No spin, no excuse, worst loss of new Pope era

[uk78]

I am reading ridiculous posts on "they were more motivated" "we were missing players" (so did they), or anything else. We just lost at home to a lousy team. It was a disaster because it was Cal, the players that spurned the program, the coaching rivalry and Cal having f'd us, and on and on. There is no getting around it, just horrible horrible horrible loss. It also hurts our SEC standings, NCAA (now 2 home losses), and where everyone expected a beat down and celebration we were just humiliated. There is no rationalizing this one so stop it. We will move on of course but this was sad.

 

[huntsvillecat2]

Agree completely—absolutely unacceptable loss. Can’t let that piece of shite Calipari beat us, simply cannot.

 

[Cat in ga]

They wanted it more. Except Amari it looked like are guys let the moment get to them. Lost one we should have won. Defense had to get better.

 

[2Dope15]

Yeah we just gave up the most points to Arkansas has had all year and probably the most they will have the rest of the year.

 

[sambowieshin]

We have now lost 3 of the last 4.
Not good.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

Everyone on Earth and other nearby inhabited planets knew this was a must win for the next UK coach. I really like Pope but he screwed the pooch tonight.

 

[CatFanInIlliniLand]

I give the Mark Pope era an A so far. Maybe A- after tonight.

Tonight and the Ohio State loss was unacceptable. Alabama is understandable. Vandy sucked but a lot of really good teams have lost in that weird gym. Clemson was a first true road test. OSU & Arky are unacceptable. Pope & Staff need to step up

 

[CatsnRoses]

I give the Mark Pope era an A so far. Maybe A- after tonight.

Tonight and the Ohio State loss was unacceptable. Alabama is understandable. Vandy sucked but a lot of really good teams have lost in that weird gym. Clemson was a first true road test. OSU & Arky are unacceptable. Pope & Staff need to step up

Man the bar has really gotten low around here.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

I give the Mark Pope era an A so far. Maybe A- after tonight.

Tonight and the Ohio State loss was unacceptable. Alabama is understandable. Vandy sucked but a lot of really good teams have lost in that weird gym. Clemson was a first true road test. OSU & Arky are unacceptable. Pope & Staff need to step up

Honestly Clemson was inexcusable too. As a Kentucky and Clemson alumnus, it's really embarrassing to lose to Clemson in basketball.

 

[Chief Paducah]

Yeah this one is going to unfortunately follow Pope around for a while. X is on fire with Cats fans going at former players. This is a bad look tonight all around. He needed this win badly, if nothing else, to prove to the fan base he truly does belong.

 

[EastKYWildcat]

Unfortunately losing this game is how you wreck good vibes around the program

 

[TTTblue24]

The one game you couldn’t lose and you did, I just can’t believe we have no one that takes their defensive assignment personal and then makes your teammates the same way.
We choked from the staff to the players, and the effort was unacceptable tonight. Effort, hustle and want to take absolutely zero talent.

 

[true blue1]

Embarrassing loss tonight.

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

I am reading ridiculous posts on "they were more motivated" "we were missing players" (so did they), or anything else. We just lost at home to a lousy team. It was a disaster because it was Cal, the players that spurned the program, the coaching rivalry and Cal having f'd us, and on and on. There is no getting around it, just horrible horrible horrible loss. It also hurts our SEC standings, NCAA (now 2 home losses), and where everyone expected a beat down and celebration we were just humiliated. There is no rationalizing this one so stop it. We will move on of course but this was sad.

I mean of course, it's our first lost against a team not projected in the field.
Bama, Clemson, easily in right now.
Vandy, OHS and GA all in as of yesterday. Ark might get towards the bubble, I mean if 13-10 UNC is then cmon. But yeah 59 NET before game so Quad 2 loss and worse of the year.

Hey IowaSt lost at home to 95th Kst with a losing record for a Quad3 loss and they're supposed to be a lock 1 seed. Shit happens.

-#3 IowaSt lost at home to #95.

-Louisville lost to a team with a losing record.

-Kansas lost and gave up a 21 pt lead.

-UNC lost again, that's 10 and Dook continues to beat no one.

-7 MichSt lost to unranked.

-9 Marquette lost at home.

