaching, that is player execution.
 
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I don't understand not understanding this. The team is fun to watch. Most everyone is cheering for them and want them to go all the way. It's just disappointing to have this much talent and not see the coach doing everything he can to optimize it and win games.
Cal stoked the fire, “players first “ “greatest day in UK history “ we know his goal is not our goal, so yeah, when we lose we look at why we lost. He asked for the scrutiny.
 
At this point we have to dance with who brung us. There is no point in beating the same dead horses. The starting 5 probably won’t change and the team will not get better at defense at this point.
i agree
the strange fact is most of Cal's team are very good playing D
i have never had a problem with the starting 5
this is one of my favorite teams of any coach or era (despite playing Matador defense)
 
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For me it’s a feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Come out cold, slow to adjust, coach does his deer in the headlights thing and opposing players hit fall away 30 footers. This team in particular has given up double digit second half leads on multiple occasions. One way or another you just know something terribly disappointing is going to happen.
 
They’re a couple of plays away from being a top five team and likely one seed. The LSU putback, and if they’d fouled against Florida at the end of reg. Certainly if we’d have beaten Wilmington . They have a chance to make a run in the postseason, no doubt. You can almost always say ‘what if this, and what if that’, but those things were easy and we just didn’t do them.
I'm loving this team right now and hope we make a run. I also want to note that the "if game" can be played both ways. There are a few games we won that could have easily went the other way.

As for the OP's question, I'm a pretty optimistic person to begin with. I'm loving this team right now, but I'm also well aware that we have laid an egg in the postseason in recent years. The entire season comes down to what happens in the NCAA Tournament.
 
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The team is full of potential but we continue to have the same problems we had in Dec, a lot of it is coaching or the lack there of. It’s frustrating to sit and watch a game and know how it’s going to go from the first couple possessions. I don’t like all the name calling but I also know there comes criticism when you make 9 mill/year and we are not in the discussion for a 1 or 2 seed & can’t stay in the top 10. We’re looking at a 5 seed……for the SECT.
 
You positive fairies who know the game so well please help me. Same thing every year!
No adjustments on D, No solid rotation in the line up, no rebounding, can’t keep a lead, and always reverting back to Cals stall ball when we got the lead. I seriously wonder if some you all know what a basketball is. Like did my mom make an account on here or something? It’s not negative to want to win like we should. Hands down with the talent and experience Cal has had this year we should be looking at 1 or 2 seed. It’s just so hard to have hope seeing the same pattern as the years before.
Didn't we just have the greatest rebounder in the history of the program? And one of the best rebounders in the history of college basketball?

We have a pretty solid rotation, but we also have guys bouncing back and forth from being injured and/or sick and then coming back to the lineup. We also have a lot of capable players, who deserve playing time and to see what they can do, before getting to March and fine-tuning the lineup.

I didn't seem to notice the "stall ball" in the last few wins - you know, while we're continuing to average over 90 points per game?

Are you sure you're actually making points or are you just throwing sh*t at the wall and claiming it's art?
 
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And you know this how ? Cal is known for his defensive teams. You really think after 25 years he decided to not teach defense ? MAYBE, just maybe, this team is NOT capable of playing TEAM defense. We have a couple of guys who are solid defenders, but all it takes is for ONE of the five on the floor to blow a assignment and the whole team defense suffers. Like I said, you can coach t, but if the players can't transform it to the game, doesn't matter. Have you not watched Dillingham run around in circles, lost not guarding ANYBODY ? have you not watched pretty much all of our guards just stop being engaged and let their man drive right by them ? That is not coaching, that is will to stay engaged and locked in on guarding your man. That is NOT coaching, that is player execution.

I have watched every team Cal has coached here intensely. No, he has not coached up this team defensively. It is not a talent issue, it is a focus issue. In defense, you have to have a mentality to fight. This team has that mentality. Athletic ability and mentality. The rest is coaching or coaching emphasis or coaching focus.....

Read someone that posted stated, even if this team could turn on and turn off the defensive intensity it may be enough...

