Worst 17-8 team EVER ?

[runt#69]

C'mon, you Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies ! Chime right on here ! For *old timers* sakes, a resurrection of a weekly (daily?) thread from the past !

Pile on and insert your negative gripe, complaint and feel absolutely free to throw anyone and everything under the bus in this thread. Lord knows some of you need a thread like this.

As for me, I am enjoying the ride this year. Kinda' taking me back to early 80's for some reason. that 82 year, final ranking #15, went into the tournament as a 6 seed (lost to MTSU, my alma mater) I was not there, but could have been. I was NOT scalping my tix for the potential Louisville game and the DREAM GAME that never was - that would be the next year. But it was funny watching people lose their $hit over anticipating the NEXT tournament game, paying 600$+ for tickets and only having Kentucky to LOSE. HAHA ! And then the next year. 83. It was tough. Had some good wins, big wins. The 84 season was a keeper though ! Like then, I stuck with Coach Hall. I'll stick with Coach Pope now.

Love the team this year, in my book they're "Pope's Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats ! " (PPRC)

But that's just me and my "positive spin" outlook. I just want the guys to get as healthy as they can be and be the BEST version that they can be. And that's pretty damn good this year...

But go ahead and tell us all why they're the WORST 17-8 team ever !

Inquiring minds want to know !

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I think, considering all circumstances, Mark has done an amazing coaching job overall. He’s made a few blunders, but overall, not sure how it could be much better.

Throwing a roster and coaching staff together in a month. Injuries out the ass. No point guards. Tough schedule in a historically good conference. I don’t know, it probably should be much worse. Much much worse. The man has really coached his ass off to get us where we are.

I still think we should have won last game. Too many mistakes. But overall, Mark has done an amazing job considering.

 

[NociHTTP]

C'mon, you Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies ! Chime right on here ! For *old timers* sakes, a resurrection of a weekly (daily?) thread from the past !

Pile on and insert your negative gripe, complaint and feel absolutely free to throw anyone and everything under the bus in this thread. Lord knows some of you need a thread like this.

As for me, I am enjoying the ride this year. Kinda' taking me back to early 80's for some reason. that 82 year, final ranking #15, went into the tournament as a 6 seed (lost to MTSU, my alma mater) I was not there, but could have been. I was NOT scalping my tix for the potential Louisville game and the DREAM GAME that never was - that would be the next year. But it was funny watching people lose their $hit over anticipating the NEXT tournament game, paying 600$+ for tickets and only having Kentucky to LOSE. HAHA ! And then the next year. 83. It was tough. Had some good wins, big wins. The 84 season was a keeper though ! Like then, I stuck with Coach Hall. I'll stick with Coach Pope now.

Love the team this year, in my book they're "Pope's Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats ! " (PPRC)

But that's just me and my "positive spin" outlook. I just want the guys to get as healthy as they can be and be the BEST version that they can be. And that's pretty damn good this year...

But go ahead and tell us all why they're the WORST 17-8 team ever !

Inquiring minds want to know !

Not going to let people who attack other posters reside in my feed.

 

[FtWorthCat]

It's been the most fun 17-8 team to follow, imo. I love this team, still. We're seeing guys develop that might be here for multiple seasons, almost like actual UK students. Until the loss to Texas, we were ranked #10 in the only poll that matters, at 17-7. That loss hurts more in the way we lost it, that it hurts our seeding. We just need to get as healthy as possible and get at least 3 more regular season wins.

 

[runt#69]

I *think* mind you, that actually SEEING players that will STAY and develop, with the experience of the older guys brings back that sense of continuity from year to year for me. Calipari's teams, look, for me, there was no real reason to invest in the best players, they were all going straight to the NBA. Fine, we accepted that as a premise. For a long time.

It's totally different now.

Not just the mechanics of the team construction.

