Pope has assembled a loaded roster. Even our bench is loaded! There's no ifs ands or buts this time around. I don't see any team hanging giving us too much competition. Shouldn't we be preseason #1?
I'm calling it now...UK wins the Natty in 2026!
- Thread starter bluedom44
- Start date
Me guess is Houston will get the nod at preseason #1. If we get LW, I think we will start top 3 most likely
The big, big IF's are Quaintance and who the primary ball-handler will be. Those doing the polls will surely look at those things. The depth, provided we don't run into a bunch of injuries again, will be much better than last year.
I can solve one of your big IFs immediately—- the primary ball handler is Jaland Lowe, one of the top players in the portal.
No way I can even try to think this way. You can have all the top talent and if the team does not have chemistry, they will not win. If they do not learn to play off each other, again cannot win.
Pope's work is not even going to start till this team gets on campus for summer workouts and summer classes. Pope will have talks with the guys that are coming back and try to explain to them how important it is to get with the new guys, get them to do team functions, get them in the gym and so forth. Hopefully the roster he has built, will be able to come together and play for each other and the name on the front of the jersey. If so then we will have as good of a shot as any team in NCAA this coming year.
Pope's work is not even going to start till this team gets on campus for summer workouts and summer classes. Pope will have talks with the guys that are coming back and try to explain to them how important it is to get with the new guys, get them to do team functions, get them in the gym and so forth. Hopefully the roster he has built, will be able to come together and play for each other and the name on the front of the jersey. If so then we will have as good of a shot as any team in NCAA this coming year.
Dafuk you talking about big if? Not to mention that’s not even an IF type question but we have a true point guard coming in.
I know Lowe coming here isn’t as important as what cal ate for dinner but lord have mercy you’d think someone who’s on here all the time would know who our signees are.
I think backup or secondary ball handler sure.
Ha....I was waiting for the annual national championship talk. Just a little surprised it started before the roster was all the way filled, but I guess it's never too early for the hype to begin.
I know one thing, we'd better invest in a proven strength and conditioning coach if we are serious about cutting down nets again.
I know one thing, we'd better invest in a proven strength and conditioning coach if we are serious about cutting down nets again.
Very premature since we have never seen these guys play together. Have to factor in injuries and also a certain amount of luck is involved. We should be able to compete for a title but that doesn't mean we win one. In my lifetime I have seen us have what I considered the best team and still not win it. The year we lost to G town in FF I thought we had the best team in country. The year we lost to Michigan in FF I thought we had the best team. I'm convinced that had Keith Bogans not sprained his ankle before Elite8 game we had best team. It was the best defensive team I ever saw at UK. Obviously in 2015 we had the best team and didn't win it. In a single elimination tourney Anything can happen.
Wait, so you joined Feb 2025 and waiting on the annual championship talk? What’s your main account name ?
I think it’s a valid concern…… if we are being looking for a weakness. After last years rash of injuries, if Lowe goes down, we need a true back up PG (Hopefully Jasper or Perry can fill that spot. I’m not sold on Chandler being a pure PG). Also, making sure JQ is back from an ACL tear. Valid concerns if we are getting out a magnifying glass.
It’s good to have minor things to worry about lol
Yeah, I’d like to either see a wing scorer or true backup PG. If we get the wing that means JJ gets 22-25 mins/game as backup wing and PG. If we get the truly backup PG then JJ probably starts and/or plays those same mins as a wing. Honestly, I like the makeup better with the experienced scorer and JJ having the combo role. I just think he’s gonna be really good.
If the crystal ball could tell me JQ is pre-injury JQ by SEC play (and we get another guard) it’s hard to imagine a scenario where we aren’t the best (on paper) team in the country. There are still questions that need to be answered to get there, but any team has those.
