This guy is high on Pope's Cats

[un4getables]

The Davis kid from FAU was the first one Pope missed. He was the prized target.
Then there was an Osobor/Onier dilemma (forgive my spelling). After that there was a kid named Lanier. Wasn't Toppin in the mix, too? Cant remember on that one. Popes missed out on quite a few, it happens. You sure do seem angry, tho. Take a break from the screen.

As for being from UL or Ark, no. Im a huge UK fan, born in Lex, but also realize we're not winning every game (especially this year). Have a great day!

Wow... This is what you are talking about... Good gracious.. Hell Lanier was UT all the way ( they were the reason he entered the portal), the fact we made it a race is credit to Pope... Let me ask you this how much of the "misses" were potential asking too much NIL versus they just flat so no way I am playing for that coach at UK? Because the "rumor" was Osobor wanted a stupid amount of NIL to play here .. The FAU kid again rumor was the amount of money does not equate... Now maybe I am full of crap but just like you NO ONE KNOWS since there is no publication of what NIL is being offered / Paid to these athletes.. Therefore its all conjecture.. However, to claim these are the "elite" recruits he missed on is a JOKE... Again please go back to Arkansas, Louisville boards... You are not worth the time and energy

 

[yoshukai]

Ahhh its fun to guess. Its a sports board, we're not setting up your IRA or anything. I promise, i won't hold it to you if youre wrong. How many losses do you predict?

8-12

 

[Lovebaskelball]

Ten teams had a double digit loss record in the final AP Top 25 last year. So unless you are a top 5 team, you are going to have some losses.

 

[know1]

Put me down for 9 losses and that's including postseason.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Wow... This is what you are talking about... Good gracious.. Hell Lanier was UT all the way ( they were the reason he entered the portal), the fact we made it a race is credit to Pope... Let me ask you this how much of the "misses" were potential asking too much NIL versus they just flat so no way I am playing for that coach at UK? Because the "rumor" was Osobor wanted a stupid amount of NIL to play here .. The FAU kid again rumor was the amount of money does not equate... Now maybe I am full of crap but just like you NO ONE KNOWS since there is no publication of what NIL is being offered / Paid to these athletes.. Therefore its all conjecture.. However, to claim these are the "elite" recruits he missed on is a JOKE... Again please go back to Arkansas, Louisville boards... You are not worth the time and energy

Those are awfully long responses for someone not worth time and energy. lol

You angrily asked me who he missed on, implying he's landed every target, so i told you. Now youre already making excuses why he missed. You're already fully prepped and lubed to give Pope a reacharound and he hasn't even coached a game yet.

I hope he wins every game, but i think many losses are coming. Its not easy throwing a team together without 1 returning player and win with this schedule against seasoned coaches. There should be some great fighting on this board this winter.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Put me down for 9 losses and that's including postseason.

9's my number, too, for the entire season

 

[THE_HOOK]

You think this team is a lot more talented than all his BYU teams?? We have mediocre stars from crap teams. Gillispie started with more talent. Its not Popes fault, but t-minus 4 months till this board has meltdowns on losses and people like yourself wake up.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[MrHotDice]

If we beat Duke eatly, uK will not lose 9 gamrd

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

The media lacks basic inductive reasoning skills.

BYU won 23 games last season in a more difficult league than the SEC. They also had lesser talent at 80% of their positions.

Upgrade the positional talent at those four positions, add more depth, and increase the talent level at the only position that was directly transferable (Jaxson Robinson, who's only gotten better), and it's a no brainer that this team will hover around the 23 to 25 win mark. The OOC schedule isn't a murderer's row either. All of this should be good enough for a top 20 ranking.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

You think this team is a lot more talented than all his BYU teams?? We have mediocre stars from crap teams. Gillispie started with more talent. Its not Popes fault, but t-minus 4 months till this board has meltdowns on losses and people like yourself wake up.

Gillispie had one legit frontcourt piece - Patterson. He had a legit backcourt in that first year with Crawford and Bradley, but he had no scorers at small forward or center, especially after Legion left the team and Meeks went down with an injury. They were basically playing 3 on 5 each game from a talent level, with zero depth after January of that 2008 season.

