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Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-12-2022, 05:41 PM:

Kentucky can’t score points against better teams: 62 points scored

[ 03-12-2022, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-12-2022, 05:55 PM:

This is why Cal should have been playing Hopkins all year. He is an offensive player/scorer at all levels who can play through contact. Just stupid

Grady is pretty worthless these days. Doesn’t even move on the offensive end. Just stands there.

[ 03-12-2022, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 03-12-2022, 05:59 PM:

Cal is coaching 19th century basketball in the 21st century. He will never go anywhere again unless he starts running a 3 poiny offense and defense. I personally think the college game has passed him by, have felt that way since he had all those players back in 2015 and could not win a championship with them.

[ 03-12-2022, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: SCWC ]

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-12-2022, 06:00 PM:

I would probably make UK a #6 seed. They have two wins against good teams and those seem to be a fluke. Like I said at the beginning of the year. I’m surprised now when UK beats a ranked team. It just doesn’t happen very often anymore since they can’t score.

[ 03-12-2022, 06:04 PM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 03-12-2022, 06:01 PM:

I agree Trey.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-12-2022, 06:06 PM:

SCWC,

It’s just hard to watch. UT runs some great offense. I think they can win it all with those 3 guards. So quick and they move the ball so well.

UT should move up to the #2 Seed line or possibly to a #1 Seed in my opinion. They have to be higher than UK.

[ 03-12-2022, 06:51 PM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-12-2022, 07:07 PM:

I have to agree. UK has been lucky they were hitting 3's in some of their wins. But when they are missing and the defense slows Oscar down to almost half speed we are doomed. As was said there is way too much standing around on offense. I believe Hopkins did get off the bench in the first half for a minute, or maybe that was yesterday. There was way too much one man drives to the lane and losing the ball. Playground ball took over in the first half when we couldn't shoot. Sure tells me who will be back next year for a little more seasoning. Oscar is the only one I could see that deserves to leave for the draft. We have several guys who will never play in the NBA, such as Btooks, Ware, Allen, Mintz. They are not consistant enough and never will be. I guess they'll all be back except Mintz.

[ 03-12-2022, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Bama Cat ]

Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 03-12-2022, 07:20 PM:

According to the box score, Hopkins did not get any minutes against Tenn. I can see him transferring to another school after this year.

[ 03-12-2022, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: SCWC ]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 03-12-2022, 07:50 PM:

We are in a tough spot. Cal will win 22-26 games each year, but I don't see him taking us to a championship again. He only wins games if his players are just better than the other team, plain and simple. There is no game planning, very little adjustments, and the offense is terrible. Ye she made some very minor adjustments during this season, but that was really just allowing us to shoot more 3's. There haven't been any adjustments defensively, and no new offense. We have always gone only as far as the players are gonna take us. And I know players play the game, but I think some of you know what I mean by that statement. We are never going farther because of the game coaching. I never have been a fan of Cal's, and don't think I ever will be. He was a good recruiter, but the last few years he hasn't gotten the real top guys. And if he doesn't have the best talent in the country we are not going to win. His constant screaming and yelling, and sticking with the same tired offense every year has worn me out. I love UK. That's why it has been so frustrating to see so many wasted years. Think about all the talent that has been here during Cals time, and we only have 1 championship to show for it. Not saying we should have 5 or more, but we definitely should have at least 2, maybe 3. I don't understand why he hasn't played Hopkins since he won the game for us against LSU. That's a guy that should be getting at least 10 minutes a game, if not more. As far as Grady goes, he stands around because that is what Cal's offense calls for him to do. And can we please learn how to set screens? It's just so frustrating to watch this team play below their potential. 26 wins is great, but have we really won any games that we weren't supposed to win. The only one I can think of is the Kansas game. That was amazing. This team has the talent to get to a final four, but unfortunately it's going to be completely on them because I don't see cal out-coaching anybody to get us there. If we somehow get hot shooting, and get the right matchups we can do it. If not I see us bowing out in the sweet 16. Hope we can get on a magical run like 2014 when Harrison hit those amazing shots to get us to the championship game.

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 03-12-2022, 08:35 PM:

With Oscar on the bench with foul trouble, we have no offensive threat. Grady is in a slump which means we might as well play 4-on-5. It's just sad that Allen and Hopkins don't get any chances when the other guards are stinking it up. Allen doesn't play because of his defense, yet Grady is just as bad, if not worse, defensively. TyTy and Wheeler got roasted by Tennessee's guards today as well. All three starting guards were defensive liabilities today.

And Cal has ruined Allen offensively, trying to turn him into a pro-style shooter. Allen is a set-shooter, and a pretty good one when he's comfortable.

It's pretty obvious that our offense is a nothing more than a "beat your man" philosophy. We just won't fare well against teams that play physical defense. Tennessee was better-coached than us today and it showed. Rick Barnes is now 11-7 against Calipari.

