That locker room energy...

[AshWilliams]

I could tell by their hangdog faces and slack posture in the locker room pregame AND halftime that we were going to lose.

Contrast that with Pearl's energy in Auburn's locker room.

Something needs to change. Our guys look defeated.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Told my son when I saw the pregame locker took footage that I thought they weren’t really into it. Guess I was right. These boys today were not prepared, not dialed in, and absolutely looked like they didn’t give a shit.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Told my son when I saw the pregame locker took footage that I thought they weren’t really into it. Guess I was right. These boys today were not prepared, not dialed in, and absolutely looked like they didn’t give a shit.

Some days you aren't ready for your A game at work. And this is a job for them.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Some days you aren't ready for your A game at work. And this is a job for them.

And this is one of the most bipolar UK teams I can ever remember.

 

[king of cali]

Some days you aren't ready for your A game at work. And this is a job for them.

Not ready for a midweek game against LSU is one thing. Not being ready with the #1 team coming to your building is quite another.

 

[Himmels]

I could tell by their hangdog faces and slack posture in the locker room pregame AND halftime that we were going to lose.

Contrast that with Pearl's energy in Auburn's locker room.

Something needs to change. Our guys look defeated.

Pearl makes you wanna run through a wall for him during the pregame. Our guys looked like they wanted to take a quick nap

 

[NociHTTP]

Pearl makes you wanna run through a wall for him during the pregame. Our guys looked like they wanted to take a quick nap

Agreed. WTH are they sitting all relaxed? It's game time! Pearl's guys were up and paying attention. The coaching staff could be doing a better job in this department.

 

[RondoBaller21]

They had no reaction at all. He said let’s go and nobody clapped or jumped up.

 

[AshWilliams]

If I'm Pope, I'm telling them "You guys seem to lack motivation, so we're going back to two-a-days."

 

[RobEStacy]

They know 2 guys have there foot out the door.. Just learned JRob was done for the season. Butler is one hard hit from being done for the year.... I can see them being deflated... To steal a Cal quote.. They are not robots... I'm not to worried... With Robinson gone... I'm not expecting for us to go far... Butler is like 70.. Carr like 60%. Just was not ment to be...

 

[OliverSimmonstwinbrother]

And this is one of the most bipolar UK teams I can ever remember.

I don't get it. Even when healthy they were like this. Come back and beat Duke and then struggle with Colgate. I lost count of how many games they came out and got down and had to claw back with halftime adjustments.

For a young team it's understandable but not with all our 5th year dudes.

 

[wccat2969]

So much for veteran leadership or should I say someone who will lead them when things go bad.

 

[G-PIP]

Pearl makes you wanna run through a wall for him during the pregame. Our guys looked like they wanted to take a quick nap

Pearl is one of, if not the best motivators in CBB. There are different ways to win, and Pearl's biggest coaching advantage, I believe, is not Xs & Os but rather has always been his ability to motivate his players.

 

[shaudyshaud]

If you can’t get up for a home game against the number 1 team then I don’t know what to say .

 

[southvillecat]

Yeah that wasn’t a good look on national TV. Quite the contrast.

 

[NociHTTP]

Yeah that wasn’t a good look on national TV. Quite the contrast.

It bothers me a lot. These guys KNOW (or should by now) that this is Kentucky. You're expected to do whatever it takes to win. It's expected that you WANT to play in Rupp Arena, for the fans, for BBN. But they all looked like they'd rather be doing something else. Maybe someone with connections will bring this to Pope's attention and he can make improvements in this area going forward.

EDIT: if you're a recruit and you see that, does it make you WANT to play for Pope? Is there tension in the clubhouse, so to speak? Have they tuned him out?

 

[catzfanjim]

When they showed the Wildcat walk at Rupp the players didn’t look fired up. The band was playing the fight song and the cheerleaders ran onto the floor but the players were delayed for some reason.

 

[catlogic15]

Pope’s pre-game locker room speech might as well have been a bedtime story.

 

[taydaddy]

Great post OP. Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that today.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

When I saw this, all I could think of is the numerous times Bryce Drew did this when he was at Vanderbilt just in case they beat Kentucky. Kind of the "he called his shot" and they'd always lose. Get run in their gym and then some miraculously painful loss as UK came back from a disaster of a start to overcome them at Rupp.

I am not a fan of this being shown pregame or in-game personally. Understand if they record it for their weekly shows etc...but it's so filled with nonsense. At this time of year especially, if you aren't ready to take the court and self motivated to play, you are a stiff.

 

[gharding07]

If you can’t get up for a home game against the number 1 team then I don’t know what to say .

This pretty much sums it up.

 

[CondorCat]

Pope's locker room looked about as exciting as sitting in an English 101 class.

 

[Rockfly78]

They had no reaction at all. He said let’s go and nobody clapped or jumped up.

This was telling to me as well. Honestly when they showed that video and then showed auburns I was ashamed. It was embarrassing.

 

[Rockfly78]

I was embarassed as well. Your job as coach is to set the frame of mind, to set the expectations.

Pope may not be a rah rah guy. I get that. It’s not his personality. But someone in the room has to be. Whether is a player or an Assistant coach, someone has to be able to inspire. That was the most awkward video clip I’ve ever seen.

 

[AbbieLex]

I could tell by their hangdog faces and slack posture in the locker room pregame AND halftime that we were going to lose.

Contrast that with Pearl's energy in Auburn's locker room.

Something needs to change. Our guys look defeated.

I was at the Ohio State game in NY and called my friend during pregame and said we had no shot. They looked like they didn’t won’t to be there and we saw what happened. Something has been missing!

