Little Rock post game thoughts

kyjeff1 · Sunday at 10:00 AM

UKWildcats1987 said:
7 pages of arguing over a sweet 16 at best roster and coach. Sad we dont have 7 page thread about football and what its doing.

I guess its more interesting to talk about negative and controversial stuff than positive dominance like football.

Wait, we don't have any threads with multiple pages about football? There are a ton of threads about last nights game, did you even look?

How many pages did the game thread go?

This is Rupp Rafters and we're UK, sorry there is a thread about basketball on a basketball dominated forum.

The other common sense thing here is, basketball season is a couple weeks away and this house is divided, so how is it a surprise to anyone that a basketball thread would go 7 pages? This is RR, we do that over the summer no problem.

UKBB4Ever · Sunday at 10:12 AM

kyjeff1 said:
You still don't get it. Cowboy was telling you we would have fired Hurley before he ever got rolling. That's a very true statement and is all I'm talking about here.
We have a large contingent of fans demanding Pope be fired and you know what, we really don't know how good Pope is, he's played the two toughest schedules in UK history and both teams were riddled with injuries, so you, me and Dupree have no clue what Mark Pope is capable of, we're just assuming he's not the right guy.

Except it’s not true. It’s just another excuse.

No one wanted Pitino fired after his first 2 years at 36-22. First one being 14-14.

UK fans were absolutely scared someone would hire him away.

It’s not the record. It’s the totality of why he has the record. His teams quit. His teams are not prepared. If there is a strength and conditioning program there’s no evidence of it on the court. There is no evidence of individual instruction that shows up on the court. There is no evidence of a defensive plan or strategy.

There is no evidence of rebounding positioning being taught.

UKCowboys · Sunday at 10:25 AM

kyjeff1 said:
You still don't get it. Cowboy was telling you we would have fired Hurley before he ever got rolling. That's a very true statement and is all I'm talking about here.
We have a large contingent of fans demanding Pope be fired and you know what, we really don't know how good Pope is, he's played the two toughest schedules in UK history and both teams were riddled with injuries, so you, me and Dupree have no clue what Mark Pope is capable of, we're just assuming he's not the right guy.

Exactly right. If anyone can pull up a post where I said that Pope is better than Hurley or will win at that level, I will take a lifetime ban. Ill wait for someone to post it. The fact is, Hurley was in his 5th season at UConn before he made a S16 and he absolutely would have been fired here by 90% of Rafters. I was on board with Pope getting fired after last season but he wasn't. A lot of the folks who want him gone are actually going to root for us to do poorly this year just to get him out of here. That kind of Fandom is something I'll never understand

UKBB4Ever said:
Except it’s not true. It’s just another excuse.

No one wanted Pitino fired after his first 2 years at 36-22. First one being 14-14.

UK fans were absolutely scared someone would hire him away.

It’s not the record. It’s the totality of why he has the record. His teams quit. His teams are not prepared. If there is a strength and conditioning program there’s no evidence of it on the court. There is no evidence of individual instruction that shows up on the court. There is no evidence of a defensive plan or strategy.

There is no evidence of rebounding positioning being taught.

LMAO, just make it up as you go lol, it'll help your argument

kyjeff1 · Sunday at 10:39 AM

UKBB4Ever said:
Except it’s not true. It’s just another excuse.

BS, you're one of the worst

UKBB4Ever said:
No one wanted Pitino fired after his first 2 years at 36-22. First one being 14-14.

We were on probation and do I need to remind you that Pitino had a Final Four on his resume?
But also, there was no Rupp Rafters at that time, you have no clue what people were saying. Nice try.
Additionally, you do realize, people wanted Cal fired after losing to Wva in 2010, wanted him fired after 2013, wanted him fired during the 2014 regular season and wanted him fired after the Wisconsin loss, how do we know this? Because we were all here to see it.

UKBB4Ever said:
UK fans were absolutely scared someone would hire him away.

Yeah, but not in 88, you're talking about after the 96 season. That's when the NBA rumors started, but again, nice try.

