I try to look at the KU game like this, the pressure is on them not us

[Uncle Adolph]

They are ranked #1 in most polls and we have 21 feet of kids who will not be playing that would make it a whole different situation. Now, can we win if things go a certain way? YES. Will it kill me if we lose? YES. But I think come March we will be a better and deeper team than them if we finally get healthy. Being patient is hard.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I expect to lose these types of games with calipari as coach so have 0 expectations. I agree it's not a bad loss if we lose.

 

[Lempface]

Pretty meaningless game aside from pride and those that care about the win record.

It could boost seeding with a win but won’t be a detriment if we lose.

Doesn’t help us with any of the big seasonal prizes. SEC Championship, SECT Championship, NCAA Championship… I agree. I want to win like hell too, probably won’t sleep well if we lose, like usual. But I agree with the perspective.

 

[Uncle Adolph]

Just have to suck it up until we get healthy,

 

[yoshukai]

We are 1-5 in the last six Champions games . So what if we go to 1-6 . We’ll still be the “Gold Standard “ .

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

I just worry we come out slow (like Cal teams tend to do) and cant make up the difference.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Pretty meaningless game aside from pride and those that care about the win record.

It could boost seeding with a win but won’t be a detriment if we lose.

Doesn’t help us with any of the big seasonal prizes. SEC Championship, SECT Championship, NCAA Championship… I agree. I want to win like hell too, probably won’t sleep well if we lose, like usual. But I agree with the perspective.

I disagree. Going 1-5 in a series is not the Gold Standard

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Jeez Cal has completely destroyed this fanbase. Y’all don't care about beating Kansas?! I want to smack those Jailbirds every single time we play them. Cal has our expectations so low we have BBN making excuses about the game not mattering? wth

 

[ruppcat]

Jeez Cal has completely destroyed this fanbase. Y’all don't care about beating Kansas?! I want to smack those Jailbirds every single time we play them. Cal has our expectations so low we have BBN making excuses about the game not mattering? wth

Agree.

There are some teams we should always aspire to beat:
kansas just because they're close to the win/loss total
pUKe
uncheats
ucla

everyone else.

 

[KA4Prez]

How many years will UK just continue to "punt" games against quality opponents early in the season and then just assume the team will "hit their stride" in March when they get a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament?

It used to work when the SEC was trash. It's not anymore. You can't afford to lose all of your quad 1 games in November and December and then hope to make it up later.

It would be nice to get a 1 or 2-seed and be able to have the resume come March to control your destiny from a bracket standpoint.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

How many years will UK just continue to "punt" games against quality opponents early in the season and then just assume the team will "hit their stride" in March when they get a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament?

It used to work when the SEC was trash. It's not anymore. You can't afford to lose all of your quad 1 games in November and December and then hope to make it up later.

It would be nice to get a 1 or 2-seed and be able to have the resume come March to control your destiny from a bracket standpoint.

This! All the games matter. Especially quad 1s that drastically affect seeding.

 

[Coalfield Cat]

Jeez Cal has completely destroyed this fanbase. Y’all don't care about beating Kansas?! I want to smack those Jailbirds every single time we play them. Cal has our expectations so low we have BBN making excuses about the game not mattering? wth

Cal hasn’t destroyed the fan base, he just triggers the whiners and complainers (if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t put it on). All UK fans want to beat Kansas, every game. All UK fans want to remain #1 in all-time wins. That being said, we are early in the season and minus 3 bigs….so we’ll play hard and hopefully come out on top…and we should be at full strength later in the year if there is a rematch. We should keep things in their proper perspective. I think that was the gist of what the OP was getting at, OP correct me if I’m wrong.

It wasn’t a “we don’t want to win” message, nor was it a “Cal has destroyed the fan base” message; however whiners and complainers nonstop hijack thoughtful topics into an anti-Cal thread which is ignorant and tiresome. Maybe Cal has destroyed you, but as for me, I’m looking forward to a great year and hopefully busting Kansas in the mouth, and yes, doing so with Coach Cal running the show.

 

[BlueSince92]

What people don't realize is Cal didn't just luck into this. It took a lot of work and planning to get us to the point where no one will be surprised if we lose to KU. It's an excellent body of work, really.

 

[NC Weasel]

Lacking size and depth in the paint, I fear its going to be difficult to watch. We're already struggling with what has been our bread/butter historically .... offensive rebounding. We'll want to run vs. KU but we have 2 issues; 1) the easiest way to speed up a game is rebound, 2) we used only 7 players last game. Granted Thiero was out, but it would be hard to take away Kansas' legs if Thiero doesn't play.

Hopefully, Self will melt his hairpiece watching HD foul out and we shoot the lights out.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Does the NCAA keep records for excuses for losses? The Cal brigade would own that.

 

[WildcatNC]

Nah. Being UK means the pressure is always on us. If there is ever a situation that it's not at least a toss up, or another team has more talent than us, it's a coaching failure.

We won't win them all, no one does, but I'm talking expectation and outlook.