-6 HOU list at home.

-14 MissSt lost by 27 at home.

-5 FL lost by 20

-24 Vandy lost by 30

I mean it's crap but there are a few silver linings.

 

[chevyman 50]

No excuses to lose to awful coach like Cal, hard to understand you would have thought Ky would have been ready to play D and do what it took to win.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Somehow I remember tournament losses as the worst.

St Peters and Oakland are worse than MTSU and UAB.

It is Feb 2.

The first year will be judged on post season performance mostly.

 

[TOMCATS1990]

All I know is Pope gets a pass this season. Next year he better have a defense to go with the offense and by defense I mean switching up D’s full court press make your opponent uncomfortable and have to think a little.

 

[chroix]

I don’t think this loss haunts us or defines us. I think it motivates Pope to get better and not be in this position again next year. Could end up being the best thing for the coach long term. Can’t have teams that back down from physicality ever again. Last night proved it. Finesse is great but strength and athleticism play a huge role in this league.

 

[NociHTTP]

All I know is Pope gets a pass this season. Next year he better have a defense to go with the offense and by defense I mean switching up D’s full court press make your opponent uncomfortable and have to think a little.

You'll have to wait until halftime of next year's games.

 

[Disappointed Cat]

I am reading ridiculous posts on "they were more motivated" "we were missing players" (so did they), or anything else. We just lost at home to a lousy team. It was a disaster because it was Cal, the players that spurned the program, the coaching rivalry and Cal having f'd us, and on and on. There is no getting around it, just horrible horrible horrible loss. It also hurts our SEC standings, NCAA (now 2 home losses), and where everyone expected a beat down and celebration we were just humiliated. There is no rationalizing this one so stop it. We will move on of course but this was sad.

That flushing noise you hear is our season going down the drain. Pathetic performance.

 

[chroix]

If you can watch this and think the coach is ok with this loss you got some shit to learn. I think this one hurt him and he’s going to be a better coach as a result.

 

[ukwazoo]

I don’t think this loss haunts us or defines us. I think it motivates Pope to get better and not be in this position again next year. Could end up being the best thing for the coach long term. Can’t have teams that back down from physicality ever again. Last night proved it. Finesse is great but strength and athleticism play a huge role in this league.

Feel like we said this after Clemson. And after UGA. It has become a theme.

 

[chroix]

Feel like we said this after Clemson. And after UGA. It has become a theme.

I did not say that so ‘we said this’ is inaccurate. Past that how would you propose fixing holes in a roster mid season in college?

 

[thebluestripes]

Its pretty goofy that the build up to the game became all bout cal and if the fans would boo. The media made the game secondary to all the drama they wanted cooked up. Part of me wonders if the uk players kinda bought into the hoopla and didnt take the actual game as seriously as they should. otoh the defense was bout as pourus against tennessee but they missed most of their wide open shots.
Either way this loss should hurt the players and coaches to the core.

 

[storm1507]

It's all about effort. Ex Cats wanted it more than current Cats.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Somehow I remember tournament losses as the worst.

St Peters and Oakland are worse than MTSU and UAB.

It is Feb 2.

The first year will be judged on post season performance mostly.

Then he is in for a world of shit on that end, cause with the injuries and the way this team defends - we aren’t winning a game. Either tourney.

 

[coachcombs57]

Yep, but if this is as bad as it gets then I think we'll end up pretty happy with the end results. There is something to be said for not having Butler, Kerr, and 1/2 of carr. But the effort or lack thereof outside of Amari was unacceptable.

It honestly looked like we were the Cal coached team trading 2s for 3s and missing FTs on the way to a loss.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Then he is in for a world of shit on that end, cause with the injuries and the way this team defends - we aren’t winning a game. Either tourney.

Crystal Ball may be out of whack Long ways to go until then.

 

[CatPatrick13]

Well. I do think the Arky team has more talent than we do. Grabbing at straws here

 

[gbl97]

We can only hope that we draw Arkansas in the SEC tournament. Giving them a beat down would mostly redeem last night's travesty. Of course losing would be unthinkable.

 

[SkyPrince1]

We can only hope that we draw Arkansas in the SEC tournament. Giving them a beat down would mostly redeem last night's travesty. Of course losing would be unthinkable.