UKBB4Ever said:
It’s not the record. It’s the totality of why he has the record. His teams quit. His teams are not prepared. If there is a strength and conditioning program there’s no evidence of it on the court. There is no evidence of individual instruction that shows up on the court. There is no evidence of a defensive plan or strategy.

There is no evidence of rebounding positioning being taught.

His teams didn't quit, you obviously have no idea what it's like to play this level of competition when you're undermanned. It’s really easy for you to sit there in your moms basement critisizing the coach and team.

Our last two teams weren't perfect, but they played their butts off through injuries in the toughest SEC we have ever seen. Fans like you really suck.

Ash Williams · Sunday at 10:45 PM

kyjeff1 said:
The point is, fans like you are too impatient

"microwave fans" - thanks Mitch! You clown

Beatle Bum · Monday at 11:32 AM

JwUKFan11 said:
What is this weird obsession that Pope is destined to win at the level Hurley is? There is absolutely zero evidence that is going to happen. Saying "well it happened to Hurley" is just silly.

This is the “Stoops will never win 7” argument. The same “absolute zero evidence” tag falls on the biased conjecture used by both groups. You sound uber confident until you are not. It will play out and if Pope is fired, the Pope obsessed will remain Pope obsessed for a few years just like we constantly get posts about Stoops, Barnhart and Cal. At least Cal is an opposing HC, so there is at least some relevance for the lingering obsession.

Beatle Bum · Monday at 11:34 AM

kyjeff1 said:
That's not what we're saying.

Dan Hurley wasn’t Dan Hurley his 2nd year at UConn either, in fact, he was a joke with a temper. At that point in his career, he had accomplished nothing, but UConn stuck it out, they didn't give up on him after 2 years.

We're not saying Pope is the next Hurley, but universities dont typically fire coaches after two years, especially given what Pope did year 1.

Even the Dipshat Nancies here did not think Pope would get fired after just 2 years. If you only had one firing synapse, you would not think Pope was getting fired. Any argument to the contrary is a lie, a post while high, or just brain dead stupidity.

Tapemaster8 · Monday at 7:01 PM

The only way this team is going to be good is if they care about each other and care about winning more than their future dreams. I watched the game and I saw lay ups missed because of a lack of fundamentals. I saw people shooting threes early with a teammate on the wing open. There is no reason they can’t be pretty good but things better change!

rivercatinfl · Monday at 7:28 PM

Texas Tech will be the better test. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do against a P5 foe.

Catastic5 · Monday at 7:55 PM

kyjeff1 said:
No… YOU don't get it, you're jumping into a conversation that is pretty far down the road with a completely different take.

Most coaches aren't going to come here and hit a home run right away, especially with the injuries we have had and the crazy strength of schedules.

But, here's where the issue is. We have people on here saying only accomplished coaches should be on the list, but those same people are saying Jai Lucas and Shertz should get the first call. Make that make sense please.

Well, fellow and opposing fans are telling us to “be realistic” so we point to guys like Lucas and Shertz as “realistic” hires. “NIL has changed things,” so all we can do is go after a mid-major or lower end P5 coach since we cannot apparently hire an established coach anymore. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.

I get it. But three years should be enough to figure out if a coach is right for the job. Whoever gets the job next will also be afforded three seasons to prove their mettle. And if they don’t work, we look again. Hopefully not, because if the next hire isn’t a home-run we might be in trouble.

Loucatfan30 · Monday at 8:42 PM

kyjeff1 said:
No… YOU don't get it, you're jumping into a conversation that is pretty far down the road with a completely different take.

Most coaches aren't going to come here and hit a home run right away, especially with the injuries we have had and the crazy strength of schedules.

But, here's where the issue is. We have people on here saying only accomplished coaches should be on the list, but those same people are saying Jai Lucas and Shertz should get the first call. Make that make sense please.

I don't agree. Pope came here to UK when you can hire players. Any coach that doesn't give off creep vibes can recruit better than Pope. It is about the players. I don't think he is a good coach but he is a terrible recruiter both in the portal and high school. ANYBODY would do better. But if we are the pinnacle of college basketball we should have a much better coach representing us.

kyjeff1 · Tuesday at 8:47 AM

Loucatfan30 said:
I don't agree. Pope came here to UK when you can hire players. Any coach that doesn't give off creep vibes can recruit better than Pope. It is about the players. I don't think he is a good coach but he is a terrible recruiter both in the portal and high school. ANYBODY would do better. But if we are the pinnacle of college basketball we should have a much better coach representing us.