We may not, but we are more than capable of beating the snot out of the Jailhawks. Just need to fire on all cylinders.

I do agree objectively in the grand scheme of the season it's not that big of a deal regarding March and the rest of the year. Beating other Blue Bloods should always matter to us though. That is our real competition when all is said and done.

 

[STL_Cat]

We’re always short handed in big games.

 

[Aike]

If these guys don’t feel pressure to perform on the national stage and fight for a win against Kansas, they are in the wrong place.

When was the last time we earned a 1 seed? When was our last Final Four?

All of these games matter when you’re chasing the biggest prize. Don’t kid yourselves.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

My Lord its not Cal’s fault that Bradshaw and Ugonna both broke a foot over the summer! Do you guys actually think Cal is happy about that? And ofcourse you just knew the NCAA would drag their collective feet getting the Croatian Sensation cleared; that is a no brainer.

What you guys need to be doing is applauding Cal for the 8 guys we will have Tuesday night:

4 of the 5 on the Greatest recruiting class in history:

Wagner
Edwards
Dillingham
Shepherd

A 6’9 AA transfer from West Virginia and a 6’8 Freshman transfer from Ole Miss who give us size:

Mitchell
Burks

Returning players in:

Reeves
Thiero

We will give Kansas fits with our 4 guards and our depth, even without the 7 footers.

These guys have been forming chemistry for 6 months now and are a close group with tons of talent and some experience as well with Reeves, Mitchell and Thiero.

This game goes down to the wire and is a toss up.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

We’re always short handed in big games.

At one spot every time. Coaching.

 

[NociHTTP]

Cal hasn’t destroyed the fan base, he just triggers the whiners and complainers (if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t put it on). All UK fans want to beat Kansas, every game. All UK fans want to remain #1 in all-time wins. That being said, we are early in the season and minus 3 bigs….so we’ll play hard and hopefully come out on top…and we should be at full strength later in the year if there is a rematch. We should keep things in their proper perspective. I think that was the gist of what the OP was getting at, OP correct me if I’m wrong.

It wasn’t a “we don’t want to win” message, nor was it a “Cal has destroyed the fan base” message; however whiners and complainers nonstop hijack thoughtful topics into an anti-Cal thread which is ignorant and tiresome. Maybe Cal has destroyed you, but as for me, I’m looking forward to a great year and hopefully busting Kansas in the mouth, and yes, doing so with Coach Cal running the show.

Cal has destroyed expectations at UK, that's what he's done. The bar is so low it may as well be a footplate separating carpet from concrete.

 

[yoshukai]

Cal has destroyed expectations at UK, that's what he's done. The bar is so low it may as well be a footplate separating carpet from concrete.

Since 2015 we are 26-34 against ranked teams. So what if we go to 26-35 . We’ll still be the gold standard.

 

[jmmcgr02]

My Lord its not Cal’s fault that Bradshaw and Ugonna both broke a foot over the summer! Do you guys actually think Cal is happy about that? And ofcourse you just knew the NCAA would drag their collective feet getting the Croatian Sensation cleared; that is a no brainer.

What you guys need to be doing is applauding Cal for the 8 guys we will have Tuesday night:

4 of the 5 on the Greatest recruiting class in history:

Wagner
Edwards
Dillingham
Shepherd

A 6’9 AA transfer from West Virginia and a 6’8 Freshman transfer from Ole Miss who give us size:

Mitchell
Burks

Returning players in:

Reeves
Thiero

We will give Kansas fits with our 4 guards and our depth, even without the 7 footers.

These guys have been forming chemistry for 6 months now and are a close group with tons of talent and some experience as well with Reeves, Mitchell and Thiero.

This game goes down to the wire and is a toss up.

Mitchell wasn't even honorable mention all conference last year, and you think he is now a AA?

 

[irishcat1965]

What sucks is Cal has a built in excuse since the bigs are out. This roster still has enough talent to win if Cal lets them run and gun. He probably won’t.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Since 2015 we are 26-34 against ranked teams. So what if we go to 26-35 . We’ll still be the gold standard.

Embarrassing

 

[UKBB4Ever]

I’m expect to win this game. Cal hasn’t lowered expectations at all. He’s enhanced them.

It’s only the CHC that says otherwise. But that’s what they hope.

They live in a world where the sky is always falling. Even after we beat Kansas they will still still whine.

There’s not very many of them. Certainly under 50 of them that post here. They just post the same whines over and over to each other.

They are really having a bad day today with the Perry announcement.

The UK players and coaches certainly aren’t afraid of Kansas.

The CHC members and UConn fans here are certainly scared that we might just win.

Gonna be a long hard season for the CHC. And that’s a good thing!!

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Since 2015 we are 26-34 against ranked teams. So what if we go to 26-35 . We’ll still be the gold standard.

Since Cal has been here UK has won more games in the NCAA tourney than any other school.

Since Cal has been here he has beaten more higher seeded teams than any other coach.