Cal has done a lot of things these last many years that he has got away from previously. (Before these last many years.)
 
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I think a lot is restlessness from the last three years. 1 SECT and 1 NCAAT win will do it. This team is out of the running for the SEC regular season, but they still got a chance to win the SECT and hopefully make some noise in the NCAAT.
 
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That's my biggest concern..."if the shots aren't falling, how are we gonna win?". In years past, we played enough defense to grind out a W. I don't think this team can do it. My pessimistic side says we have a disappointing loss in the dance. My optimistic side says Final Four. Realistically, I think the odds are close to 50/50.
We have too many players that can make shots. I believe the coaching staff has done a good job with player rotation to get us to this point.
We would have to have 3-4 different players with a bad shooting game to hurt us that way.
 
Agree 100%. Also, defense takes EFFORT and knowledge. Cal can coach defense till he is blue in the face, but if the PLAYERS do not have the fortitude to lock in and stay committed, all it takes is for just ONE of the 5 players to not do his assignment, defense blown. So many times I see players out of position, or gambling. You have to be disciplined to play defense. Most of these guys have never had to play defense and just do not have the will to commit to it. They want to run up and down the floor and score as much as possible, get the ball back quick as possible to score again. The only way we win doing this is the other team not shoot as good. A defense this bad is pretty obvious, they just can't be coached to get better, which is why Cal has finally decided the best chance for this team is to just let them run and outscore people. He knows if he slows tempo it will affect the guys scoring and they will get bored. Then they will still not be engaged on defense, and bored to the point the offense will suffer.

My middle school coach taught our team how to block out, rotate properly, how and WHO to help on drives and how to stay with and deny the opponents best player!!! All are a HUGE part of defending!!!

Cal has world class athletes and has STRUGGLED to teach these concepts for this group. WHY??!!!!

It is the coaches responsibility to instill the pride it takes to defend and rebound. If a particular player won’t “commit to doing it”, then Cal has to provide the MOTIVATION needed to insure the player WILL!! If that means riding the pine, then so be it. But we are at the end of the season and now it’s too late for that.

Which, again is ALL on Cal!!
 
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You're preaching to the choir with me. I've been taking this same kind of approach most of the season. This team has more potential to make a Final Four than any we've had since 2015. We are what we are. The defense is not great. I do think the team has shown the ability to get some stops when needed, though. We've been saying the team doesn't need to be great defensively, but just a little bit better. Cal had said we needed to get 10% better. I think we're getting close to that. I know the Arkansas game brings that into question but even in that one, when it came to crunch time we got stops and turned a deficit into a 9pt lead. I'm cheering on the team without reservation. I don't care who gets any credit for it.
 
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You don’t think potential recruits read social media? Maybe I’m giving you too much credit.
The sports media knows the weight of the BBN
so let me get this straight

the past 3 years of negativity on social media kept UK from getting ...checking roster....the #1 freshmen class in recruiting for 2023-24 season

I think you're giving yourself too much credit
 
in the season.

No reason to focus on our shortcomings defensively. This team and program is what it is and will be under Cal. Try to enjoy what's left of these Wildcats the rest of their time here.

Cheer em on to the best of your ability as if they were your kids or grandkids, knowing that after Saturday their next game could be their last in the tourney. Nothing is going to change between now and then.

Accept it and make the best of it at this point.
Tennessee won the SEC out right last night how much more you need
 
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Here's why I bitch.
We may not see a team this offensively gifted in another 20 years. Knowing that the only thing that will stop this team from a title is the defense, yet Cal doesn't seem to care to bother much with it. ( Although I do give him credit for implementing a zone lately) . And do not give me this bs that a team this athletically gifted cannot play lock down defense. It's just absolutely a refusal to put emphasis on it, coach it properly, and enforce it. It's laziness and that is the only thing that will stop this team from a title. It's frustrating as hell. It's like watching a young Mensa member too lazy to bother going to school. Just sick of the year after year of Cal squandering talent .
 