So you think a team consisting of Patterson, Crawford, Bradley, Coury, Jasper, Harris, Stewart, Stevenson, and Porter is better talent-wise than this upcoming team?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I'll be honest, i haven't kept up with UL in the offseason and dont know them well enough to make a prediction. They've been so awful that ive lost interest in what they do. They're coach did well at Charleston, but its Charleston. I do recall headlines about UL having a better transfer class. I'm not sure if thats true. But im very happy the game is at Rupp this yr.

I do think UT, Bama, Auburn and Arkansas, will have better teams in the SEC. The fact that Cal took 3 key players, and getting a jump start on Pope, is why i think theyre better at the moment. That game at Rupp will be nuts, i cant wait to be there.

UK is right there with Tennessee and Auburn. Alabama has more talent than us. So does Arkansas (but they also have Calipari, who often manages to screw up a good thing).

I think UK finishes 4th in the SEC this season. I'm not buying the Tennessee hype. Lanier is a great player, but he's no Dalton Knecht, and that's what Tennessee will need from him if they're going to finish top 4 in the SEC.

 

[Eight_Banners]

In the transfer portal theyre good. Overall, as a college D-1 player with KY on the chest? I dont know, i dont see it.

This reminds me of the football board. "Theyre going to compete for an SEC title" talk, till about 3 games in.

2023-24:

Koby Brea was the number one three-point shooter in the country: .498%

-That's the entire country. I don't care who you play for, I'd take him over someone who shot 37% at Duke

Amari Williams' PER was 28.5, good for fourth best in the transfer portal, behind only Vladislav Goldin (Michigan), Achor Achor (K. State), and Mikeal Brown-Jones (Ole Miss). Goldin and Achor were top-10 in the nation, Williams right behind

-Just with Brea and Williams you have two great foundation pieces for a good team

Lamont Butler had the fourth-best defensive rating (100.3) in the portal for PGs, behind Dilione (Penn St.), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), and Kylan Boswell (Illinois).

Otega Oweh, who was listed as a Small Forward on some sites and a Guard on others, would have had a defensive rating (98.4) good for 2nd in PGs (behind Dilione), first for SGs and first for SFs. He's a legit defender.

Andrew Carr's offensive rating (127.6) was good for fourth in the transfer portal among SFs, behind Gillis (Duke), Maliq Brown (Duke), and JT Toppin (Tx. Tech). His offensive efficiency was just slightly behind Reed Sheppard (129.4) and Rob Dillingham (129.2).


To me, these are the known studs on this team.

The slightly above average players are:

Jaxson Robinson - I am actually hoping Robinson doesn't become a place where the ball goes to die
Brandon Garrison - He could turn out to be a tremendous player with his physique


The mediocre players are:

Ansley Almonor
Kerr Kriisa - I'm holding out hope on him because of how excited Pope is that he's a Wildcat


The unknowns:

Collin Chandler
Trent Noah
Travis Perry

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

2023-24:

Koby Brea was the number one three-point shooter in the country: .498%

-That's the entire country. I don't care who you play for, I'd take him over someone who shot 37% at Duke

Amari Williams' PER was 28.5, good for fourth best in the transfer portal, behind only Vladislav Goldin (Michigan), Achor Achor (K. State), and Mikeal Brown-Jones (Ole Miss). Goldin and Achor were top-10 in the nation, Williams right behind

-Just with Brea and Williams you have two great foundation pieces for a good team

Lamont Butler had the fourth-best defensive rating (100.3) in the portal for PGs, behind Dilione (Penn St.), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), and Kylan Boswell (Illinois).

Otega Oweh, who was listed as a Small Forward on some sites and a Guard on others, would have had a defensive rating (98.4) good for 2nd in PGs (behind Dilione), first for SGs and first for SFs. He's a legit defender.

Andrew Carr's offensive rating (127.6) was good for fourth in the transfer portal among SFs, behind Gillis (Duke), Maliq Brown (Duke), and JT Toppin (Tx. Tech). His offensive efficiency was just slightly behind Reed Sheppard (129.4) and Rob Dillingham (129.2).


To me, these are the known studs on this team.

