The State of UK Basketball for 2011..

[elnutsmalljaws]

Rivals.com has KY's recruiting class at 2,3,6, and 25....No. 9 DeAndre Daniels has it narrowed down to KY and Kansas but leaning towards Kansas....My only question is when is Cal gonna start recruiting some size...Davis goes 6'10 but he's only 220....gonna be hard for him to body up with the big boys....Eloy Vargas is awful....Who is gonna be UK's big body in the future?...Also what happened to Stacey Poole....did he transfer?

Poole did transfer, he moved from a seat next to Calipari that possibly would get some playing time to a seat down on the end without the possibility of finishing his college playing days at UK.

[elnutsmalljaws]

I think the NCAA is inconsistent as well, but I can't argue with the Kanter ruling either. For me it comes down to - he was paid to be a professional basketball player.

I'll still take Cal over our last 2 coaches, but he definitely doesn't walk on water when it comes to bench coaching and in-game coaching.

Come on Michael, you can't be serious. Better than Tubby. Tubby Smith 1 NCAA Title - Johnny Calipari ZERO. And before you say it, "But Tubby won his title with Pitino players", Pitino, Calipari or any other Italian Stallion basketball coach could NOT have coached the 1998 team to the title. Kentucky, #2 in region, down to Region Top Seed Duke by 10 at the half and come back to win by 2 in the Elite 8, then down 5 to Stanford at the half to come back and win by 1 in OT to make it to the title game, then down 10 at the half to Utah and come back and win the title. Down a combined 25 points at the half of the Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship Games and came back in all of them. Calipari has John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Patterson, Demarcus Cousins and the rest of last years team and he could not win it, could not even get to the Final Four - versus Tubby with Scott Padgett, Allen Edwards, Jeff Sheppard, Cameron Mills, Heshimu Evans, Nazr Mohammad, Jamal Magloire, Wayne Turner and such and he wins it all.

[MsgMills]

I don't know why all the hype is goin on about the status of UK's Bball team.... So they've lost a few games...But come on 3 shots go in and their like 20-2 or even 20-3 on the season...

They've had the bad luck on shots goin in and U of L has had the good luck......

Most of UK's loss's have been by less than 3 points, make the shots at the end and those loss's turn into win's.....

Don't panic UK fan's...your time is coming for you to win some close games......

[know1]

Come on Michael, you can't be serious. Better than Tubby. Tubby Smith 1 NCAA Title - Johnny Calipari ZERO. And before you say it, "But Tubby won his title with Pitino players", Pitino, Calipari or any other Italian Stallion basketball coach could NOT have coached the 1998 team to the title. Kentucky, #2 in region, down to Region Top Seed Duke by 10 at the half and come back to win by 2 in the Elite 8, then down 5 to Stanford at the half to come back and win by 1 in OT to make it to the title game, then down 10 at the half to Utah and come back and win the title. Down a combined 25 points at the half of the Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship Games and came back in all of them. Calipari has John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Patterson, Demarcus Cousins and the rest of last years team and he could not win it, could not even get to the Final Four - versus Tubby with Scott Padgett, Allen Edwards, Jeff Sheppard, Cameron Mills, Heshimu Evans, Nazr Mohammad, Jamal Magloire, Wayne Turner and such and he wins it all.

I think Tubby was a great bench coach - maybe the best out there along with Izzo - but as time went on he had less and less talent. He was trending downward. I agree with you that nobody else would have won the championship with that talent, but I think that was the last championship he was going to win.

I believe Calipari will eventually win one, although I do not think he's as good of an in-game coach as Tubby.

[elnutsmalljaws]

I think Tubby was a great bench coach - maybe the best out there along with Izzo - but as time went on he had less and less talent. He was trending downward. I agree with you that nobody else would have won the championship with that talent, but I think that was the last championship he was going to win.

I believe Calipari will eventually win one, although I do not think he's as good of an in-game coach as Tubby.

I agree with all of this, except I don't think Calipari will ever win one with the current rules that are involved. If they change the rules to where a kid has to stay a couple of years once he signs to play in college then Calipari might win about 10 of them. For example, add last years team with this years team and you have the inside play of Cousins, the outside shooting of Knight and Lamb, and the speed of Wall would be pretty unstoppable. Or add this years team with next years recruiting class and you have another pretty good team. Grant it if they do change the rules and let the one and doner's go pro straight out of college, kids like Wall - Cousins - Knight and such would not be at UK anyways. I think if they do change the rule that it is really only effecting 5-10 kids a year across the country. With only 1st round money guaranteed in the NBA draft, 30 teams total I think, I don't see a third of the guaranteed spots being taken by high school seniors. Cal would be recruiting the 2 and doner's then and would still get the bulk of these and at least would have them for a couple of years but he still needs to get the kind of productive talent that is a very good college player, wants to get a degree for his talents are not NBA level, to provide LEADERSHIP to the team.

[DJD]

Billy D. In Florida showed it can be done by keeping players around as a solid team. The down side is great talent usually won't wait around to play. Look at that program after that back to back domination and championships. They struggled and it takes time to get a quality bunch of guys together.
Knight and Jones prolly would not have come to UK if last years team stayed. It's a tough deal to guess on when millions of dollars are being dangled in front of the young mens eyed.

[mhall]

If Kentucky looses to Tennessee and has three losses in a row Matt Jones will slash his wrists. He thinks Calapari is the second coming, lol.

[Tim_T]

They've had the bad luck on shots goin in and U of L has had the good luck......

Just can't help yourself can you Mills?

I don't think it is the losses that have fans concerned, I think it is more of who those losses have come against. I mean really Alabama? Ole Miss? That is where the problem lies. If they win the games they should have, the Florida loss is not a big deal. When you lose to horrible teams like the two I mentioned (both outside of the top 100 RPI) people have a right to be concerned. When you are 4-4 in a mediocre conference with the talent that UK has there is a right to be concerned.

[DJD]

If Kentucky looses to Tennessee and has three losses in a row Matt Jones will slash his wrists. He thinks Calapari is the second coming, lol.

Man if they lose the talk will be who can we get to replace Cal. I don't think they will lose though.

[artcarney_agr]

If Kentucky looses to Tennessee and has three losses in a row...

Bruce Pearl will beat UK.

Coming back from an 8 game suspension will have him fired up, and his players will be eager to please their beloved coach.

[mhall]

Bruce Pearl will beat UK.

Coming back from an 8 game suspension will have him fired up, and his players will be eager to please their beloved coach.

If that happens I bet Don is right, they will be on the radio with that ignoramous Oscar Combs calling for Calapari's head, lol.

There is only one thing that will turn on you faster than a Pitbull with Rabies and that is a UK fan with three or four losses under his belt.

And I REFUSE to call him Coach Cal, my God that sounds so Gay................

[Shaggy]

Just can't help yourself can you Mills?

I don't think it is the losses that have fans concerned, I think it is more of who those losses have come against. I mean really Alabama? Ole Miss? That is where the problem lies. If they win the games they should have, the Florida loss is not a big deal. When you lose to horrible teams like the two I mentioned (both outside of the top 100 RPI) people have a right to be concerned. When you are 4-4 in a mediocre conference with the talent that UK has there is a right to be concerned.

http://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2011/rpi

Not sure what RPI rankings you're looking at Tim, but both Mississippi and Alabama are ranked in the top 100. It would seem to me that Louisville also lost to a coupe of mediocre teams in Drexel and Providence. And yes both of those are ranked in the top 100 also, but Providence is at 100. Also Kentucky is ranked 12th in the RPI and Louisville is in the mid 20s.