And he’s going to get 3 years to prove himself, what's the problem?
Again, you guys act like he lost every game since he got here.
Now you guys, after saying we should only hire guys that are accomplished, are pining for Jai Lucas and Shertz. Then, when one of these guys is hired, you'll say it was a bad hire and minimize all accomplishments and blow the failures out of proportion, just like you're doing now.
The fault for the Pope hire, lands squarely on Barnhart, not Pope. You cant blame a guy for taking his dream job and betting on himself, but you guys act like he never should have accepted the offer, even though everyone was good with him after year 1.
Y'all need to make up your mind on what you want and what is acceptable.
I don't care who you are, if you have major injury problems, you're going to lose a lot of games when you play the 3rd ranked SOS, at least be fair.

KYFOSSIL · Tuesday at 9:43 AM

Artlaibesghost said:
We could get ALOT better as the season begins, or not. I was underwhelmed by our guard play, I'm afraid Florida, Arkansas and Bamas guards will bum rush us I hope I'm wrong but I just don't fell it watching this team at this stage of it development.

I think Florida's guards are way overrated

KYFOSSIL · Tuesday at 9:45 AM

Wildcat_in_DC said:
Good:

milan is very good, understands the game very well, in full control of what he wants to do. 7 rebounds....if he can do that he is 1st or 2nd team all SEC player

hawthrone need more minutes. only one with any versatility to his game. can make a three, can go in side. got a few deflections on defense. impacted and disrupted the game.

mason williams, our best guard all night 10 points on 4-5 shoot, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 3 steals.

Fine:

ndiaye - started out with a bang but then fizzled out the final 25 minutes of the game

mcbride - the complete opposite of ndiaye, did almost nothing all game long then in the final 5 minutes hits 2 threes

frank - hustled, walled up the inside, set some good screens

Bad:

wilkins - finished the game 4-12, 2-8 but it was worse until the final minutes when he made a few shots. his shot selection was mostly bad. missed an open layup to start the game with a cute finger roll and it was down hill from there.

diallo - didnt score in the 2nd half and i dont think he even took a shot. a starting PG that just disappears. gets cut off on drives in the lane too easy and has no where to go. struggled to finish.

Moreno - billed as a top big man in the country yet he is mostly the same player as last year. struggled and didnt look comfortable in the post, 4 turnovers. did great on the glass but i would expect that in a game like this with this level of competition

offense was supposed to be the easy part for this team and for most of the game it looked anything but. i do not buy the pope's excuse about focusing on defense. missed layups, missed FTs, silly turnovers....if scoring is your calling card, if its your DNA then it should have looked smoother in moments last night and it didnt. at no point did diallo and wilkins look like a guard combo for a top 20 team. at no point did moreno look like a top big man in the country.

i fear our team is worse than last years. just a bunch of guys (minus milan) who are 7-8 point a game players

You have some valid points, but saying this team is worse than last year based on an exhibition game irrational.

Resignmarkpope · Tuesday at 10:08 AM

CaptainDad said:
Truth be told, Texas Tech will be the measuring stick. Shut up til then.

Kentucky Hoosiers coached by mark poope!

Resignmarkpope · Tuesday at 10:09 AM

legalbeagle123 said:
Gonna be an average/decent team that will justify firing Mark Pope.

Thanks for the great hire Barnhart!

GTFO mark poope

theKybluedude · Tuesday at 10:27 AM

kyjeff1 said:
And he’s going to get 3 years to prove himself, what's the problem?
Again, you guys act like he lost every game since he got here.
Now you guys, after saying we should only hire guys that are accomplished, are pining for Jai Lucas and Shertz. Then, when one of these guys is hired, you'll say it was a bad hire and minimize all accomplishments and blow the failures out of proportion, just like you're doing now.
The fault for the Pope hire, lands squarely on Barnhart, not Pope. You cant blame a guy for taking his dream job and betting on himself, but you guys act like he never should have accepted the offer, even though everyone was good with him after year 1.
Y'all need to make up your mind on what you want and what is acceptable.
I don't care who you are, if you have major injury problems, you're going to lose a lot of games when you play the 3rd ranked SOS, at least be fair.