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 03-12-2022, 10:27 PM:

I was wondering what Barnes record was against Cal. And I would say that Cal has had the better talent in the majority of those games.

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 03-13-2022, 07:33 AM:

I respectfully disagree with the overall assessment of Coach Cal and his coaching ability in this thread. He’s not perfect but his record speaks for itself.

They just couldn’t throw it in the ocean yesterday. It happens. I still believe this team can make a deep run in the tournament. I have no idea if that will happen.

My prediction for this years NCAA tournament - One team will win - sixty seven will lose. Of the sixty seven losers, all will be out coached. At least according to their fan base.

[ 03-13-2022, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: handycat ]

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 03-13-2022, 09:25 AM:

Yes his record speaks for itself:
No FF's since 2015 with the best or second best talent in the nation and 1 title since he has been at Ky with the best or second best talent in the nation.

At some point "coaching" becomes a factor and yesterday you saw a team get man-handled by a school that we all despise time after time.

Show me an offense and heck maybe show me a "out of bounds" play designed by a 9mil dol coach for a bunch of 5 stars?

No IMO coach is a great recruter and a not very good coach as there has been ZERO change in his way since he has been here ..

O well he has put a zillion players in the NBA!

[ 03-13-2022, 10:03 AM: Message edited by: ukcatfannfl ]

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 03-13-2022, 01:32 PM:

I live in a very different world than you guys.

I see Grady moving all the time without the ball, cutting through the paint, going up to the elbow extended and out to the corner. He is also surprisingly effective putting the ball on the floor and driving. He just couldn't shake his man. More about that later.

I also see a completely revamped offense from last year. Much better spacing, more moving and cutting, and no more dribble handoffs and useless high screens for the dribbler. More dribble-drive into the paint, less "circle jerk" out on the arc. Much more emphasis on the three. I wouldn't wish this on anybody, but go back to last season, or the season before, and watch THAT offense....the one we were all complaining about. This offense is much, much better. We just were a tad off from our usual execution, and that is the difference

UT is a good team. It is all about matchups. They had three great guards, and their guards beat our guards. If anybody was playing one-on-one basketball, it was them, and it worked.

Opposing coaches have figured out that to beat UK, you stick like glue on the top two scoring threats: Tshiewbe and Grady. Then dare Mintz, Wheeler, Washington, Brooks, or Toppin beat them. The last 5-10 games, that is exactly what teams have done. The frustration on Oscar's face is evident from the physical beating he takes down low, and Grady can hardly see daylight despite his efforts. And our scoring has slowed down in proportion to how well other team's execute on smothering those two.

It was tough loss. I don't think it will drop us all the way to a 6-seed, but it may put us as a 3 or 4.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-13-2022, 03:15 PM:

Has any one stopped to evaluate the score, even as badly as we played. The score was 33-22 at the half. The lowest total I can remember in ages. But..... just think if Washington, Grady and Mintz had each made another 3 pointer in the half (that's just 3 shots) the score would have been 33-31 and we would have only been down by 2 points. Play the second half out the same way as we did and we win the game 71-69. That's just 3 threes going in instead of missing. When you look at it that way it doesn't seem like we played that bad. Oh, we played bad alright, but still could have won the game if we had shot 25% from 3 for the game, 5-20. It's just a shame these guys get taken out of their game when the defense plays them tight. That will happen again in the next couple weeks if they let it happen again.

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 03-13-2022, 03:57 PM:

Tip - I counter that with - Grady is not fast and does not play fast in our offense. His cutting off screens is horrible as he cuts wide (not close off the shoulder) and he can not get his shot off fast. Leave him wide open and he will hurt u but guard him and if he plays lazy then he is like well yesterday. ( watch him jog from 1 side of the offense to the other).

Call the offense what u want but it is still the "dribble drive" with an added factor of Oscar who can play the middle.

our point guard is fast but is out of control a lot of times..

We have ALL the pieces to be a FF team but having arcade coaching who is not going to change and having some of the players not playing hard and out of control, we have zero chance - in fact right now we are a sweet 16 team. We are a good transition team (most teams are but we have 5 stars and should be) but running half court offense we are not very good.

(I hope I am wrong and when we cut them down come back and remind me of what I said.)

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 03-14-2022, 09:37 AM:

Bottom line - at UK there is an "I" in team. Actually, there are five of them. It's all about beating your man. There are really no plays to get our guards open for a good shot. They just run around and hope to lose their man. When we play teams that play good defense, we're toast. Especially with Oscar on the bench. Our best offense is in transition before the opponent gets a chance to set it's defense.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-14-2022, 10:46 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by ukcatfannfl:
His cutting off screens is horrible as he cuts wide (not close off the shoulder) and he can not get his shot off fast. Leave him wide open and he will hurt u but guard him and if he plays lazy then he is like well yesterday. ( watch him jog from 1 side of the offense to the other).

