Where is your proof that Tubby let our status slip? All you said was he only went to 2 E8's in 8 years? Did he have a poor record against ranked teams? Did he lose at home to Evansville-ish type schools? Did he ever gey upset in the NCAAT by a program as small as Saint Peters? Did Tubby ever prioritize the NBA draft over UK?
Compare Tubby's 8 years to Cal's last 8 years, that 9-16 record is game over.
I'm not defending Cal. He let the program slip. I believe Tubby did as well. You don't. You belive that the UK standard is 2 E8's in 8 years. To you that is great. You are fine with 25 and 9 seasons. I am not. Your standard is actually lower than mine if you truly think that Tubby kept UK at the top.