The slightly above average players are:

Jaxson Robinson - I am actually hoping Robinson doesn't become a place where the ball goes to die
Brandon Garrison - He could turn out to be a tremendous player with his physique


The mediocre players are:

Ansley Almonor
Kerr Kriisa - I'm holding out hope on him because of how excited Pope is that he's a Wildcat


The unknowns:

Collin Chandler
Trent Noah
Travis Perry

Great post. People forget that Williams averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks/game as a junior. He was a better rebounder per minute than Great Osobor.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Great post. People forget that Williams averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks/game as a junior. He was a better rebounder per minute than Great Osobor.

I would have taken Williams over Osobor, especially considering the asking price for Osobor:

PER:
Williams 28.5 / Osobor 25.5

Offensive Rating:
Williams 109.5 / Osobor 116.5

Defensive Rating:
Williams 92.1 / Osobor 98.4

Over 40 min.:

REB:
Williams 20.7 / Osobor 15.5

BLK:
Williams 4.7 / Osobor 2.5

 

[know1]

People forget that Pope also has a better coaching staff of assistants now than he had at BYU as well.

I think we'll be solidly Top 12 most of the season.

 

[gocatswin]

I think we lose 12 games. And making it to the 2nd weekend in the tourney is 50/50.

Pope did mediocre at BYU, but now with Kentucky on the chest, teams play twice as hard.

This is no Byu but uk we will be great just wait and see

 

[Kybluedude]

2023-24:

Koby Brea was the number one three-point shooter in the country: .498%

-That's the entire country. I don't care who you play for, I'd take him over someone who shot 37% at Duke

Amari Williams' PER was 28.5, good for fourth best in the transfer portal, behind only Vladislav Goldin (Michigan), Achor Achor (K. State), and Mikeal Brown-Jones (Ole Miss). Goldin and Achor were top-10 in the nation, Williams right behind

-Just with Brea and Williams you have two great foundation pieces for a good team

Lamont Butler had the fourth-best defensive rating (100.3) in the portal for PGs, behind Dilione (Penn St.), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), and Kylan Boswell (Illinois).

Otega Oweh, who was listed as a Small Forward on some sites and a Guard on others, would have had a defensive rating (98.4) good for 2nd in PGs (behind Dilione), first for SGs and first for SFs. He's a legit defender.

Andrew Carr's offensive rating (127.6) was good for fourth in the transfer portal among SFs, behind Gillis (Duke), Maliq Brown (Duke), and JT Toppin (Tx. Tech). His offensive efficiency was just slightly behind Reed Sheppard (129.4) and Rob Dillingham (129.2).


To me, these are the known studs on this team.

The slightly above average players are:

Jaxson Robinson - I am actually hoping Robinson doesn't become a place where the ball goes to die
Brandon Garrison - He could turn out to be a tremendous player with his physique


The mediocre players are:

Ansley Almonor
Kerr Kriisa - I'm holding out hope on him because of how excited Pope is that he's a Wildcat


The unknowns:

Collin Chandler
Trent Noah
Travis Perry

You’re under valuing Robinson He’s good.

 

[RunninRichie]

11 losses. We're in the hype stage right now.

 

[bbncal02]

Saw a TikTok where students at BYU were asked which they would choose, war or caffeine (chose war), caffeine or killing a dog (chose killing a dog). They are out there at BYU.

Yeah it’s different for sure. Mormons are just a different bunch. Nothing wrong with it at all and I’ve met several I like and have no issues with them.

It’s the “hot drinks” rule that eliminates coffee, but not hot chocolate. Which if you can figure that one out, be my guest.

But it’s their forth and they usually mind their own business when it comes to it (ie they’re not going to scream at you for drinking coffee yourself).

 

[bbncal02]

You're right. We got everything switched from what we always complained about. Lots of experience and kids that dont have enough talent to be stars.

Cal beat Oats, Pearl, Barnes, and UNC last year. I like Pope, but i dont think we beat all those guys this year. 12 losses is my guess.

Cal had two top 5 draft picks as well and couldn’t beat Oakland.

Th AU win was the best one by far as he actually coached his butt off that game. I know people like to crap on Cal and say he doesn’t know how to but occasionally he can pull one out of his backside.

Oats’s teams are very much live and die by the three. If they’re hot, they’re hard to has. If they’re cold, not so much.

Barnes is a decent coach but he too suffers Cal-it is. He recruits well and gets guys that are great college players. He struggles with adjusting at times and we’ve seen that when we’ve beat them (not saying we fluked out- saying Barnes can be stubborn).