 

[NociHTTP]

Pope may not be a rah rah guy. I get that. It’s not his personality. But someone in the room has to be. Whether is a player or an Assistant coach, someone has to be able to inspire. That was the most awkward video clip I’ve ever seen.

I think there is a disconnect between the staff and the players. Would it have anything to do with the building of the roster in the manner in which it was built (Pope had no choice). Could it be expectations that some players were never on board with? I know some here have said that these guys came from leagues that aren't as competitive on a national scale as the SEC. Is there clubhouse tension? Jealousy because of NIL? It's so different from guys like Pitino, Pearl and others.

 

[NociHTTP]

I was at the Ohio State game in NY and called my friend during pregame and said we had no shot. They looked like they didn’t won’t to be there and we saw what happened. Something has been missing!

What the heck is it?

 

[catlogic15]

These mid-conference level players come from programs that typically lose 10-12 games a year.
They’re used to it, and have no real urgency to fight for a win. When I was in high school and laughed after committing a turnover like Butler did, I’d have run the bleachers for a week.

 

[know1]

We saw about 10 seconds total of the locker room and some "fans" are losing their minds over it.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I could tell by their hangdog faces and slack posture in the locker room pregame AND halftime that we were going to lose.

Contrast that with Pearl's energy in Auburn's locker room.

Something needs to change. Our guys look defeated.

I think its a team trying to play beyond their abilities.. getting banged around in SEC play.. no help from the refs.. and they know it. It's starting to wear on them. It's like pushing a car up hill. They got it like 100 feet, but you mentally and physically start to have a toll taken.

I think trying to take it any further than that is stretching it. I don't think there's chemistry issues or bad coaching.

The team is what it is at present time. It's a mid-major roster trying to play in the best conference in NCAA history. It's going to show. It's actually kind of amazing we're in the middle of the pack.

 

[cal=8]

I thought they didn't look happy the other night against Oklahoma. They were yelling at each other and just didn't seem together. Had Oweh not played out of his head we would've gotten handled. Something is definitely wrong.

 

[precipitance]

Maybe Pope has a routine that keeps their mind clear and focused. How many time have we heard Pope say he doesn't want their emotions to high or to low? Without more context I'd say this is with purpose.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Two of our top 8 are done for the season.

No excuses, but I can understand how they feel.

Pope better rally the troops, though. It’s make a push now or just lay down and use the injuries as an excuse.

This is a chance to make a statement about the future of the program.

Resiliency or defeatism. Time to choose.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

It’s obvious that Pope is not pump it up motivational type.

The other side of that is why would any player need someone to motivate them for a game like yesterday?

 

[UKBB4Ever]

It’s obvious that Pope is not pump it up motivational type.

The other side of that is why would any player need someone to motivate them for a game like yesterday?

 

[_ukcat]

Saw the Pregame locker room broadcast of UK vs Auburn and I felt Auburn was going to win and it wasn't going to be close

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

I'm not sure Pope saw that stunt that Lamont pulled. He turned his head away from the coaching staff. To Lamont: there is NOTHING funny about your careless Wheeler / DJ drives to the basket and throwing up prayers, and your team getting it's ass handed to it right there in Rupp Arena. Finally I am starting to understand that most of these players don't run through a wall for this program or fight tooth and nail for a win at Rupp, because they didn't grow up watching Kentucky play nor do they have any ties to the state and our program's legacy. I hope that Pope is able to overcome this hurdle and get some talented players in here who will bleed blue. Noah and Perry, I feel for them.

I'm going to defend Butler. He's a guy who has proven to be a tough kid/winning player. He's playing through a severe shoulder injury and it's obvious he's been compromised. Imagine having a shoulder that you separated/dislocated and having to play a sport where you have to raise it above your ahead/extend from body to shoot/pass/rebound/defend? Would be better off sitting but he knows this is it...no more after this year and he's toughing things out. Wheeler QUIT on this program and nothing was wrong other than bruised ego.

Unless we personally know someone or know of what is going on behind the scenes with them.....hard to gauge what their reaction actually means? Could be more of a "Can you believe the F'ing day we are/I am having?"

Butler came from a better program recently than what UK was under Cal. San Diego State was 7-2 in the last two NCAA Tournaments with both losses coming to UConn. He's hit a game winning shot in the Final Four. He's done what was asked while being here.

Nobody's happy with the turn of the season but really injuries to Butler/Robinson are why this is going on. I appreciate him gutting this out. Now I do understand why you/other fans might not have cared for the reaction but based on what he's shown in his career/while he's been here and fact he's out there playing injured, I respect him and appreciate him. He's the antithesis of the crap we'd been seeing recently which includes guys like Wheeler, Theiro (he sat out because his Dad wanted more NIL $) DJ Wagner's "mental break" etc..

 

[Rockfly78]

We saw about 10 seconds total of the locker room and some "fans" are losing their minds over it.

It was telling. To anyone who has ever coached athletes, you know the importance of the “go home” moment of the pregame talk. There’s no way to spin this. After seeing that clip I’m not at all surprised at the outcome

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

Two of our top 8 are done for the season.

No excuses, but I can understand how they feel.

Pope better rally the troops, though. It’s make a push now or just lay down and use the injuries as an excuse.

This is a chance to make a statement about the future of the program.

Resiliency or defeatism. Time to choose.

Well said and 100% accurate. Injury bug had our number.

 

[know1]

It was telling. To anyone who has ever coached athletes, you know the importance of the “go home” moment of the pregame talk. There’s no way to spin this. After seeing that clip I’m not at all surprised at the outcome

Maybe the "go home" moment came after the camera stopped, though. That's what I'm saying.