Exactly. That is why I said he doesn't "move" because he doesn't. He goes through the motions of moving, but he is not moving.

Watch Tennessee. Those guys coming off of screens are tight and they don't even need screens 50% of the time because they make violent "V" cuts to lose their man. A thing of beauty.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-14-2022, 10:49 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Tiptree:
no more dribble handoffs and useless high screens for the dribbler.

I have seen a ton of both of those this year and especially against the likes of UT/Auburn/LSU/Florida.

I think Oscar/Ware set no less than 15 high screens on the ball handler against UT. Cal even mentioned earlier this year he plays Lance Ware over other guys because he can execute the dribble handoff better than Collins. Those were words straight out of Cal's mouth.

I was never saying the committee would drop UK down to a 6 seed. I said that is where I would put them because I watch them 40 minutes every game. The committee doesn't. UK is not nearly as good as the National Media is making them out to be. The National Media just remembers the Kansas and UT games from earlier in the year. UK has not been able to play at the level because the better coaches figured out to force UK to play half court and they struggle and that is easy to do by simply sending your two guys back on defense after every shot attempt.

[ 03-14-2022, 10:54 AM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 03-14-2022, 11:48 AM:

I don't see how we got a better seed than Tennessee. We have the same record. They finished ahead of us in the conference. They won the SEC tournament.
They have just as many quality wins. And they beat us 2 out of 3.

But i'll take it. [Wink]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-14-2022, 12:05 PM:

That's why when they look at everything a team has done does not always tell the true ability of each team. We beat the hell out of Kansas. How did they get a #1. Fluke games do not tell the real story of a team.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-17-2022, 10:09 PM:

Maybe a #6 seed was generous on my part. Maybe I should have said #16 Seed.

I can’t say that I’m surprised even. UK had no half court offense all season. Like I said, any team could defend them by simply sending guys back on defense vs sending them to the offensive glass. St. Peter’s proved my point. Basketball is not rocket science it is very easy to diagnose a teams weakness and capitalize upon it.

Once again Cal losses in the Tourney because he can’t figure out how to get his team to score 75 points in regulation against a #15 seed.

Until he changes his offensive philosophy this will be the result year in and year out.

[ 03-17-2022, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 03-17-2022, 10:20 PM:

It seems to be rocket science to Cal. He's pathetic as a game coach. This game was a perfect example of his failings. I mean everything from not calling a timeout, to not using his bench AT ALL, to not knowing how to adjust to to a zone, to the other team changing things in a timeout and us not knowing what to do against it. Just a complete butt kicking on the coaching side of things. He should apologize and be embarrassed at himself.

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 03-17-2022, 10:25 PM:

I was going to say that St Peters played a lot of zone and we were clueless against it. Our weave is not going to bust any zones. All it does is waste the shot clock and force us to throw up a terrible shot with 3 seconds on the shot clock.

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 03-17-2022, 10:34 PM:

Exactly. But for some reason Cal still has the team run that over, and over again. He is completely clueless and I would be happy to see him gone at this point. I'm sure there are plenty of coaches out there that can do the same thing with the resources we have. He doesn't even get the top recruits any more.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-18-2022, 12:31 AM:

For half the salary! The person who thinks Cals only way to win is sign the top stars and let them play their game on the floor. But when you don't get the top kids it don't work. Maybe it's time to call Rick back to the bluegrass?? I know some will think I'm crazy but he won with Iona.

Posted by Bluebird (Member # 954) on 03-18-2022, 06:25 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Bama Cat:
For half the salary! The person who thinks Cals only way to win is sign the top stars and let them play their game on the floor. But when you don't get the top kids it don't work. Maybe it's time to call Rick back to the bluegrass?? I know some will think I'm crazy but he won with Iona.

Your not crazy!!

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 03-18-2022, 07:24 AM:

"We have ALL the pieces to be a FF team but having arcade coaching who is not going to change and having some of the players not playing hard and out of control, we have zero chance - in fact right now we are a sweet 16 team. We are a good transition team (most teams are but we have 5 stars and should be) but running half court offense we are not very good."
__________________________________________________

Sorry to say even with the above dreadful assessment - I was wrong, we were worse than that!

Posted by ALA_KAT2 (Member # 1559) on 03-18-2022, 04:08 PM:

UKMAN, your post back on 3/12 is spot on. It’s been obvious to me for too many years now that John Calipari is not a good coach. He was a great recruiter for awhile, and he won games because he had far superior talent. That has ended. He’s stubborn to a fault and either refuses to change his philosophy or won’t change. He can’t leave soon enough for me, but there’s not much chance of that thanks to his ridiculous contract.