I like the offensive mindset, the style now, the system. Defense and developing that as a team always has been amongst the most difficult things to effectively employ and develop for any basketball team, imho. Seeing players like Noah and Perry develop, seeing Garrison come along, and wanting to see Chandler too. Oweh has been my favorite player and I love AA. And all this in the season when I was really looking more towards Amari and Lamont leading the team. And Carr too. I still have utmost faith in them, together. Trying to withstand the rigors of injuries that happen. This year has been heartbreaking, hold your breath moments..... Seeing some struggles and hard knocks being learned and yes .... the officiating. It is a confusing mess to deal with. They've navigated it well, honestly.

You have to take everything into consideration here and judge it based on the anticipated, projected expectations. We've done well, considering.

To have the amount and qualities of the wins this year has been amazing. Historic good. now THAT is GREAT. any way you slice it. I've been watching Kentucky teams for 50 years now and NEVER seen a season where UK beat so many top ten, 15 teams.

AM I NOT RIGHT OR AM I NOT RIGHT ON THAT ?

and I get it. It's the losses that will pull them down in seeding, nationally, fairly so :
Ohio State putting it on us right before Christmas. I didn't think a team would beat us that badly all year. But it happened. Arkansas was bitterly disappointing. And they played ... well, like CCC had NBA players on his team. For the ONE game they looked that good all year. Against Kentucky. Laugh about that when you look back on this season and want to say which team had their "Superbowl" moment against Kentucky ? How karmically ironic, I find it. But CCC and the hogs will get theirs. We just started.

the rest ?

the first true road game at Clemson this year was prophetic. Hella hard place to win THIS YEAR. ask dUKe? (oh we DID beat dUKe too this year. I just like saying that. Cooper Flagg forever will live as 17 in my heart ) - ok but Clemson was a tough loss. A taste for these new era Cats and Coach Pope to get a teste of what it's like. And that wasn't even an SEC road game.

losing @Miserable gym in Nashville was an almost anticipated thing for me back in the day ..... so no surprise there.
lost @ Texas , they needed that for the bubble watch ! it works out for the SEC (if they can get Texas in)
lost @ Ole Miss, another very very difficult and another bad performance, but hey, no shame in losing to them there
lost @ Georgia*** nice job there, by the officiating crew *** splendidly officiated
lost at home vs Bama, aren't they #2 , a top #1 seed still ? We have to play them again, hoooboy. At Coleman. Lovely.

Coach Pope and his Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats are still fighting the good fight. One game at a time. Hunker down mentality but keep it positive and rise up to meet the challenge.

Vandy (Friedas_Boss ! let's hear from you ) c'mon up to Lexington this Wednesday and maybe we can have a t-shirt night for beating the Dores' !!!

Upshot is, we can have a thread that can say either : We're the Worst 17-9 or the worst 18 - 8 team EVER ! ( and then go to Alabama for the next SEC road game, where we will be 17-10 or 19-8 or even 18-9 after that one ! MATH FTW !)

Actually, come to think of it, if we're consistently the WORST (insert record here) Kentucky team every year, how'd the heck we still have MORE WINS in basketball than any other program in the country ?

And it continues to this very day ...... ??

Food for thought ?

Go Big Blue !

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

I *think* mind you, that actually SEEING players that will STAY and develop, with the experience of the older guys brings back that sense of continuity from year to year for me. Calipari's teams, look, for me, there was no real reason to invest in the best players, they were all going straight to the NBA. Fine, we accepted that as a premise. For a long time.

It's totally different now.

Not just the mechanics of the team construction.

I like the offensive mindset, the style now, the system. Defense and developing that as a team always has been amongst the most difficult things to effectively employ and develop for any basketball team, imho. Seeing players like Noah and Perry develop, seeing Garrison come along, and wanting to see Chandler too. Oweh has been my favorite player and I love AA. And all this in the season when I was really looking more towards Amari and Lamont leading the team. And Carr too. I still have utmost faith in them, together. Trying to withstand the rigors of injuries that happen. This year has been heartbreaking, hold your breath moments..... Seeing some struggles and hard knocks being learned and yes .... the officiating. It is a confusing mess to deal with. They've navigated it well, honestly.

