An Olive Branch...

[Cowtown Cat]

Seriously what is wrong with these fans that think what Cal did this year was justifiable?! Are they that enamored with Cal? Do they just not understand the college game? I just don’t get it.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Nick Saban's salary: 9.1 million
John Calipari's salary: 9.27 million

Makes no sense

Barnhart.....good guy....bad at math and contracts

 

[kyjeff1]

It’s a fascinating conundrum. To me at least. The staunch Calipari defenders are unable to criticize or find any fault in decisions by John Calipari whatsoever regardless of obvious facts and numbers. It’s truly weird. I don’t get it.

I'm blown away reading some of these comments. It’s as if these guys have no idea what UK basketball is supposed to be. They’re okay with losing games for the benefit of dudes that came here knowing they will only be here 1 year.
This is crazy.

 

[CELTICAT]

I'm blown away reading some of these comments. It’s as if these guys have no idea what UK basketball is supposed to be. They’re okay with losing games for the benefit of dudes that came here knowing they will only be here 1 year.
This is crazy.

Literally have posters talking about losing games early to get ready for March. Haven't had a team ready for March in 6 years.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Not to argue, but I think some of the players and minutes issues are legitimate and some are overblown. No doubt, Boston hurt the team in multiple games because he couldn't make shots. And I agree Allen should have been given more minutes earlier than the 1st Miss St game. I also agree that, generally speaking, Cal sticks with the 5-star guys more and gives them more leash.

But there are some legitimate reasons Cal does this which, though some may not like it or agree with it, make sense. As others have said, there is usually a reason 5-star guys have those ratings. They have more potential and more natural gifts and abilities than others. In most seasons, and especially in a season like this year, the team simply can't come close to its potential if those guys don't meet some of their potential. So, Cal is thinking long term gain over short term gain at times. We can argue the merits of that philosophy til the cows come home. I would say you can think long term so long as you're winning games. But when the 5-star guys are costing you wins, you have to play the line-up that will help you win today. I'm sure it's a struggle when dealing with the fragile psyches of 18 and 19-year old kids who think they are the next Kobe.

Yet, Cal keeps doing that year after year. It's almost as if he doesn't think he needs to change anything (sarcasm).
ANy coach that's worth his salt, will always play to win and will always play the players that give him the best chance to do that.
It should be apparent to anyone watching UK this year, Cal wasn't doing that. That, to me, is unacceptable. He is paid by UK to win games for UK. Not to enhance some players ego or his NBA draft status.
I would even go so far as to say, any coach that does that , does not deserve to be the coach anymore.

 

[ShadowFromHomewardBound]

I'm blown away reading some of these comments. It’s as if these guys have no idea what UK basketball is supposed to be. They’re okay with losing games for the benefit of dudes that came here knowing they will only be here 1 year.
This is crazy.

I’m guessing they really started following/ became “fans” around 2009 or so.

 

[RunninRichie]

Calipari has been here for 10 years and is a shell of the man who arrived from Memphis. He literally got fat and lazy and has the program in the ditch. It is time for him to move on, maybe even get out of coaching and let a coach who is energetic, innovative and hungry take over this program.

I see no way Caliapri can fix it. And believe you me if a program needs fixing it is the University of Kentucky. Sutton, Tubby and BCG all left the program in better shape than Calipari has it now.

Calipari did something none of the above mentioned coaches did and that is, he lost a huge portion of the fan base. How many, who knows? I guess we will find out once the politicians reopen society. UK needs help and needs it now.

UK lost fans when Cal blew the 2015 Wisconsin game. Ive noticed that if you go back and read old threads from 2015, a lot of the posters who posted back then and joined wayyyy back in the day all stopped posting around april 4-may 2015. It broke people.

 

[Rockfly78]

I know that was a long winded post I just had but here is another thing

There is no arguing that fans have left the program because of Cal.