We’ve upgraded the X&O department. The biggest ? Is can Pope get what he wants out of these guys he’s got. I think we will be happy with the upgrade in fundamentals and coaching.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Damn Louis seems like youre already giving up!
Hate seeing that.
I know you’re trying to be realistic.
I think we have talent and for a change a big chip on our shoulders!

No, i just dont expect a final four. I dont expect to beat Bama, UT twice, i dont think they'll beat Duke or Zaga. I'm a huge fan, Pope seems like such a great guy.
I think the fans have a chip on the shoulder but this is a brand new team thrown together. Pope did the best with what he had, and didnt have much time to do it. How many losses do you predict?

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Cal had two top 5 draft picks as well and couldn’t beat Oakland.

Th AU win was the best one by far as he actually coached his butt off that game. I know people like to crap on Cal and say he doesn’t know how to but occasionally he can pull one out of his backside.

Oats’s teams are very much live and die by the three. If they’re hot, they’re hard to has. If they’re cold, not so much.

Barnes is a decent coach but he too suffers Cal-it is. He recruits well and gets guys that are great college players. He struggles with adjusting at times and we’ve seen that when we’ve beat them (not saying we fluked out- saying Barnes can be stubborn).

We’ve upgraded the X&O department. The biggest ? Is can Pope get what he wants out of these guys he’s got. I think we will be happy with the upgrade in fundamentals and coaching.

Good assessment. I was surprised Cal beat Pearl in Auburn, and i think that was right after we had a bad home loss. What surprised me the most was Cal beating UT on senior day in Knoxville. Vols just owned us in Rupp so i thought a loss was definite. That KU domination a few years in kansas was impressive....he can pull off some amazing wins occasionally, thats why im skeptical on the Ark game this yr. It'll be a blast, regardless.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

2023-24:

Koby Brea was the number one three-point shooter in the country: .498%

-That's the entire country. I don't care who you play for, I'd take him over someone who shot 37% at Duke

Amari Williams' PER was 28.5, good for fourth best in the transfer portal, behind only Vladislav Goldin (Michigan), Achor Achor (K. State), and Mikeal Brown-Jones (Ole Miss). Goldin and Achor were top-10 in the nation, Williams right behind

-Just with Brea and Williams you have two great foundation pieces for a good team

Lamont Butler had the fourth-best defensive rating (100.3) in the portal for PGs, behind Dilione (Penn St.), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), and Kylan Boswell (Illinois).

Otega Oweh, who was listed as a Small Forward on some sites and a Guard on others, would have had a defensive rating (98.4) good for 2nd in PGs (behind Dilione), first for SGs and first for SFs. He's a legit defender.

Andrew Carr's offensive rating (127.6) was good for fourth in the transfer portal among SFs, behind Gillis (Duke), Maliq Brown (Duke), and JT Toppin (Tx. Tech). His offensive efficiency was just slightly behind Reed Sheppard (129.4) and Rob Dillingham (129.2).


To me, these are the known studs on this team.

The slightly above average players are:

Jaxson Robinson - I am actually hoping Robinson doesn't become a place where the ball goes to die
Brandon Garrison - He could turn out to be a tremendous player with his physique


The mediocre players are:

Ansley Almonor
Kerr Kriisa - I'm holding out hope on him because of how excited Pope is that he's a Wildcat


The unknowns:

Collin Chandler
Trent Noah
Travis Perry

Wait, i thought Shep was the best 3 point shooter last year? I dont recall seeing Brea's name up high. My memory isn't great tho.

Great material you have here, thanks for posting. I can see you have very high expectations for this season. Just curious, how many losses do you think they'll have?

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Gillispie had one legit frontcourt piece - Patterson. He had a legit backcourt in that first year with Crawford and Bradley, but he had no scorers at small forward or center, especially after Legion left the team and Meeks went down with an injury. They were basically playing 3 on 5 each game from a talent level, with zero depth after January of that 2008 season.

So you think a team consisting of Patterson, Crawford, Bradley, Coury, Jasper, Harris, Stewart, Stevenson, and Porter is better talent-wise than this upcoming team?