You have to take everything into consideration here and judge it based on the anticipated, projected expectations. We've done well, considering.

To have the amount and qualities of the wins this year has been amazing. Historic good. now THAT is GREAT. any way you slice it. I've been watching Kentucky teams for 50 years now and NEVER seen a season where UK beat so many top ten, 15 teams.

AM I NOT RIGHT OR AM I NOT RIGHT ON THAT ?

and I get it. It's the losses that will pull them down in seeding, nationally, fairly so :
Ohio State putting it on us right before Christmas. I didn't think a team would beat us that badly all year. But it happened. Arkansas was bitterly disappointing. And they played ... well, like CCC had NBA players on his team. For the ONE game they looked that good all year. Against Kentucky. Laugh about that when you look back on this season and want to say which team had their "Superbowl" moment against Kentucky ? How karmically ironic, I find it. But CCC and the hogs will get theirs. We just started.

the rest ?

the first true road game at Clemson this year was prophetic. Hella hard place to win THIS YEAR. ask dUKe? (oh we DID beat dUKe too this year. I just like saying that. Cooper Flagg forever will live as 17 in my heart ) - ok but Clemson was a tough loss. A taste for these new era Cats and Coach Pope to get a teste of what it's like. And that wasn't even an SEC road game.

losing @Miserable gym in Nashville was an almost anticipated thing for me back in the day ..... so no surprise there.
lost @ Texas , they needed that for the bubble watch ! it works out for the SEC (if they can get Texas in)
lost @ Ole Miss, another very very difficult and another bad performance, but hey, no shame in losing to them there
lost @ Georgia*** nice job there, by the officiating crew *** splendidly officiated
lost at home vs Bama, aren't they #2 , a top #1 seed still ? We have to play them again, hoooboy. At Coleman. Lovely.

Coach Pope and his Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats are still fighting the good fight. One game at a time. Hunker down mentality but keep it positive and rise up to meet the challenge.

Vandy (Friedas_Boss ! let's hear from you ) c'mon up to Lexington this Wednesday and maybe we can have a t-shirt night for beating the Dores' !!!

Upshot is, we can have a thread that can say either : We're the Worst 17-9 or the worst 18 - 8 team EVER ! ( and then go to Alabama for the next SEC road game, where we will be 17-10 or 19-8 or even 18-9 after that one ! MATH FTW !)

Actually, come to think of it, if we're consistently the WORST (insert record here) Kentucky team every year, how'd the heck we still have MORE WINS in basketball than any other program in the country ?

And it continues to this very day ...... ??

Food for thought ?

Go Big Blue !

Mr. Runt, I couldn’t agree more with you on this. I think we are blessed beyond our comprehension right now and it is about to pay some serious dividends. I think others will want to be back on the bandwagon around year three when all the roster continuity and program building has Kentucky become a year in and year out machine.

 

[megablue]

It is VERY EARLY, of course, to be looking at the portal, but folks might want to save this website for future reference.
It is regularly updated for status changes,

https://247sports.com/season/2025-basketball/transferportal/

 

[TopCatCal]

Considering the multiple injuries to multiple players in multiple games, it's absolutely amazing that our record is as good as it is.

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

Honestly they have lost 2 games they should have won in vandy & Texas, and one that we al really wanted in Arkansas. So I think it’s fair to say Kentucky should be 19-6 right now, but I am still good with where pope has Kentucky and where things are going. With all the injuries there’s only so much he can do

 

[clifm]

I think, considering all circumstances, Mark has done an amazing coaching job overall. He’s made a few blunders, but overall, not sure how it could be much better.

Throwing a roster and coaching staff together in a month. Injuries out the ass. No point guards. Tough schedule in a historically good conference. I don’t know, it probably should be much worse. Much much worse. The man has really coached his ass off to get us where we are.

I still think we should have won last game. Too many mistakes. But overall, Mark has done an amazing job considering.