The people that support Cal will not address this as an issue. Many of them treat UK fans as a replaceable commodity, when the reality is, this is the worst time possible , perhaps in the history of college basketball to alienate fans. The challenge is attracting new fans - which the sport as a whole is not doing.

Even during the Gillispie years, when people were mad at him for being a psycho, no one abandoned the program. The players essentially quit during the Senior night game against Georgia in open revolt and the fans didn't leave the program.

Its speaks volumes that Cal has steadily been losing the fanbase for multiple years (see Cal having to beg fans to attend games from 2 years ago) and its all due to his approach to basketball. Mercenary players that do not achieve the highest standard of basketball do not endear fans. When it becomes a pattern, then the connection to the program is lost.

If I was a UK fan (and I believe I am), and I know we are all tongue in cheek about the "true UK fan", but if I were a true UK fan, I would be very, very disturbed that a winning coach is losing fans year over year because his priorities alienate the fan base to connecting with the program. I don't see how you can continually put Cal on a pedestal while ignoring the very thing that makes UK great is finding other interests beside the program.

If you are not bothered by that, then how can you not ask yourself if you are a fan of Cal or Kentucky?

It’s quite simple really. I don’t want to turn this into a thread about politics because I’m not political. I actually detest politics. But Cal is a liberal and Kentucky is the reddest state in the country. Fans always hated it but overlooked it when we were winning. Then the florida game happened and the season ended up in the crapper. Now it’s Katy bar the doors. I think this is the elephant in the room and anyone who says the loss of fans is just about Cals approach to the game and coaching/recruiting style is kidding themselves.

 

[CELTICAT]

I’m guessing they really started following/ became “fans” around 2009 or so.

Cult of John Wall as I used to call them, but they are really Cal fans and couldn't care less about UK.

 

[ShadowFromHomewardBound]

Yet, Cal keeps doing that year after year. It's almost as if he doesn't think he needs to change anything (sarcasm).
ANy coach that's worth his salt, will always play to win and will always play the players that give him the best chance to do that.
It should be apparent to anyone watching UK this year, Cal wasn't doing that. That, to me, is unacceptable. He is paid by UK to win games for UK. Not to enhance some players ego or his NBA draft status.
I would even go so far as to say, any coach that does that , does not deserve to be the coach anymore.

It’s one thing not to bench Knight or Wall or Fox or KAT etc when they have an off game or two. Boston was garbage all season long though.

Nobody... i mean NOBODY thinks had Allen played more we would have been a contender or even any good. It’s the principal of the matter though. Askew and BJizzle were given unlimited leash and allowed to make mistake after mistake while DA was not.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Nick Saban's salary: 9.1 million
John Calipari's salary: 9.27 million

Makes no sense

One is about winning. Period.
The other is about posturing.

 

[RunninRichie]

It’s quite simple really. I don’t want to turn this into a thread about politics because I’m not political. I actually detest politics. But Cal is a liberal and Kentucky is the reddest state in the country. Fans always hated it but overlooked it when we were winning. Then the florida game happened and the season ended up in the crapper. Now it’s Katy bar the doors. I think this is the elephant in the room and anyone who says the loss of fans is just about Cals approach to the game and coaching/recruiting style is kidding themselves.

actually, wyoming is. kentucky isnt even in the top 5. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/most-republican-states

 

[kyjeff1]

I’m guessing they really started following/ became “fans” around 2009 or so.

Yeah, I don't know how anyone that was a fan through the 90's and Tubby's early years, is okay with this. It used to be about UK, now it's about draft picks. That needs to stop.

 

[RunninRichie]

cal really shouldve been fired in 2015. I know that sounds crazy af but that loss is unforgiviable.

 

[Rockfly78]

actually, wyoming is. kentucky isnt even in the top 5. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/most-republican-states

Figure of speech dude. Please check my grammar while you’re at it.