I wish i was confident, but to answer your question...im not sure. Ive seen so many guys that we thought would be studs turn out to be worthless. Clips of our current players aren't THAT impressive. Obviously Robinson can play, but how good at this level, and does he have the ability to carry this group? On paper, they look decent, can any create a shot? Are they quick enough to keep a guard from driving at will? We have a couple of great shooters, but does the opponent play soft defense on the rest begging for them to drive?

Lots of questions that im not feeling good about. I think Pope might have a hair more talent than he's had at BYU, a hair, and he lost a lot of games at BYU when the opponent isn't selling out the arena or retiring a jersey. I hope he does great, love his attitude, but i cant help but consider Popes past performances/seasons.

 

[CatTough]

Wait, i thought Shep was the best 3 point shooter last year? I dont recall seeing Brea's name up high. My memory isn't great tho.

Great material you have here, thanks for posting. I can see you have very high expectations for this season. Just curious, how many losses do you think they'll have?

I think Brea is the best returning college 3 pt shooter.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Wait, i thought Shep was the best 3 point shooter last year? I dont recall seeing Brea's name up high. My memory isn't great tho.

Great material you have here, thanks for posting. I can see you have very high expectations for this season. Just curious, how many losses do you think they'll have?

According to this list of 2023-24 Men's College Basketball Leaders, Koby Brea led the nation at .498 3-Point Field Goal Percentage. On the same site it shows Sheppard as having shot .521%, so I'm wondering if it was a minimum of 145 shots to qualify for the leaderboard. Antonio Reeves is listed at #4, with 188 attempts, and a .447%. Dominick Harris shot 145 3s, at .448% and is ranked #3.

Reed missed taking the top spot on this ranking by one shot apparently.


It's hard to know expectations before knowing competition. I think Alabama is the sure-fire #1 in the SEC. I think Ole Miss is going to be really good. Kentucky should compete with teams 2-6 in the SEC. I think we beat Duke right out of the gate.

I would imagine somewhere between 8-12 losses could be realistic; hopeful for 5-7; and 2-4 would be a dreamlike season for UK fans. I think the talent is too widespread for 2-5 losses anymore, unless your non-conference and conference schedules are weak.

From a pure transfer portal perspective, UK did the best of any team, in my opinion. The problem is, we have no returning players and a new coach. The silver lining is that we have veteran players and really good shooting incoming freshmen, including Chandler. The incoming transfers know how to play defense. Give me defense at the beginning of the year all day long and we'll figure out how to play offense within the coach's system.

We will be better than the national pundits think, but I'm okay with being underrated to start the year for a change.

Prediction:
Regular Season: 24-6
SEC Tournament: Finals
NCAAT: Elite Eight
Final Record: 29-8 - If I've done my math correctly.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

According to this list of 2023-24 Men's College Basketball Leaders, Koby Brea led the nation at .498 3-Point Field Goal Percentage. On the same site it shows Sheppard as having shot .521%, so I'm wondering if it was a minimum of 145 shots to qualify for the leaderboard. Antonio Reeves is listed at #4, with 188 attempts, and a .447%. Dominick Harris shot 145 3s, at .448% and is ranked #3.

Reed missed taking the top spot on this ranking by one shot apparently.


It's hard to know expectations before knowing competition. I think Alabama is the sure-fire #1 in the SEC. I think Ole Miss is going to be really good. Kentucky should compete with teams 2-6 in the SEC. I think we beat Duke right out of the gate.

I would imagine somewhere between 8-12 losses could be realistic; hopeful for 5-7; and 2-4 would be a dreamlike season for UK fans. I think the talent is too widespread for 2-5 losses anymore, unless your non-conference and conference schedules are weak.

From a pure transfer portal perspective, UK did the best of any team, in my opinion. The problem is, we have no returning players and a new coach. The silver lining is that we have veteran players and really good shooting incoming freshmen, including Chandler. The incoming transfers know how to play defense. Give me defense at the beginning of the year all day long and we'll figure out how to play offense within the coach's system.

We will be better than the national pundits think, but I'm okay with being underrated to start the year for a change.

Prediction:
Regular Season: 24-6
SEC Tournament: Finals
NCAAT: Elite Eight
Final Record: 29-8 - If I've done my math correctly.

Wow, elite 8 prediction.....bold.