Totally agree

 

[Cats192]

Considering the multiple injuries to multiple players in multiple games, it's absolutely amazing that our record is as good as it is.

This is Kentucky! We should never lose any game for any reason! /sarcasm

 

[NerlensCat]

C'mon, you Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies ! Chime right on here ! For *old timers* sakes, a resurrection of a weekly (daily?) thread from the past !

Pile on and insert your negative gripe, complaint and feel absolutely free to throw anyone and everything under the bus in this thread. Lord knows some of you need a thread like this.

As for me, I am enjoying the ride this year. Kinda' taking me back to early 80's for some reason. that 82 year, final ranking #15, went into the tournament as a 6 seed (lost to MTSU, my alma mater) I was not there, but could have been. I was NOT scalping my tix for the potential Louisville game and the DREAM GAME that never was - that would be the next year. But it was funny watching people lose their $hit over anticipating the NEXT tournament game, paying 600$+ for tickets and only having Kentucky to LOSE. HAHA ! And then the next year. 83. It was tough. Had some good wins, big wins. The 84 season was a keeper though ! Like then, I stuck with Coach Hall. I'll stick with Coach Pope now.

Love the team this year, in my book they're "Pope's Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats ! " (PPRC)

But that's just me and my "positive spin" outlook. I just want the guys to get as healthy as they can be and be the BEST version that they can be. And that's pretty damn good this year...

But go ahead and tell us all why they're the WORST 17-8 team ever !

Inquiring minds want to know !

If we don’t have 3 of our possible 4 point(including Perry) guards and our top 2G/SF, yes, this is the worst 17-8 team.

With them, it is probably the best 17-8 team.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

The theme continues to be injuries and we have won games we shouldn't and lost games we should have won.

 

[WeWant9]

At this point, just hoping we can get 3 more wins to finish league play at .500 and hope we can get healthy heading into the tournaments. It’s been fun, but for sure a roller coaster of a season so far.

 

[CatFanInIlliniLand]

When Coach Pope was hired, the expectations were low. I remember some saying he’d be another BCG.

In pre-season, people were saying we’d be a fringe Top 25 team. We weren’t even ranked in the first polls.

We have seen what Coach Pope did with a fully healthy roster. Now, we have major injuries and he’s still on pace to win 20 games (which many didn’t think he would win anyway). I don’t see how it could rationally be viewed any other way besides a huge success story. Also, Pope handles the job with pure class.

 

[kywildcats8]

I would take this team, if every team was 100% healthy against anyone but we just can't seem to get healthy

 

[blue cincy]

We seem to be a cursed program. We have had injury issues it seems for the past 4 or so years of some sort or another. Is it just how basketball players are today, it is pushing the human body more than it can take, is it a culture where players are not going to put team first? Who knows.

I am guessing it will take a few years to break the curse. Not sure our fanbase will wait that long, at least by some posts on here.
This year I probably will not take off during the start of the NCAA tourney. I have every year for quite a few years now. I doubt i watch the tourney this year. No sense watching a cursed team.

Also one of our techs is having surgery the week before and will be off for a bit, so probably will help out and put my tech cloths back on, been almost 20 years since I have had to put them back on fully.

HOPEFULLY we get as healthy as possible, hopefully the curse of losing out first weekend will be broken by my not taking vacation and watching games from noon Thursday till 8 or 9 pm sunday night.

Will always pull for KENTUCKY, will always pull for Pope (love that guy). GO BIG BLUE!!!!

 

[gharding07]

This is the worst on again off again team that I can remember in a long time. Injuries are part of it yes, but nobody is consistent and the lack of heart, toughness, and willingness to do whatever it takes to win at times is so infuriating. Pope has done a better job than expected though.

 

[Terrapin_Station]

Their best days are behind them. This team is washed. Like you, OP.

 

[billoliver40]

Not going to let people who attack other posters reside in my feed.

Even the ones that say something so stupid or inflammatory they’re begging for it?????