 

[RunninRichie]

Figure of speech dude. Please check my grammar while you’re at it.

ease up homie. im not the droid youre looking for.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Yet, Cal keeps doing that year after year. It's almost as if he doesn't think he needs to change anything (sarcasm).
ANy coach that's worth his salt, will always play to win and will always play the players that give him the best chance to do that.
It should be apparent to anyone watching UK this year, Cal wasn't doing that. That, to me, is unacceptable. He is paid by UK to win games for UK. Not to enhance some players ego or his NBA draft status.
I would even go so far as to say, any coach that does that , does not deserve to be the coach anymore.

BINGO!

 

[Cowtown Cat]

It’s quite simple really. I don’t want to turn this into a thread about politics because I’m not political. I actually detest politics. But Cal is a liberal and Kentucky is the reddest state in the country. Fans always hated it but overlooked it when we were winning. Then the florida game happened and the season ended up in the crapper. Now it’s Katy bar the doors. I think this is the elephant in the room and anyone who says the loss of fans is just about Cals approach to the game and coaching/recruiting style is kidding themselves.

No, sir, YOU are kidding YOURSELF! This is about the KENTUCKY program. Completely and totally. It’s quite simple really.

 

[Lempface]

And how did that work out?
He did the same crap with Skal, Whitney, Knox and every other highly ranked aau kid that he brought in. Sometimes it works, but too many times it hasn't.
This is UK, not Louisville, or some second rate program. Go play roster roulette somewhere else.
He should have recognized back in November during the 6 game losing streak, that BJB was not going to snap out of it. But he stayed with it all season long.
The guy fired brick after brick after brick and rarely took the ball to the rim. Cal kept him in there, just like he did with Whitney and Skal. It’s garbage.
Build a legit college roster, or leave. 9.27 million a year and he's screwing around with aau kids.

I'm not arguing for the strategy, just that it is a strategy and it's not out of spite for KY kids or whatever, you're barking up the wrong tree here.

 

[revcort]

It’s a fascinating conundrum. To me at least. The staunch Calipari defenders are unable to criticize or find any fault in decisions by John Calipari whatsoever regardless of obvious facts and numbers. It’s truly weird. I don’t get it.

To be fair, there are 2 sides to that coin. The other side is that those ready to run Cal out of town always see his decisions as poor and won't accept reasons other than something negative about Calipari as a valid reason for why something happened.

There are at least 3 factors that affect our perception of this playing time issue.
1. The home town player vs the 5-star national recruit.
2. The long term benefit of developing a player with a higher ceiling.
3. The short term benefit of winning a game today.

Folks who are angry at Cal over his treatment of Boston and Askew vs Allen are irritated because they think they see favoritism in the case of the 5-star guys for various reasons (promises made, wanting to have a big nba draft night, helping those players with their NBA aspirations, and etc.). They believe Cal doesn't give a guy like Dontaie Allen a fair shake. 5-star guys are allowed the play through mistakes while Allen gets pulled for the same mistakes. I think we've all seen this happen so there is no denying it is true. But why does Cal do this? This is where we disagree. Those who are frustrated with Cal think he's doing this to spite the fans and Allen was a fan favorite, so he bore the brunt of Cal's angst toward the fans. I don't think this holds water at all. It would be cutting off your own nose to spite your face. If Allen is truly superior, he would get more minutes. And we must acknowledge the fact that his being a home-state player clouds our judgment and makes us a bit extra sensitive about the way he's treated.