I know it’s played out but people and other coaches saying if you don’t win EVERY basketball game at UK by 30 you are going to be criticized and in trouble with some of the fanbase is true. It’s that simple.

theKybluedude · Tuesday at 10:32 AM

Loucatfan30 said:
The point is you don't hire a mid level guy for this job and hope he can become a good coach. You let the guy fail somewhere else. When you are hiring for the best program you get a top tier coach.

That’s exactly what Fla and U Conn did

theKybluedude · Tuesday at 10:46 AM

ScWildcat3 said:
That other guy doesn’t like facts. He likes because I said so logic.

KyJeff1 and ScWildcat1 kicking *** in this thread.
Detractors better move on. Getting used by factual info.

kywildcat1021979 · Tuesday at 12:12 PM

UKCowboys said:
Momcilovic says hello

Well I see you're back and we paid 7 million a year for him....... 1 player and we OVER PAID to get him..... Is he going to be able to take us anywhere of significance this year?

Noticed you haven't commented on any of my Stein posts now after you dogged me before the football season started about me saying big chance we make the playoffs in his first year..... 6-1 and Stein keeps winning......

UKCowboys · Tuesday at 12:18 PM

kywildcat1021979 said:
Well I see you're back and we paid 7 million a year for him....... 1 player and we OVER PAID to get him..... Is he going to be able to take us anywhere of significance this year?

Noticed you haven't commented on any of my Stein posts now after you dogged me before the football season started about me saying big chance we make the playoffs in his first year..... 6-1 and Stein keeps winning......

I never left LMAO

UKortho · Tuesday at 12:34 PM

kywildcat1021979 said:
Well I see you're back and we paid 7 million a year for him....... 1 player and we OVER PAID to get him..... Is he going to be able to take us anywhere of significance this year?

Noticed you haven't commented on any of my Stein posts now after you dogged me before the football season started about me saying big chance we make the playoffs in his first year..... 6-1 and Stein keeps winning......

UKCowboys said:
Better chance of 2-10. We are headed in a great direction but not yet

UKCowboys said:
Man look...our basketball team has a better shot of making the elite 8 than our football team does of doing better than making a bowl

He is a legend when it comes to predictions. LMAO

kywildcat1021979 · Tuesday at 12:35 PM

UKortho said:
He is a legend when it comes to predictions

I appreciate those a lot buddy!

PastorofMuppets82 · Tuesday at 12:40 PM

kywildcat1021979 said:
Well I see you're back and we paid 7 million a year for him....... 1 player and we OVER PAID to get him..... Is he going to be able to take us anywhere of significance this year?

Not coming at you, but where are you getting 7 million for Milan? Is that confirmed somewhere that can be verified? I've seen the $6 Million number floated and reported as his "value" but not what he actually got paid. It has me genuinely curious.

The reason I ask is some players (like Louisville's roster) have some pretty specific numbers (true or not, who knows except them). With most of the guys well below a million each that were "reported" to be getting 1-2 million each back in the summer. Shelstad's number dropped to 3 million from the 5-6 initially reported, the only one I see staying steady is Bidunga still being reported at 6 million. But who knows if that is accurate and they are listed as "market estimates".

Even AI is confused on UK's NIL because it just isn't reported.

UKCowboys · Tuesday at 12:47 PM

UKortho said:
He is a legend when it comes to predictions. LMAO

The large majority of the board was saying the same thing. You pump your chest out over anything lol

Beatle Bum · Tuesday at 12:56 PM

PastorofMuppets82 said:
Not coming at you, but where are you getting 7 million for Milan? Is that confirmed somewhere that can be verified? I've seen the $6 Million number floated and reported as his "value" but not what he actually got paid. It has me genuinely curious.