You're preaching to the choir with me. I've been taking this same kind of approach most of the season. This team has more potential to make a Final Four than any we've had since 2015. We are what we are. The defense is not great. I do think the team has shown the ability to get some stops when needed, though. We've been saying the team doesn't need to be great defensively, but just a little bit better. Cal had said we needed to get 10% better. I think we're getting close to that. I know the Arkansas game brings that into question but even in that one, when it came to crunch time we got stops and turned a deficit into a 9pt lead. I'm cheering on the team without reservation. I don't care who gets any credit for it.

If this team can just get the most 50/50 balls and limit the opponents offensive rebounds, that would compensate for their mediocre defense. If we can do that, this team has enough weapons to beat ANYBODY.

UT will be a great test for this because they KILLED US by getting g nearly every loose ball. The Vols keep their intensity up the whole 40 minutes. Can we match that?

Big test and should be an indicator for the next 2 weeks this Saturday.

I Would LOVE to see our kids bring it and beat the Stinkin Vols!!!!
 
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UT has a #1 seed riding on the game, at home

UK beats them, then everyone is going to become believers
 
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How about Antonio Reeves? He's pretty good too.

(this clown must have me on ignore, I've been calling out his Reeves nonsense for 2 months and he's yet to reply to any of it. lol)

I'm stunned he doesn't have me on ignore. I'm pretty much a smart ass in response to whatever he posts.

I want to say he has begrudgingly changed his tune a bit on Reeves.
 
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10 seasons without a 1 seed or FF will make for a negative fanbase at any elite program. This isn't a difficult concept. Winning is important here.
No, to some of you it is. Winning is not everything. Not everyone can win everything. It's just impossible.
 
so let me get this straight

the past 3 years of negativity on social media kept UK from getting ...checking roster....the #1 freshmen class in recruiting for 2023-24 season

I think you're giving yourself too much credit
I do sometimes feel like the rest of the world is joking on the BBN. Us against the world, it is
 
Didn't we just have the greatest rebounder in the history of the program? And one of the best rebounders in the history of college basketball?

We have a pretty solid rotation, but we also have guys bouncing back and forth from being injured and/or sick and then coming back to the lineup. We also have a lot of capable players, who deserve playing time and to see what they can do, before getting to March and fine-tuning the lineup.

I didn't seem to notice the "stall ball" in the last few wins - you know, while we're continuing to average over 90 points per game?

Are you sure you're actually making points or are you just throwing sh*t at the wall and claiming it's art?
I’ll be so glad when your daddy Calipari is out of here.
 
I agree that this team could have been a 2-seed or even a 1-seed given our current team. However, we do have to keep in mind we have had our full roster for a grand total of TWO full games... out of 30 games played! We started the year without any of our seven footers, and we didn't have our best 7 footer til mid-January. I think a 3-seed is still within reach (and yes, that would have to mean a win against Tenn on Saturday), but given the constant roster availability changes throughout the season, I'd call that a win for sure. Give THIS current team a three seed, and let's roll. Mannnnnn, it'd sure be nice to steal a win Knoxville. Let's keep the momentum rolling!
 
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The majority of folks on here want the team to win a succeed. There are a few trolls and outliers who may be hoping we lose but not too many.

Most of Cals past shortcomings he has changed with this team.

I do agree, that every thread on the board only getting 5-6 post in before Ol Reliable "but Cal..." is pulled out by the same few people is getting tiring.

This team is really legit. Playing UT on the road is our last loss. We get a better more rowdy crowd in tournament games than at Rupp a lot of times. No more road games, no more crap SEC officials
 
How about Antonio Reeves? He's pretty good too.

(this clown must have me on ignore, I've been calling out his Reeves nonsense for 2 months and he's yet to reply to any of it. lol)
Probably a pretty good strategy. He would only make himself look even more stupid if he tried to argue it. If that’s possible. He’s just hoping you will drop it and go away. Please don’t.
 
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Probably a pretty good strategy. He would only make himself look even more stupid if he tried to argue it. If that’s possible. He’s just hoping you will drop it and go away. Please don’t.
Never.

The funny thing is if he just owned it and said “yep my bad, that was a dumb take” I’d let it go.
 
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