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Their best days are behind them. This team is washed. Like you, OP.

Dude what the heck?

 

[Terrapin_Station]

Dude what the heck?

It was the bourbon. OP’s posts are just weird. Overly optimistic weirdness.

 

[Cleatortoises]

C'mon, you Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies ! Chime right on here ! For *old timers* sakes, a resurrection of a weekly (daily?) thread from the past !

Pile on and insert your negative gripe, complaint and feel absolutely free to throw anyone and everything under the bus in this thread. Lord knows some of you need a thread like this.

As for me, I am enjoying the ride this year. Kinda' taking me back to early 80's for some reason. that 82 year, final ranking #15, went into the tournament as a 6 seed (lost to MTSU, my alma mater) I was not there, but could have been. I was NOT scalping my tix for the potential Louisville game and the DREAM GAME that never was - that would be the next year. But it was funny watching people lose their $hit over anticipating the NEXT tournament game, paying 600$+ for tickets and only having Kentucky to LOSE. HAHA ! And then the next year. 83. It was tough. Had some good wins, big wins. The 84 season was a keeper though ! Like then, I stuck with Coach Hall. I'll stick with Coach Pope now.

Love the team this year, in my book they're "Pope's Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats ! " (PPRC)

But that's just me and my "positive spin" outlook. I just want the guys to get as healthy as they can be and be the BEST version that they can be. And that's pretty damn good this year...

But go ahead and tell us all why they're the WORST 17-8 team ever !

Inquiring minds want to know !

Thanks. I've been waiting for this. 😁

 

[Cleatortoises]

I *think* mind you, that actually SEEING players that will STAY and develop, with the experience of the older guys brings back that sense of continuity from year to year for me. Calipari's teams, look, for me, there was no real reason to invest in the best players, they were all going straight to the NBA. Fine, we accepted that as a premise. For a long time.

It's totally different now.

Not just the mechanics of the team construction.

I like the offensive mindset, the style now, the system. Defense and developing that as a team always has been amongst the most difficult things to effectively employ and develop for any basketball team, imho. Seeing players like Noah and Perry develop, seeing Garrison come along, and wanting to see Chandler too. Oweh has been my favorite player and I love AA. And all this in the season when I was really looking more towards Amari and Lamont leading the team. And Carr too. I still have utmost faith in them, together. Trying to withstand the rigors of injuries that happen. This year has been heartbreaking, hold your breath moments..... Seeing some struggles and hard knocks being learned and yes .... the officiating. It is a confusing mess to deal with. They've navigated it well, honestly.

You have to take everything into consideration here and judge it based on the anticipated, projected expectations. We've done well, considering.

To have the amount and qualities of the wins this year has been amazing. Historic good. now THAT is GREAT. any way you slice it. I've been watching Kentucky teams for 50 years now and NEVER seen a season where UK beat so many top ten, 15 teams.

AM I NOT RIGHT OR AM I NOT RIGHT ON THAT ?

and I get it. It's the losses that will pull them down in seeding, nationally, fairly so :
Ohio State putting it on us right before Christmas. I didn't think a team would beat us that badly all year. But it happened. Arkansas was bitterly disappointing. And they played ... well, like CCC had NBA players on his team. For the ONE game they looked that good all year. Against Kentucky. Laugh about that when you look back on this season and want to say which team had their "Superbowl" moment against Kentucky ? How karmically ironic, I find it. But CCC and the hogs will get theirs. We just started.

the rest ?

the first true road game at Clemson this year was prophetic. Hella hard place to win THIS YEAR. ask dUKe? (oh we DID beat dUKe too this year. I just like saying that. Cooper Flagg forever will live as 17 in my heart ) - ok but Clemson was a tough loss. A taste for these new era Cats and Coach Pope to get a teste of what it's like. And that wasn't even an SEC road game.

losing @Miserable gym in Nashville was an almost anticipated thing for me back in the day ..... so no surprise there.
lost @ Texas , they needed that for the bubble watch ! it works out for the SEC (if they can get Texas in)
lost @ Ole Miss, another very very difficult and another bad performance, but hey, no shame in losing to them there
lost @ Georgia*** nice job there, by the officiating crew *** splendidly officiated
lost at home vs Bama, aren't they #2 , a top #1 seed still ? We have to play them again, hoooboy. At Coleman. Lovely.