Lol certainly fits his over the top style. Idk not a fan of threads like these. Tourney is hard to win, who knows. Just give us a chance, it's all we can ask for honestly
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IF we sign Lamar Wilkerson to go along with what we've already got. And IF no one else transfers out. And the BIGGEST IF of them all. IF we can stay healthy and avoid the injury bug that wrecked our season that just ended. And considering that our team for next season has at least 4 future NBA players on the roster, Yeah I agree with you Kentucky should win the 2026 national championship.
Let's get Wilkerson in here officially as a commitment and also get an official announcement from Oweh that he's coming back before we anoint the next roster.
Our frontcourt is currently dominant, but we still have some things to solidify on the wing.
Our frontcourt is currently dominant, but we still have some things to solidify on the wing.
I think we will be a serious contender, on a level that I just didn't quite feel we were on this past year, despite some huge wins.
I suspect we will contend for a 1 seed. Some tough but winnable matchups next year. UofL, MSU, Gonzaga (nashville), Indiana, St. Johns are effectively home games. I'm not gonna guarantee any wins there, but it's not a very scary OOC schedule either. We will have more talent than any of those teams, which going back to the point above, we didn't always have last year. As for the SEC, it will be tough, but there almost has to be a regression to the mean. There's almost no way the conference performs as good as they did this year. Seems some teams are going to take a step back, like Auburn and Tennessee.
If there's one critique. And it's sort of nit picking really. But having an elite scorer would be nice. That could be what causes us to lose in a later round. But, we have plenty of guys who could fill that role if they keep progressing.
I suspect we will contend for a 1 seed. Some tough but winnable matchups next year. UofL, MSU, Gonzaga (nashville), Indiana, St. Johns are effectively home games. I'm not gonna guarantee any wins there, but it's not a very scary OOC schedule either. We will have more talent than any of those teams, which going back to the point above, we didn't always have last year. As for the SEC, it will be tough, but there almost has to be a regression to the mean. There's almost no way the conference performs as good as they did this year. Seems some teams are going to take a step back, like Auburn and Tennessee.
If there's one critique. And it's sort of nit picking really. But having an elite scorer would be nice. That could be what causes us to lose in a later round. But, we have plenty of guys who could fill that role if they keep progressing.
That is a valid concern
That’s not what I replied to.
I replied to : “the big IF is who’s going to be the primary ball handler”.
It didn’t mention Lowe at all nor Lowe getting injured. We have a primary ball handler.
It’s a roster that can meet or exceed what the team did in 24-25, and when fully healthy, the 24-25 team had a very high ceiling.
Thank you, TNATFL. Just bush league that it took 13 posts in this thread.
UK fans don’t really think about other teams. 2 big things for us to be excited about. The roster seems better than last year and the conference will be taking a step back imo all of cbb will take a step back. The dent we get created has left holes in other programs and I think we steal a couple more. Pope believes in 10 deep rosters and now he can load it up to 15 and pick the top 10. At the end of the day this year it was one of 4 teams who would win it all. I think next year will be similar. We are not just stacked we will be able to match up any way we have to and do it with depth. Anything is possible but I don’t see any 20 teams “loaded”.
I can't wait to curbstomp Alabama, Ole Miss, and Auburn. I hope Oweh holds grudges.
It's more fun to beat your chest than to clutch your pearls.
Also, if you don't talk stuff before the game, you might not get to after.
GBB!
No he didn’t. The guy I replied to is Wildskatfan, joined in Feb ‘25. Not the OP.
I'm on the bandwagon! Let's do it! 2 losses max, and number nine! then 2027 will be a reset year, and then again in 2028.
We are good. I make mistakes all the time just ask my wife.
I think that’s the discussion Pope has with all of these guys. I think it’s why some guys we thought we were good with took a pass. So be it. If they can’t agree to be team first players we don’t want them here. We want guys who want to play for a Championship, not stuff stats for their NBA prospects. I think he’s assembled a team of guys who are on approximately the same level from an NIL standpoint so there aren’t any animosities towards guys making tons more than others. Going to be a fun season.