Another factor, as I said above, is that I think Cal sees the upside of some of these 5-star guys and thinks the team needs them to reach some of their potential in order for the team to become a real threat by March. Allen can become a great player at UK, but how quickly could his potential be maximized and how does it compare to a guy like Boston or Clarke? So, he's often thinking long-term potential over short-term benefit to the team. That is what is frustrating to most

That final factor is where I agree with you who are upset with Cal. This is my observation regarding this particular season, and may apply to losses in other seasons. It does seem to me that Cal's long-term goals for a particular team sometimes takes precedent over the immediate problem at hand. That is, he sometimes seems ok with a loss if it means the team will become better in the long run. So, he plays a kid like Boston down the stretch, who has shot 3-14 in a game, even if it means another guy (like Allen) might give the team a better chance to win. That is where I disagree with the argument in favor of "potential" over "immediate." In my view, as a coach, you can play guys for potential and that's fine, but if the team is piling up losses, that's when the immediate need outweighs the long-term potential of particular players. So, I would have benched Boston in games where he's not shooting well and put someone in who could score- because we need to win.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I'm not arguing for the strategy, just that it is a strategy and it's not out of spite for KY kids or whatever, you're barking up the wrong tree here.

Not because he’s a Kentucky kid, but because he associated DA with the fanbase. The fanbase he was pissed at, at that juncture.

 

[Lempface]

Not because he’s a Kentucky kid, but because he associated DA with the fanbase. The fanbase he was pissed at, at that juncture.

Cal didn't not play the best players and throw games to spite the fan base. It just didn't happen. Stay paranoid though.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Cal didn't not play the best players and throw games to spite the fan base. It just didn't happen. Stay paranoid though.

Stay gullible, though.

 

[revcort]

Proof that nba talent doesn't = good college players.

Take a good look at the rosters left in the NCAAT. Take a look at the rosters of the teams that are getting to the FF's and winning titles. They are all junior and senior laden teams.

Stop looking at UK like we're a minor league farm system.

This is a good argument. This season has been a damning indictment against one and done models. I was just making the same observation with my family as I was looking at the teams remaining in the Sweet 16. All of them, without exception, are filled with upperclassmen and multi-year starters. I think you can count the number of freshman starters on those 16 teams on one hand. I haven't done the research on that yet, but just knowing those teams I believe it is true. These teams are all comprised of guys who played last season and returned. Teams with freshmen and newcomers have struggled.

Now, here is the question: is that now a rule or was this year an exception? Covid-19 profoundly affected this season. The loss of additional games and summer workouts, scrimmages, pickup ball, individual workouts, and etc meant the teams returning an established core of players were more successful. And because of the loss of games, March madness would basically have been February madness in a normal year. That is, by number of games played, the shortened season was like playing the final tournament in February of a normal year instead of March.

I would have normally said this year was an exception in every way,, but with the NBA rules changes and players being able to declare from high school and go to the g-league, this may now become the rule.

 

[KyFaninNC]

It’s quite simple really. I don’t want to turn this into a thread about politics because I’m not political. I actually detest politics. But Cal is a liberal and Kentucky is the reddest state in the country. Fans always hated it but overlooked it when we were winning. Then the florida game happened and the season ended up in the crapper. Now it’s Katy bar the doors. I think this is the elephant in the room and anyone who says the loss of fans is just about Cals approach to the game and coaching/recruiting style is kidding themselves.

Best post you have made. That was the final nail in the coffin.

 

[gojvc]

Well, this is where we will see if Cal is going to truly change.
Prior to now, a guy like Brooks would be 100% gone. Cal always had some hs kid coming in that could replace him and it seems like Cal didn’t care if the current player stayed or left.
Cal needs to work hard on player retention and it needs to start right now with Brooks, Toppin, Mintz, Ware etc… this is the biggest, most important thing he needs to change.

I agree but I also think player retention has to start while recruiting as well. He has to be able to recognize which kids are at least willing to spend multiple years at Kentucky and which ones are on a one or two year layover whether they are first round material or not. Frankly, I don’t think it’s that difficult. We fans usually have a pretty good read on it and we don’t even get to meet the kids or their parents.

 

[jc2010]

Ray Charles could have seen early on that Boston was not going to be a game changer. Cal was just urinating into a headwind.

 

[Lempface]

Stay gullible, though.

Oh my god, you actually believe that. How freaking sweet. Bless your heart.