Coach Pope and his Patchwork Rollercoaster Cats are still fighting the good fight. One game at a time. Hunker down mentality but keep it positive and rise up to meet the challenge.

Vandy (Friedas_Boss ! let's hear from you ) c'mon up to Lexington this Wednesday and maybe we can have a t-shirt night for beating the Dores' !!!

Upshot is, we can have a thread that can say either : We're the Worst 17-9 or the worst 18 - 8 team EVER ! ( and then go to Alabama for the next SEC road game, where we will be 17-10 or 19-8 or even 18-9 after that one ! MATH FTW !)

Actually, come to think of it, if we're consistently the WORST (insert record here) Kentucky team every year, how'd the heck we still have MORE WINS in basketball than any other program in the country ?

And it continues to this very day ...... ??

Food for thought ?

Go Big Blue !

Lotta time on your hands?
Brevity on occasion would be ok.

 

[WallMashKyBall]

17-8 and headed for ten plus loses. Yipeee! Hell, we should be ecstatic. Thank God we've lowered our standards and let Auburn and Alabama rule the roost. Hating Cal was about politics anyway. I'm not sure what Popes politics are but I think they're the right stuff, the Craft's are courtside again, so run up the loses and I'll still yell Yippeeeee! As the OP says, we should be happy about losing. Our football team should be the golden standard we aim for.

 

[Cleatortoises]

No one is happy. We do recognize that we are playing shorthanded though.
It aint over yet.
No standards have been lowered, most are just happy that we have a new outlook on the near future.
You do recognize that 🐄 isn't gonna make the dance.
He wouldn't have here either.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Kansas and UConn are trying to battle it out with us for that title. Sad thing for them is they haven't had the injuries to deal with that we have, they aren't in a league as tough as we are and they have the 2 greatest coaches in the universe according to the media.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

It was the bourbon. OP’s posts are just weird. Overly optimistic weirdness.

Worst poster on this website takes time to disparage a very good poster for literally no reason and then blames on it bourbon? Dude, I’d be drinking heavy too if literally every take I had comes back as complete dog water within a few weeks. “Overly optimistic weirdness”??? Dude,you have literally done nothing except post overly pessimistic garbage and now got bored of hating on the players so you moved on to posters of the board. I’d say shame on you, but it is clear you have no standards of behavior whatsoever. Get back to that bottle, bud! 👍

 

[W1LDCAT22]

It's been the most fun 17-8 team to follow, imo. I love this team, still. We're seeing guys develop that might be here for multiple seasons, almost like actual UK students. Until the loss to Texas, we were ranked #10 in the only poll that matters, at 17-7. That loss hurts more in the way we lost it, that it hurts our seeding. We just need to get as healthy as possible and get at least 3 more regular season wins.

It's certainly been fun to watch them when we are playing well, but boy it's been painful to watch when we are not.

 

[Someguywhodoesntlikeyou]

I’ve seen this team play 4 times now in person. The most I’ve games I’ve seen live since 2019.

This is a good but flawed team struggling with injuries. I think you absolutely take this season as a positive sign going forward considering everything.

If the season ended today I’d give it a B+ because I see a vision and plan in place and where this thing could go.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns or have seen some things I don’t like that could be issues down the road. I have some criticisms but Mark Pope has done good job in his first year here and anyone that’s truly upset where we are right now at this point, when looking at the big picture, I don’t have much to say to you. We’ll all be either right or wrong in 4-5 years so let’s try not to go overboard.

I’m 50 years old and I’ve only seen one UK first year coach that I flat out knew was in over his head from the start and that was Billy Gillespie. Everyone else rose and fell on their merits.