I say 12 losses total, with losses to Duke, Gonzaga, Clemson, @UT, @Fla, @OleMiss, @Bama and a few others with a home loss or 2.

NCAAT- 50/50 shot they make it till the 2nd weekend, but if they do, they'll be out first game.

Obviously, i hope youre right. I just dont see it, though.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Wow, elite 8 prediction.....bold.

I say 12 losses total, with losses to Duke, Gonzaga, Clemson, @UT, @Fla, @OleMiss, @Bama and a few others with a home loss or 2.

NCAAT- 50/50 shot they make it till the 2nd weekend, but if they do, they'll be out first game.

Obviously, i hope youre right. I just dont see it, though.

I don't think an Elite Eight prediction is bold. You have a team full of hungry players, a hungry coach, and all of them competent enough to win three games against similar opponents. There's not a team in the nation that we won't be able to beat. In fact, I would say that this team would win 40% of the time against the best of 2024-25. I think it's more likely we reach the Elite Eight than lose in the first round.

I would take this team right now over three of the last four Calipari-coached UK teams (2021-22 excepted). By the end of the year, I could take it over all four.


Do you have UK losing to Clemson just because it's a road game?

Clemson was 24-12, 11-9 in 2023-24. They lost their top three producers to graduation (PJ Hall, Joseph Girard, and Chase Hunter). To the transfer portal they lost: Alex Hemenway, RJ Godfrey (fifth-best scorer), Jack Clark (seven-best scorer), Josh Beadle (eighth-best scorer).

Basically, they return Ian Schieffelin (4th scorer), Chauncey Wiggins (6th scorer), and a bunch of non-factors. They didn't do much in the transfer portal.

We'll beat Clemson.

Duke will be UK from the last fifteen years. Youthful talent that gets beat early on. I'm glad we're playing them in November.

We'll beat Duke.

Losses:
Gonzaga
@UT
@Alabama
@Ole Miss
@South Carolina (if we play them at Columbia)
Then one of the following at home: Tex. A&M, Tenn., Auburn, or some other dumb loss.

 

[know1]

Wow, elite 8 prediction.....bold.

I say 12 losses total, with losses to Duke, Gonzaga, Clemson, @UT, @Fla, @OleMiss, @Bama and a few others with a home loss or 2.

NCAAT- 50/50 shot they make it till the 2nd weekend, but if they do, they'll be out first game.

Obviously, i hope youre right. I just dont see it, though.

I get the cautious approach you are taking, but I think the 50/50 on the NCAAT is way too low for this team. It's got to be at least 80/20. Personally, I'd be shocked if they didn't make it, so the 80/20 is the cautious approach to me.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

I don't think an Elite Eight prediction is bold. You have a team full of hungry players, a hungry coach, and all of them competent enough to win three games against similar opponents. There's not a team in the nation that we won't be able to beat. In fact, I would say that this team would win 40% of the time against the best of 2024-25. I think it's more likely we reach the Elite Eight than lose in the first round.

I would take this team right now over three of the last four Calipari-coached UK teams (2021-22 excepted). By the end of the year, I could take it over all four.


Do you have UK losing to Clemson just because it's a road game?

Clemson was 24-12, 11-9 in 2023-24. They lost their top three producers to graduation (PJ Hall, Joseph Girard, and Chase Hunter). To the transfer portal they lost: Alex Hemenway, RJ Godfrey (fifth-best scorer), Jack Clark (seven-best scorer), Josh Beadle (eighth-best scorer).

Basically, they return Ian Schieffelin (4th scorer), Chauncey Wiggins (6th scorer), and a bunch of non-factors. They didn't do much in the transfer portal.

We'll beat Clemson.

Duke will be UK from the last fifteen years. Youthful talent that gets beat early on. I'm glad we're playing them in November.

We'll beat Duke.

Losses:
Gonzaga
@UT
@Alabama
@Ole Miss
@South Carolina (if we play them at Columbia)
Then one of the following at home: Tex. A&M, Tenn., Auburn, or some other dumb loss.

Duke's Cooper Flagg isn't good, he's great. Huge impact player. And they have a couple of returning players who are already familiar with the system. I hate to say it, cause i hate Duke....but Scheyer is a better coach than Pope at this moment. More experience and bigger wins. Hopefully that changes, because i think Pitino is a better coach than Coach K. Playing Duke early is a huge advantage, Flagg might be all nerves in his first big game. OR....he might cook us like Zion did.