 

[jc2010]

I agree but I also think player retention has to start while recruiting as well. He has to be able to recognize which kids are at least willing to spend multiple years at Kentucky and which ones are on a one or two year layover whether they are first round material or not. Frankly, I don’t think it’s that difficult. We fans usually have a pretty good read on it and we don’t even get to meet the kids or their parents.

Player retention will begin when the players are treated equally

 

[kyjeff1]

I'm not arguing for the strategy, just that it is a strategy and it's not out of spite for KY kids or whatever, you're barking up the wrong tree here.

No, you obviously didn't read what I said. Never once did I say anything about Allen being a UK kid. I specifically addressed the items you talked about in your posts.

 

[Rockfly78]

No, sir, YOU are kidding YOURSELF! This is about the KENTUCKY program. Completely and totally. It’s quite simple really.

You have your head in the sand. Just read the board.

 

[kyjeff1]

This is a good argument. This season has been a damning indictment against one and done models. I was just making the same observation with my family as I was looking at the teams remaining in the Sweet 16. All of them, without exception, are filled with upperclassmen and multi-year starters. I think you can count the number of freshman starters on those 16 teams on one hand. I haven't done the research on that yet, but just knowing those teams I believe it is true. These teams are all comprised of guys who played last season and returned. Teams with freshmen and newcomers have struggled.

Now, here is the question: is that now a rule or was this year an exception? Covid-19 profoundly affected this season. The loss of additional games and summer workouts, scrimmages, pickup ball, individual workouts, and etc meant the teams returning an established core of players were more successful. And because of the loss of games, March madness would basically have been February madness in a normal year. That is, by number of games played, the shortened season was like playing the final tournament in February of a normal year instead of March.

I would have normally said this year was an exception in every way,, but with the NBA rules changes and players being able to declare from high school and go to the g-league, this may now become the rule.

I don’t think it's just because this is a strange year. If you look at the teams winning titles since… ..forever, they're all loaded with upperclassmen. Our 2012 team was kind of the exception, but we had an incredible amount of talent that was combined with veteran players.
Duke's '15 team had a couple of great freshmen, but they also had really good veteran players.

One thing is for sure, we aren't winning anything when 2nd tier 5* players are our best players.

Right now, Suggs (Gonzaga) and Mobley (USC) are surrounded by really good veterans and a lot of them. To me, that is the perfect recipe for winning titles, but not at UK under Cal, because Cal focuses on the freshman that has draft pick potential. That’s fine if that kid is transcendent, but not when he's a 2nd tier kid.

Michigan, Gonzaga, Baylor, USC and several others, are not going to lose to freshmen and sophomore laden teams. Young teams make mistakes and lose their composure, juniors and seniors have been through the wars and they rarely panic. We have lost too many games due to young guys missing free throws, turning the ball over and taking shot clock violations in crunch time.
It’s beyond time to move on from this culture.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

This is a good argument. This season has been a damning indictment against one and done models. I was just making the same observation with my family as I was looking at the teams remaining in the Sweet 16. All of them, without exception, are filled with upperclassmen and multi-year starters. I think you can count the number of freshman starters on those 16 teams on one hand. I haven't done the research on that yet, but just knowing those teams I believe it is true. These teams are all comprised of guys who played last season and returned. Teams with freshmen and newcomers have struggled.

Now, here is the question: is that now a rule or was this year an exception? Covid-19 profoundly affected this season. The loss of additional games and summer workouts, scrimmages, pickup ball, individual workouts, and etc meant the teams returning an established core of players were more successful. And because of the loss of games, March madness would basically have been February madness in a normal year. That is, by number of games played, the shortened season was like playing the final tournament in February of a normal year instead of March.

I would have normally said this year was an exception in every way,, but with the NBA rules changes and players being able to declare from high school and go to the g-league, this may now become the rule.

To me a good example is Scottie Barnes at FSU. Uber talented and maybe the best player on their team. He doesn't even start.
No way under the sun Cal would do that. It speaks to waht Cal is really to UK. Using UK to help players image and not to win above everything else. That is just inexcusable imo.