The reason I ask is some players (like Louisville's roster) have some pretty specific numbers (true or not, who knows except them). With most of the guys well below a million each that were "reported" to be getting 1-2 million each back in the summer. Shelstad's number dropped to 3 million from the 5-6 initially reported, the only one I see staying steady is Bidunga still being reported at 6 million. But who knows if that is accurate and they are listed as "market estimates".

Even AI is confused on UK's NIL because it just isn't reported.

I think the answer to your first question is: his butt. Final answer.

kywildcat1021979 · Tuesday at 1:27 PM

PastorofMuppets82 said:
Not coming at you, but where are you getting 7 million for Milan? Is that confirmed somewhere that can be verified? I've seen the $6 Million number floated and reported as his "value" but not what he actually got paid. It has me genuinely curious.

The reason I ask is some players (like Louisville's roster) have some pretty specific numbers (true or not, who knows except them). With most of the guys well below a million each that were "reported" to be getting 1-2 million each back in the summer. Shelstad's number dropped to 3 million from the 5-6 initially reported, the only one I see staying steady is Bidunga still being reported at 6 million. But who knows if that is accurate and they are listed as "market estimates".

Even AI is confused on UK's NIL because it just isn't reported.

This is what is said when I google it:

AI Overview

Kentucky transfer forward Milan Momcilovic received an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) compensation package reported to be north of $6 million (with some estimates and rumors ranging up to $7.5 million to $8 million) to join the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2026–27 season. [1, 2, 3, 4]

So anywhere from 6 million - 8 million which is still over paying for Milan.

UKortho · Tuesday at 2:22 PM

UKCowboys said:
The large majority of the board was saying the same thing. You pump your chest out over anything lol

UKCowboys said:
UK is winning. Another rough night for the Pope haters

UKCowboys said:
If MB would hire Bruce Pearl, I would drive Pope to the airport. But he won't. If he were going to, he would have. MB will hire Scott Drew or worse. And not give a crap.

UKCowboys said:
There's something you should come to terms with...Pope won't be on any "hot seat" next season. Mitch hired him. Pope did a fine job last season. He is doing a heck of a coaching job this season. I am sure MB sees it that way too. We night add a GM for recruiting, but I doubt it. Pope will be here a long time either way.

UKCowboys said:
If you scroll back to the day he was hired, you will see me saying we should have hire Pope

UKCowboys said:
Man, I am on board with the new AD letting Pope go after the season but if Madsen is a candidate I'm switching back

Bipolar- too bad the dates weren't included.

PastorofMuppets82 · Tuesday at 2:24 PM

kywildcat1021979 said:
This is what is said when I google it:

AI Overview

Kentucky transfer forward Milan Momcilovic received an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) compensation package reported to be north of $6 million (with some estimates and rumors ranging up to $7.5 million to $8 million) to join the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2026–27 season. [1, 2, 3, 4]

So anywhere from 6 million - 8 million which is still over paying for Milan.

Thanks. I was hoping maybe you had found an actual NCAA org file verifying his deal.

I think a lot of people get lost in the "projected market value" which is what gets reported as what a school paid. As opposed to what the player actually signs for. And different places mix it up, some pay more cash or all cash, some spread out payments over years, some mix cash with "stuff" that has value (ie cars, apartments, memberships, swag, jewelry, etc). Hard to ever get an actual verified number unless someone leaks the NCAA NIL filing paperwork. And even then, is the person submitting it being entirely truthful?

UKCowboys · Tuesday at 2:45 PM

UKortho said:
Bipolar- too bad the dates weren't included.

You should have included the dates. Did I want Pope when they hired him? HELL NO! Did I support him and the team through year one and two? YES, he is our coach. Will I support him and the team all through year three? DAMN STRAIGHT...he is our coach. If he has a great year, I'll keep supporting him. If he lays an egg, I'll call for his head. If they bring him back, I will support him again. I am not bipolar, I am fair and I love UK. You on the other hand are a.....

UKortho · Tuesday at 3:13 PM

UKCowboys said:
You should have included the dates. Did I want Pope when they hired him? HELL NO! Did I support him and the team through year one and two? YES, he is our coach. Will I support him and the team all through year three? DAMN STRAIGHT...he is our coach. If he has a great year, I'll keep supporting him. If he lays an egg, I'll call for his head. If they bring him back, I will support him again. I am not bipolar, I am fair and I love UK. You on the other hand are a.....