The clemson game isn't going to be easy. Pope looks like the vast majority of losses came from the road. On paper we can make an argument that UK can beat anyone, but perspective says theres no way. Especially with a group thats never played together, and our leader is a kid from a 12 loss team.

Thankfully, i think the South Car game will be in Rupp as they beat us in Columbia last year rather bad.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

I get the cautious approach you are taking, but I think the 50/50 on the NCAAT is way too low for this team. It's got to be at least 80/20. Personally, I'd be shocked if they didn't make it, so the 80/20 is the cautious approach to me.

I think you misunderstood. I meant, UK has a 50/50 chance of making it to the 2nd weekend. I think they'll make the tourney. And i agree, an 80% chance of making it seems right.

 

[know1]

I think you misunderstood. I meant, UK has a 50/50 chance of making it to the 2nd weekend. I think they'll make the tourney. And i agree, an 80% chance of making it seems right.

Ahh...you are correct. I read that too fast. We're on the same page, then.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Duke's Cooper Flagg isn't good, he's great. Huge impact player. And they have a couple of returning players who are already familiar with the system. I hate to say it, cause i hate Duke....but Scheyer is a better coach than Pope at this moment. More experience and bigger wins. Hopefully that changes, because i think Pitino is a better coach than Coach K. Playing Duke early is a huge advantage, Flagg might be all nerves in his first big game. OR....he might cook us like Zion did.

The clemson game isn't going to be easy. Pope looks like the vast majority of losses came from the road. On paper we can make an argument that UK can beat anyone, but perspective says theres no way. Especially with a group thats never played together, and our leader is a kid from a 12 loss team.

Thankfully, i think the South Car game will be in Rupp as they beat us in Columbia last year rather bad.

Argument: Scheyer is a better coach than Pope at this moment

Reason: More experience
Scheyer: two years as a head coach, 54-18 overall, 29-11 conference record, 72 total games coached.
Best wins in 2023: No notable road victories. Duke won against Ohio St., Miami at Cameron, and won the ACC tournament
Best wins in 2024: No notable road victories. Duke beat #10 Baylor on a neutral floor.

Scheyer's record v. Top 25:
2023: 4-5 - Including ACC/NCAA tournament wins
2024: 3-4 - Including ACC/NCAA tournament wins

Pope: nine years as a head coach (Utah Valley-4, BYU-5), 187-108 overall, 295 games coached.
Best wins in 2023: Neutral site v. #20 Creighton;
Best wins in 2024: v. #17 SDSU; @ #7 Kansas

Pope's record v. Top 25:
2023: 1-6
2024: 4-5

EXPERIENCE WINNER: Mark Pope - that's objective fact. Mark Pope has more coaching experience than Jon Scheyer.
BIGGER WINS: The biggest win between the two of the last two years is Mark Pope BYU @ Kansas, and that's not particularly close. However, Scheyer has the better Top 25 record.

I'm not going to argue one is better than the other at this point - neither of them have flashy resumes. Scheyer was handed the keys to Duke. He has been okay, not great. Pope is being given his chance. Hopefully he comes through.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Duke's Cooper Flagg isn't good, he's great. Huge impact player. And they have a couple of returning players who are already familiar with the system. I hate to say it, cause i hate Duke....but Scheyer is a better coach than Pope at this moment. More experience and bigger wins. Hopefully that changes, because i think Pitino is a better coach than Coach K. Playing Duke early is a huge advantage, Flagg might be all nerves in his first big game. OR....he might cook us like Zion did.

The clemson game isn't going to be easy. Pope looks like the vast majority of losses came from the road. On paper we can make an argument that UK can beat anyone, but perspective says theres no way. Especially with a group thats never played together, and our leader is a kid from a 12 loss team.

Thankfully, i think the South Car game will be in Rupp as they beat us in Columbia last year rather bad.

I one-hundred percent guarantee that this team can beat anyone. It's college basketball. If a 16-seed can beat a 1-seed, then any top team can beat any other top team. Kentucky will definitely be better than 16-seed material this year. Once you get into the Top 25 team, any night one team can beat another. I don't see there being one team who just dominates this year, but I could be wrong.