Pope needs that game to happen.

 

[good time]

I can understand another team having better athleticism than us, but what's really obvious to me, we don't HUSTLE! has anyone on this team dove for a ball all year? Do any of them go to the floor?

 

[jwphelps]

I am reading ridiculous posts on "they were more motivated" "we were missing players" (so did they), or anything else. We just lost at home to a lousy team. It was a disaster because it was Cal, the players that spurned the program, the coaching rivalry and Cal having f'd us, and on and on. There is no getting around it, just horrible horrible horrible loss. It also hurts our SEC standings, NCAA (now 2 home losses), and where everyone expected a beat down and celebration we were just humiliated. There is no rationalizing this one so stop it. We will move on of course but this was sad.

Unfortunately I have to agree,

 

[mg0721]

When you don't/can't play defense, you're always suspect to these types of nights. You can't always out score people and be positive about your team/situation. Sometimes you have to be downright mean and honery. We are not a tough team.

 

[fisherscatfan]

All I know is Pope gets a pass this season. Next year he better have a defense to go with the offense and by defense I mean switching up D’s full court press make your opponent uncomfortable and have to think a little.

I fully get the limitations of this team especially with no point guard last night. What I don’t get is the lack of adjustments made to at least try to counter the weaknesses.

Arkansas’ defense looked the worst when Amari was down low taking advantage. Arkansas’ D looked best (outside of bizarre UK lineups) when Armari and Garrison were up high.

Last night Pope seemed very set in his ways and didn’t seem to mix it up to try to counter. I don’t know if going zone with closeouts/matching up on Z would have worked. I know letting Wagner and Thiero go 1 v 1 sure didn’t.

 

[king of cali]

It is truly astounding to see some try to spin that game away with sorry excuse like motivation and the like.

Even if you remove the Calipari angle, it was still a terrible loss. I said on Tuesday ago the Tennessee game that they needed to augment that win with another against Arkansas. The fact that they went the other way with another listless effort is troubling.

 

[king of cali]

I fully get the limitations of this team especially with no point guard last night. What I don’t get is the lack of adjustments made to at least try to counter the weaknesses.

Arkansas’ defense looked the worst when Amari was down low taking advantage. Arkansas’ D looked best (outside of bizarre UK lineups) when Armari and Garrison were up high.

Last night Pope seemed very set in his ways and didn’t seem to mix it up to try to counter. I don’t know if going zone with closeouts/matching up on Z would have worked. I know letting Wagner and Thiero go 1 v 1 sure didn’t.

I wonder if it was part of the Arkansas strategy to let Williams go off. The offense works best when he is distributing and hitting cutters. Not so much when he is trying to be the primary low post scorer.

More Williams means less Oweh, Robinson and Brea. Not once did Arkansas double Williams. They were content to let him cook and keep the shooters from bombing away.

 

[Warf2012]

He’s becoming like Kal. We’ve had about 4 losses this year where we’ve said this was Pope’s worst loss and then he goes out and has one even worse. All that’s missing is losing to the school for the blind in Rupp back in December and he’d have the full Kal experience going on.

 

[Warf2012]

I wonder if it was part of the Arkansas strategy to let Williams go off. The offense works best when he is distributing and hitting cutters. Not so much when he is trying to be the primary low post scorer.

More Williams means less Oweh, Robinson and Brea. Not once did Arkansas double Williams. They were content to let him cook and keep the shooters from bombing away.

Strategy 😂… Kal never has a strategy other than go try to score more than your opponent.

 

[TOMCATS1990]

I fully get the limitations of this team especially with no point guard last night. What I don’t get is the lack of adjustments made to at least try to counter the weaknesses.

Arkansas’ defense looked the worst when Amari was down low taking advantage. Arkansas’ D looked best (outside of bizarre UK lineups) when Armari and Garrison were up high.

Last night Pope seemed very set in his ways and didn’t seem to mix it up to try to counter. I don’t know if going zone with closeouts/matching up on Z would have worked. I know letting Wagner and Thiero go 1 v 1 sure didn’t.

my point exactly take one away and live with Arkansas beating you from 3