 

[RunninRichie]

I don’t think it's just because this is a strange year. If you look at the teams winning titles since… ..forever, they're all loaded with upperclassmen. Our 2012 team was kind of the exception, but we had an incredible amount of talent that was combined with veteran players.
Duke's '15 team had a couple of great freshmen, but they also had really good veteran players.

One thing is for sure, we aren't winning anything when 2nd tier 5* players are our best players.

Right now, Suggs (Gonzaga) and Mobley (USC) are surrounded by really good veterans and a lot of them. To me, that is the perfect recipe for winning titles, but not at UK under Cal, because Cal focuses on the freshman that has draft pick potential. That’s fine if that kid is transcendent, but not when he's a 2nd tier kid.

Michigan, Gonzaga, Baylor, USC and several others, are not going to lose to freshmen and sophomore laden teams. Young teams make mistakes and lose their composure, juniors and seniors have been through the wars and they rarely panic. We have lost too many games due to young guys missing free throws, turning the ball over and taking shot clock violations in crunch time.
It’s beyond time to move on from this culture.

yup. When andrew harrison hit those 2 game winning free throws against notre dame in 2015 it was because he experienced it before in his freshman season. You think freshman Skyy Clarke will hit 2 free throws in a tied up elite 8 game with 8 seconds left?

 

[kyjeff1]

I agree but I also think player retention has to start while recruiting as well. He has to be able to recognize which kids are at least willing to spend multiple years at Kentucky and which ones are on a one or two year layover whether they are first round material or not. Frankly, I don’t think it’s that difficult. We fans usually have a pretty good read on it and we don’t even get to meet the kids or their parents.

I think Cal is already doing that. Ware, Toppin, Mintz, Allen, Hopkins, Hickman etc… are multi year kids, hopefully they (Hickman and Hopkins) know that coming in.

The main thing I think Cal needs to do, is avoid the 2nd tier 5* kids. Just don't bring them here. They are unskilled aau players with low bb iq and they have 1 foot out the door before they get here. It’s poison.

In all actuality, Oscar is also a multi year guy. Most don't realize it, but Oscar was a 4* kid coming out of high school. Hopefully we have him for more than 1 year.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Oh my god, you actually believe that. How freaking sweet. Bless your heart.

I absolutely believe it, as do many on this board. As do many loyal Cal supporters. I don’t know why you think it’s so outlandish.

 

[revcort]

I don’t think it's just because this is a strange year. If you look at the teams winning titles since… ..forever, they're all loaded with upperclassmen. Our 2012 team was kind of the exception, but we had an incredible amount of talent that was combined with veteran players.
Duke's '15 team had a couple of great freshmen, but they also had really good veteran players.

One thing is for sure, we aren't winning anything when 2nd tier 5* players are our best players.

Right now, Suggs (Gonzaga) and Mobley (USC) are surrounded by really good veterans and a lot of them. To me, that is the perfect recipe for winning titles, but not at UK under Cal, because Cal focuses on the freshman that has draft pick potential. That’s fine if that kid is transcendent, but not when he's a 2nd tier kid.

Michigan, Gonzaga, Baylor, USC and several others, are not going to lose to freshmen and sophomore laden teams. Young teams make mistakes and lose their composure, juniors and seniors have been through the wars and they rarely panic. We have lost too many games due to young guys missing free throws, turning the ball over and taking shot clock violations in crunch time.
It’s beyond time to move on from this culture.