Feb 22 2026:

UKCowboys said:
If you scroll back to the day he was hired, you will see me saying we should have hire Pope

Ok- so in Feb 2026 you said we should have hired pope. That wasn't taken out of context.

Pope is doing a "hell of a job"- then you later say you would support his firing

UKCowboys said:
I'm here laughing in your troll face. Pope is doing a Hell of a job Son. He isn't going anywhere this year and he isn't going anywhere next year. Meanwhile, while you continue to cry like a baby missing her pacifier, the team is out there scrapping their heart out and winning games, shorthanded or not. Pope isn't a quitter like you are boy

UKCowboys said:
If you say so. Pope will serve out his entire first contract. I would bet the farm on it

On Chandler

UKCowboys said:
He is a great kid. I think he stays here. He followed Pope here and Pope has stuck with him getting his minutes when half the fanbase wanted him gone. Now he is set to be the star of next years team. They will have to increase his money but he will stay

UKCowboys said:
Chandler wouldn't start here this coming season. That should show how much better this team will be

So Chandler was going to be the "star of next years team" and "he will stay". After he decided to leave, you stated he "wouldn't start". Perhaps he would not have started...I don't know. What I know is you change your mind faster than a baby gets their diaper changed. I am done now. Keep talking out of both sides of your mouth.

kyjeff1 · Tuesday at 3:36 PM

theKybluedude said:
I know it’s played out but people and other coaches saying if you don’t win EVERY basketball game at UK by 30 you are going to be criticized and in trouble with some of the fanbase is true. It’s that simple.

If these guys would just read a small percentage of the posts they put on here every day, they would see just how ridiculous they are.

I mean, it's fine to say you don't think he's good enough and the results are unacceptable, but when you refuse to give the guy any flowers at all, you're not being fair.

There aren't too many coaches that would have taken a brand new team, with all those injuries, playing a top 3 SOS and beat the teams Pope beat in year 1.

Yes, he had some bad losses, but every single coach out there has bad losses, welcome to the real world.

We all agree that Pope hasn’t done a good enough job and his recruiting is a problem, but we can't act like he failed at EVERYTHING.

FLBBNFAN · Tuesday at 3:37 PM

kyjeff1 said:
The point is, fans like you are too impatient, if we get a guy that could end up following the same path Hurley did, you guys will want the guy sh*t-canned before he ever gets going, because sweet 16's aren’t good enough.

You guys have no idea what Pope could end up being, because you can't get past one bad season and a goofy personality.

Again, I doubt Pope is the guy, BUT IF YOU ASKED ANYBODY ON HERE IF HURLEY WAS GOING TO BE GREAT AFTER YEAR 2 AT UCONN, WITH HIS RECORDS AND CRAZY PERSONALITY, YOU ALL WOULD HAVE WANTED HIM FIRED.

You guys want 1996 and 2012 every year and if you don't get it, you fly off the handle.

I hope Pope kills it this year, because I want so bad to see you guys walk your posts back.

You cannot compare Hurley to today's landscape.That is not a fair comparison. Hurley was hired in 2018 when the common scenario was to give a coach several years because they had to build mainly through recruiting and possibly transfers.

Catastic5 · Tuesday at 3:41 PM

FLBBNFAN said:
You cannot compare Hurley to today's landscape.That is not a fair comparison. Hurley was hired in 2018 when the common scenario was to give a coach several years because they had to build mainly through recruiting and possibly transfers.

Honestly, Pope doesn’t even have the attitude of someone like Hurley or Pitino, anyway. He’s pretty soft considering how poorly he does with getting his players ready for games. He lacks in something that makes those kinds of coaches so good at their job. A lack of competitive spirit, perhaps? I don’t know.