How do you know who the leader on this team is? I think Amari Williams is statistically the best player. That doesn't mean he is the leader. We'll see who the leader is, come crunch time. I would assume Butler, Oweh, and Robinson are going to take a lot of ownership of this team. Hopefully they all show leadership prowess.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I one-hundred percent guarantee that this team can beat anyone. It's college basketball. If a 16-seed can beat a 1-seed, then any top team can beat any other top team. Kentucky will definitely be better than 16-seed material this year. Once you get into the Top 25 team, any night one team can beat another. I don't see there being one team who just dominates this year, but I could be wrong.

How do you know who the leader on this team is? I think Amari Williams is statistically the best player. That doesn't mean he is the leader. We'll see who the leader is, come crunch time. I would assume Butler, Oweh, and Robinson are going to take a lot of ownership of this team. Hopefully they all show leadership prowess.

I understand you being high on Williams, but my concern is his transition to the SEC. He was great playing against CAA competition, but the SEC has better size and better athletes overall.

 

[Eight_Banners]

I understand you being high on Williams, but my concern is his transition to the SEC. He was great playing against CAA competition, but the SEC has better size and better athletes overall.

He could transition horribly. The counterargument to playing against less-than competition in the CAA is that he was Drexel's leading scorer the last two seasons on a team with CAA talent across the board. Now teams have to focus on players other than Williams which could allow him to show he's better than what was shown at Drexel when the other team focuses on him.

Of course, this is all just conjecture. We'll know when they finally roll the balls out.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Argument: Scheyer is a better coach than Pope at this moment

Reason: More experience
Scheyer: two years as a head coach, 54-18 overall, 29-11 conference record, 72 total games coached.
Best wins in 2023: No notable road victories. Duke won against Ohio St., Miami at Cameron, and won the ACC tournament
Best wins in 2024: No notable road victories. Duke beat #10 Baylor on a neutral floor.

Scheyer's record v. Top 25:
2023: 4-5 - Including ACC/NCAA tournament wins
2024: 3-4 - Including ACC/NCAA tournament wins

Pope: nine years as a head coach (Utah Valley-4, BYU-5), 187-108 overall, 295 games coached.
Best wins in 2023: Neutral site v. #20 Creighton;
Best wins in 2024: v. #17 SDSU; @ #7 Kansas

Pope's record v. Top 25:
2023: 1-6
2024: 4-5

EXPERIENCE WINNER: Mark Pope - that's objective fact. Mark Pope has more coaching experience than Jon Scheyer.
BIGGER WINS: The biggest win between the two of the last two years is Mark Pope BYU @ Kansas, and that's not particularly close. However, Scheyer has the better Top 25 record.

I'm not going to argue one is better than the other at this point - neither of them have flashy resumes. Scheyer was handed the keys to Duke. He has been okay, not great. Pope is being given his chance. Hopefully he comes through.

I'll have to agree to disagree. I think Scheyer is better at the moment, and i have no doubt that Duke wouldve beat BYU pretty easy last season, and the season prior.

 

[yes_takeaside]

Here's the one thing to know about Skunk ...

If Tubby had this roaster he'd be predicting 20 losses not 12

 

[Louis_Skunt]

I one-hundred percent guarantee that this team can beat anyone. It's college basketball. If a 16-seed can beat a 1-seed, then any top team can beat any other top team. Kentucky will definitely be better than 16-seed material this year. Once you get into the Top 25 team, any night one team can beat another. I don't see there being one team who just dominates this year, but I could be wrong.

How do you know who the leader on this team is? I think Amari Williams is statistically the best player. That doesn't mean he is the leader. We'll see who the leader is, come crunch time. I would assume Butler, Oweh, and Robinson are going to take a lot of ownership of this team. Hopefully they all show leadership prowess.

I dont know for sure who the leader will be, just a hunch its Jaxson. And correct, anyone can beat anyone in the right circumstances. I stick by my 12 losses prediction.
I like your optimism, but this is like football, we've got a great shot at winning the SEC East till the season starts.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Here's the one thing to know about Skunk ...

If Tubby had this roaster he'd be predicting 20 losses not 12

Most overrated coach in college history. His failures at every school post-UK shouldve taught you something..