Hard to argue that Jeff. I think our inability to close out games this season is another example of what you're talking about here. Our inexperience showed through in those moments. Now, I guess we could ask ourselves if the issue was just poor player personnel. Maybe this particular group of players just lacked some intangible quality to step up at crunch time. I would say that is likely part of the issue, though experience can help a player overcome that. Still, we have had freshmen who didn't shy away from the pressure and the moment in the past. John Wall had a game winner in his 2nd collegiate game, coast to coast and pull up jumper against Miami (Ohio). Some guys just rise to that occasion. Others shrink back from that moment. I think we had a bunch of guys on this particular team who didn't want the ball right there. I'm just playing devil's advocate here Jeff. I think experience is the best fix. I just wonder about this particular team and the psychology of it all. How many game winners did Sarr miss? Who else wanted the ball? I think the guy who was best in those situations was probably Mintz.

 

[kyjeff1]

Hard to argue that Jeff. I think our inability to close out games this season is another example of what you're talking about here. Our inexperience showed through in those moments. Now, I guess we could ask ourselves if the issue was just poor player personnel. Maybe this particular group of players just lacked some intangible quality to step up at crunch time. I would say that is likely part of the issue, though experience can help a player overcome that. Still, we have had freshmen who didn't shy away from the pressure and the moment in the past. John Wall had a game winner in his 2nd collegiate game, coast to coast and pull up jumper against Miami (Ohio). Some guys just rise to that occasion. Others shrink back from that moment. I think we had a bunch of guys on this particular team who didn't want the ball right there. I'm just playing devil's advocate here Jeff. I think experience is the best fix. I just wonder about this particular team and the psychology of it all. How many game winners did Sarr miss? Who else wanted the ball? I think the guy who was best in those situations was probably Mintz.

Wall, Knight, Fox, Aaron and Ulis, all stepped up and hit big clutch shots.

Fox and especially Aaron and Knight, did it in the NCAAT, but I think we can all agree those players were on a different level. Most of them were highly skilled when they got here.

However, the flip side of that is what happened in the 2010 Wva game, the 2014 title game and the 2015 Wisconsin game. We choked in those games. Didn't use the advantages we had and our young players panicked.

If Wall can melt down like that, just about any freshman can.

 

[revcort]

Wall, Knight, Fox, Aaron and Ulis, all stepped up and hit big clutch shots.

Fox and especially Aaron and Knight, did it in the NCAAT, but I think we can all agree those players were on a different level. Most of them were highly skilled when they got here.

However, the flip side of that is what happened in the 2010 Wva game, the 2014 title game and the 2015 Wisconsin game. We choked in those games. Didn't use the advantages we had and our young players panicked.

If Wall can melt down like that, just about any freshman can.

Well said, once again. I definitely agree that experience is huge in those moments. If Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and the rest had returned for their sophomore years, what are the chances they'd choke against West Virginia? Zero. So, being a transcendent talent doesn't exempt a player from having those freshman jitters and lapses. I agree with that.

But with this year's UK team, it was more than that. That is, this team lacked more than just experience. We didn't have anyone (other than maybe Boston) who could consistently create his own shot at crunch time. And we all know that Boston missed more shots than most of his teammates attempted, so he's not the guy at crunch time. The team lacked a real alpha dog who wanted the ball and wanted to make a play. So, it wasn't just experience this season. This team was broken in multiple ways.

 

[RunninRichie]

Hard to argue that Jeff. I think our inability to close out games this season is another example of what you're talking about here. Our inexperience showed through in those moments. Now, I guess we could ask ourselves if the issue was just poor player personnel. Maybe this particular group of players just lacked some intangible quality to step up at crunch time. I would say that is likely part of the issue, though experience can help a player overcome that. Still, we have had freshmen who didn't shy away from the pressure and the moment in the past. John Wall had a game winner in his 2nd collegiate game, coast to coast and pull up jumper against Miami (Ohio). Some guys just rise to that occasion. Others shrink back from that moment. I think we had a bunch of guys on this particular team who didn't want the ball right there. I'm just playing devil's advocate here Jeff. I think experience is the best fix. I just wonder about this particular team and the psychology of it all. How many game winners did Sarr miss? Who else wanted the ball? I think the guy who was best in those situations was probably Mintz.

cals offense plays a huge part in that as well.