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Mark Pope first coach in 37 years to lose to Auburn at home. Maybe he doesn’t understand the assignment.

I know this is maybe their best team ever , but still. It’s Auburn….
Playing the #1 team in the country playing their BEST with your BEST scorer out injured and your best defender playing with a BUM shoulder, made the outcome predictable.

Coach Pope has had to deal with a TON of problems playing in not just to toughest SEC ever, but maybe the strongest conference EVER top to bottom!!!

So to make your post title is WAAYYYYYY short sighted and RIDICULOUS!!!

Give Coach Pope another recruiting cycle and see where we are!!!

His system is one of the MOST desirable for ANY player to play in!!!! It won't take long for this program to get back on top!!!
 
Auburn may be slightly better than their historical past.
Only fhing bothering me is that as good as Auburn is this year, Duke is the second best team. Still think there’s a very good chance they won’t let Auburn win it, but if that means pushing Duke back to the top, that’s even worse.

A healthy Florida is probably the most realistic threat to them both. Not a lot of great options.
 
If someone wants to say the jury is still out on Pope since he never really won big at his previous stops, then I can respect that even though I personally think his early returns have been very promising this year.

Some of these people acting like the right coach can just will wins into existence because we’re Kentucky are delusional though. Even though their historical success is sparse, this particular Auburn team is doing this to just about everybody, and we’re still dealing with some important injuries. A different coach was highly unlikely to change the outcome today.
 
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Playing the #1 team in the country playing their BEST with your BEST scorer out injured and your best defender playing with a BUM shoulder, made the outcome predictable.

Coach Pope has had to deal with a TON of problems playing in not just to toughest SEC ever, but maybe the strongest conference EVER top to bottom!!!

So to make your post title is WAAYYYYYY short sighted and RIDICULOUS!!!

Give Coach Pope another recruiting cycle and see where we are!!!

His system is one of the MOST desirable for ANY player to play in!!!! It won't take long for this program to get back on top!!!
I imagine it is. You can come in, play matador defense, and run the same offense all game. I do agree with you that the players coming in are likely to be better, but Pope and his staff need to do a MUCH BETTER job themselves.
 
I imagine it is. You can come in, play matador defense, and run the same offense all game. I do agree with you that the players coming in are likely to be better, but Pope and his staff need to do a MUCH BETTER job themselves.
6 weeks to create this roster.

Think about that and then factor in the injuries and you have where we are now.

I guess beating Duke was a fluke???

The dude CAN Coach, he just needs time to build a BETTER roster with athletes that can DEFEND. He is a Rhodes Scholar and former Med student that WON a National Championship as a Kentucky Wildcat AND had an NBA career by OVER-ACHIEVING. I have ZERO doubt that he KNOWS what is needed to succeed here.
 
6 weeks to create this roster.

Think about that and then factor in the injuries and you have where we are now.

I guess beating Duke was a fluke???

The dude CAN Coach, he just needs time to build a BETTER roster with athletes that can DEFEND. He is a Rhodes Scholar and former Med student that WON a National Championship as a Kentucky Wildcat AND had an NBA career by OVER-ACHIEVING. I have ZERO doubt that he KNOWS what is needed to succeed here.
No, beating Duke wasn't a fluke. If you can't see that Mark has things HE needs to work on, that are negatively affecting the team's success this year, then I don't know what to tell you. There's far more to basketball than a "better roster". That this team doesn't defend well isn't just about talent, it's also about WANT. Mark's teams have never been known to play great defense. Why do you think that is? Do you think that's a fluke? Do you think I or most here give a shit that he's a "Rhodes Scholar and former Med student"? We don't. You're literally pissing on every other coach out that wasn't a scholar. Pearl coaches circles around Mark, and that starts in game prep and the lockeroom as we all got to witness today. We all love Mark as a former Wildcat, but

EDIT: I'm well aware that he had only six weeks to build the roster, as most here are. It doesn't excuse some of what we've witnessed this season. Everyone should be held accountable, starting at the top.
 
No, beating Duke wasn't a fluke. If you can't see that Mark has things HE needs to work on, that are negatively affecting the team's success this year, then I don't know what to tell you. There's far more to basketball than a "better roster". That this team doesn't defend well isn't just about talent, it's also about WANT. Mark's teams have never been known to play great defense. Why do you think that is? Do you think that's a fluke? Do you think I or most here give a shit that he's a "Rhodes Scholar and former Med student"? We don't. You're literally pissing on every other coach out that wasn't a scholar. Pearl coaches circles around Mark, and that starts in game prep and the lockeroom as we all got to witness today. We all love Mark as a former Wildcat, but

EDIT: I'm well aware that he had only six weeks to build the roster, as most here are. It doesn't excuse some of what we've witnessed this season. Everyone should be held accountable, starting at the top.

From reading your incessant complaining about Cal for years, and now you’re doing it with Pope, I have come to realize that you either just like to complain or expect absolute perfection for 40 games a year.
 
No, beating Duke wasn't a fluke. If you can't see that Mark has things HE needs to work on, that are negatively affecting the team's success this year, then I don't know what to tell you. There's far more to basketball than a "better roster". That this team doesn't defend well isn't just about talent, it's also about WANT. Mark's teams have never been known to play great defense. Why do you think that is? Do you think that's a fluke? Do you think I or most here give a shit that he's a "Rhodes Scholar and former Med student"? We don't. You're literally pissing on every other coach out that wasn't a scholar. Pearl coaches circles around Mark, and that starts in game prep and the lockeroom as we all got to witness today. We all love Mark as a former Wildcat, but

EDIT: I'm well aware that he had only six weeks to build the roster, as most here are. It doesn't excuse some of what we've witnessed this season. Everyone should be held accountable, starting at the top.
Maybe, JUST maybe, Coach Pope has NEVER in his coaching career had the opportunity to RECRUIT the type of athletes that he WILL be able to at UK.

The 3 Freshmen coming in next season are the type of players that WILL be able to defend. Not even accounting for who he will bring in through the transfer portal.

Judging his coaching from his Utah St and BYU rosters is CRAZY!!!!

Coach Pearl has ONE final 4 in his WHOLE career and that one came from Cal getting OUT-COACHED with a MUCH BETTER roster. Heck, Auburn's BEST player was injured and didn't even play in that Elite 8 loss!!!

Coach Pearl has his BEST roster since coming to Auburn and they are REALLY good, #1 in FACT!!! Coach Pope just needs time to PROVE my point and I am MORE than confident he WILL!!!
 
I get it but this isn't the Auburn of my youth (first basketball memory is the 92 Duke game and 93 is the first team I remember a full season of) so that aspect isn't concerning. It is concerning being in 9th place. I think it's a combination of the last 5 years of Cal, a coach who had to build a roster from scratch and God awful officiating. I'm trying not to be too judgemental but I do get frustrated a lot.
 
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People need to let go of the past. Didn't we beat auburn like 18 times n a row n 2000s to mid 2010s?

That's not happening again as they have a better program now. Same with this Rupp streak. You can't win forever. Auburn has arguably their best team ever (ncaa tourney will determine that).
 
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