For real though, Pope wants to please, I understand and appreciate that, but he really doesn’t have the personality that most Kentucky fans expect out of a coach. That was my biggest worry when Drew and Pope were the primary options for Mitch. It didn’t make any sense why these guys were desired by our former AD.

kyjeff1 · Tuesday at 3:44 PM

FLBBNFAN said:
You cannot compare Hurley to today's landscape.That is not a fair comparison. Hurley was hired in 2018 when the common scenario was to give a coach several years because they had to build mainly through recruiting and possibly transfers.

Do you honestly think the torch and pitchfork crowd on here cares about circumstances? They don't and that is a fact.

They wouldn't care if the entire team was kidnapped and held on a remote island until after the season, if Pope doesn’t go 38-2, they want him gone, because, ya know, he’s got a goofy dad personality.

I wish I was joking.

FLBBNFAN · Tuesday at 3:45 PM

FLBBNFAN said:
You cannot compare Hurley to today's landscape.That is not a fair comparison. Hurley was hired in 2018 when the common scenario was to give a coach several years because they had to build mainly through recruiting and possibly transfers.

If you want a fair comparison then compare Popes first 2 years against another coach in the NIL and current transfer portal era. Can't compare different eras for a honest debate.

Just compare Pope to Texas Techs coach . Elite 8 second year and probably another similar run if Toppin doesn't go down last year.

FLBBNFAN · Tuesday at 3:49 PM

kyjeff1 said:
Do you honestly think the torch and pitchfork crowd on here cares about circumstances? They don't and that is a fact.

They wouldn't care if the entire team was kidnapped and held on a remote island until after the season, if Pope doesn’t go 38-2, they want him gone, because, ya know, he’s got a goofy dad personality.

I wish I was joking.

That's not the argument though. It was comparing Hurley first years to Popes and he came in during the old era. Apples to oranges.

I understand there are people who hijack every thread and turn it into Pope bashing. Its annoying for sure. On the other hand there are posters who act like they are defending their wife's honor when legit criticisms are posted. That's annoying too and ruins a good discussion just as quick.

UKCowboys · Tuesday at 3:53 PM

UKortho said:
Feb 22 2026:

Ok- so in Feb 2026 you said we should have hired pope. That wasn't taken out of context.

Pope is doing a "hell of a job"- then you later say you would support his firing

On Chandler

So Chandler was going to be the "star of next years team" and "he will stay". After he decided to leave, you stated he "wouldn't start". Perhaps he would not have started...I don't know. What I know is you change your mind faster than a baby gets their diaper changed. I am done now. Keep talking out of both sides of your mouth.

As usual you have to take things out of context. Did I love Chandler? Yes. Would he have started that season if everyone were healthy. No. Both can be true. I am glad I have a stalker LMAO

FLBBNFAN · Tuesday at 3:56 PM

Catastic5 said:
Honestly, Pope doesn’t even have the attitude of someone like Hurley or Pitino, anyway. He’s pretty soft considering how poorly he does with getting his players ready for games. He lacks in something that makes those kinds of coaches so good at their job. A lack of competitive spirit, perhaps? I don’t know.

For real though, Pope wants to please, I understand and appreciate that, but he really doesn’t have the personality that most Kentucky fans expect out of a coach. That was my biggest worry when Drew and Pope were the primary options for Mitch. It didn’t make any sense why these guys were desired by our former AD.

As a player here he was tough as nails .I thought we would get that guy but the appearance is soft. I think this year's team is more suited for his personality like his first team here.

His coaching resume wasn't good enough to be considered here in my opinion but that ship has sailed.

kyjeff1 · Tuesday at 3:59 PM

FLBBNFAN said:
That's not the argument though. It was comparing Hurley first years to Popes and he came in during the old era. Apples to oranges.

I understand there are people who hijack every thread and turn it into Pope bashing. Its annoying for sure. On the other hand there are posters who act like they are defending their wife's honor when legit criticisms are posted. That's annoying too and ruins a good discussion just as quick.

We're not comparing Pope to Hurley, we're simply saying that UK fans would have wanted Hurley fired before he ever got going.

Let's not act like Hurley has a charming personality. If he took the job in 2024 and didn't get to the E8 in year 2, half the dudes on this board would want him gone. You know I'm right.

Little Rock post game thoughts

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Senior

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All-Conference

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All-Conference

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