Whine and cherry pick all you want.

You can’t have your own facts.

You do have the right to your own misery.

 

[yoshukai]

Since Cal has been here UK has won more games in the NCAA tourney than any other school.

Since Cal has been here he has beaten more higher seeded teams than any other coach.

Whine and cherry pick all you want.

You can’t have your own facts.

You do have the right to your own misery.

Yep . Those years prior to 2015 were great.

 

[MrHotDice]

If these guys don’t feel pressure to perform on the national stage and fight for a win against Kansas, they are in the wrong place.

When was the last time we earned a 1 seed? When was our last Final Four?

All of these games matter when you’re chasing the biggest prize. Don’t kid yourselves.

Would you rather have the three bigs play and still lose? If these freshman play small ball and shot well, they can run Kansas out of the gym. These kids are young but good and don’t make turnovers. They can win if the breaks fall their way.

 

[NociHTTP]

What sucks is Cal has a built in excuse since the bigs are out. This roster still has enough talent to win if Cal lets them run and gun. He probably won’t.

I don't put it past him to hold them out if the team is struggling for reasons other than lacking size.

 

[bbncal02]

Pretty meaningless game aside from pride and those that care about the win record.

It could boost seeding with a win but won’t be a detriment if we lose.

Doesn’t help us with any of the big seasonal prizes. SEC Championship, SECT Championship, NCAA Championship… I agree. I want to win like hell too, probably won’t sleep well if we lose, like usual. But I agree with the perspective.

This. It would be nice to pick up a Q1 win early, especially for confidence and appearances, but in the grand scheme it means next to nothing. Remember the year Zion throttled us? What happened later on that year? We both went out in the same round. This game doesn't mean much season wise. It does mean a lot pride wise, especially with HD playing for them.

 

[bbncal02]

Mitchell wasn't even honorable mention all conference last year, and you think he is now a AA?

Not saying he is but it wouldn't be the first time we took a player from WVU and made them into an AA. Just saying.

 

[bbncal02]

Does the NCAA keep records for excuses for losses? The Cal brigade would own that.

Well, as long as Self doesn't run out of time, he'd be undefeated right?

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

They are ranked #1 in most polls and we have 21 feet of kids who will not be playing that would make it a whole different situation. Now, can we win if things go a certain way? YES. Will it kill me if we lose? YES. But I think come March we will be a better and deeper team than them if we finally get healthy. Being patient is hard.

Expectations are pretty low for games like this with UK/Cal, generally, given that Cal is sub-.500 against ranked teams since the Wisconsin loss. Well below, actually.

 

[Aike]

Would you rather have the three bigs play and still lose? If these freshman play small ball and shot well, they can run Kansas out of the gym. These kids are young but good and don’t make turnovers. They can win if the breaks fall their way.

Maybe I’m still sleepy, but I don’t think I understand your question. I would rather win no matter who plays.

 

[NociHTTP]

Would you rather have the three bigs play and still lose? If these freshman play small ball and shot well, they can run Kansas out of the gym. These kids are young but good and don’t make turnovers. They can win if the breaks fall their way.

For the 1,000th time UK hasn't played anyone yet this season, and their last opponent they were down 11-13 points to in the first half AT HOME. If you're a coach who's focused on winning later (as in tournaments) you build NOW. You're effectively covering for Cal.

 

[Cats192]

We'll probably lose. Kansas is a bunch of 22 year olds with a lot of college basketball experience.

Without a 7 footer, I worry Kansas controls the rebounding part of the game and gets too many second chance points. Harris takes amazing care of the ball with a 7.5 assist to turnover ratio. Kansas isn't going to get sped up or panicked. I doubt we win the turnover battle.

I think we CAN win. We've got multiple guards that can penetrate and shoot. We have to make shots. We have to keep Hunter guarding the 3 point line so that he's not under the basket waiting for a driving guard. We won't win the rebounding war, but we need to keep it from being super one sided. We need to limit the turnovers.

Oh, and we have to make free throws.

 

[dl51344]

We’re always short handed in big games.

Can't remember when we are not.

 

[bbncal02]

For the 1,000th time UK hasn't played anyone yet this season, and their last opponent they were down 11-13 points to in the first half AT HOME. If you're a coach who's focused on winning later (as in tournaments) you build NOW. You're effectively covering for Cal.

Look, I"m as peeved at Cal as anyone, but none of the bigs are ready to go. Bradshaw might be, but he's not going to be able to be 100% effective if that were to be his first real game. Z isn't clear yet and Ugo is still behind and recovering.

So, would I risk an iffy Bradshaw for just one game? As much as I want the win, it isn't worth risking Bradshaw IF he was available. Hopefully he's back in a week or so and we can start easing him in to the easier games and get him built back up.

 

[Ballin4nine]

We are UK. Saying this game doesn't matter is just a lame excuse. As UK fans we don't expect to lose to anyone. I don't care what the roster looks like, I expect to go into that game with a mindset of at least a 50/50 chance of winning.