There is no excuse not to. We've seen it way too much where we can't hit anything and an opposing player goes off. Why hasn't this been addressed?
Practice in Rupp
- Thread starter Boyd94
- Start date
This is a really old complaint that I find to be quite silly.
Why do the other teams go off? That’s the issue that should be addressed.
I know several guys who have played in Rupp for the state tournament who say the size can throw off your depth perception. My nephew, who was a great 3 point shooter and led the state in free throw shooting a couple of years, struggled shooting the ball both times he played at Rupp. If you watch a lot of games at bigger arena's they turn the lights down low in the crowd to help with this but Rupp doesn't. I have always wondered if a darker arena would help with shooting. 
There have been games where I thought it seemed like the other team couldn't miss and then you look at the stats and they shot 33% like Vandy did last night. It isn't that the team shot lights out it is that either one guy was hot or they just hit them at big times making it seem like they just didn't miss.
Our entire program is such a mess right now. From the coach to the ad to the fans, even the arena. Time for a fresh start.
It doesn't bother visiting teams, I'm telling you the pressure at Kentucky is enormous and it bothers some and some not so much. You are in the spotlight here and every shot you take is supposed to go in, each time you miss, the pressure builds. It's always been that way. Everything you do is magnified, that might be another reason players bolt after one year, they can't handle the pressure. This comes with the territory when you sign with Kentucky. Is it fair maybe not but it's real. I'm sure if you ask CJ why he is having trouble hitting the basket, he will say I don't know, but deep down he does know.
What do they practice, though? He doesn't change defenses, run out of bounds plays, make adjustments, game plan for opponents, etc. I guess they could just let them go in there and shoot maybe.
From my understanding the visiting team practices at Rupp the day of the game, never shooting anywhere OTHER than Rupp. While we go to the practice facility for shoot arounds. But idk if that's true. And it's only what I've heard here in passing.
But if thats the case, I'm not a fan of it. Shooting is streaky and it's rhythmic. I don't think it's a good idea to have our guys do shoot around in one gym. Only to go play in another gym, even if they are used to Rupp.
I looked at our 3pt numbers last night between home and away, and it's pretty close from eye balling it. We don't seem to do much better at home. Might actually be worse.
Maybe it's not a huge deal.. but these are the sort of easy things to change and at least remove the doubt of using multiple gyms on the day of. Just seems silly, like we're trying to make things harder for ourselves.
I think it is a big deal, even though this is how it's been under Cal, under Tubby, under Pitino, I think under Sutton and Hall too (I try to forget BCG).
Last night just 1 more made shot could be the difference in a W and L. Shooting is very much streaky and rhythmic (as above said), it's "a feel" you get and you know when you get it. It can only help to at least do the shoot around in there, if not often practice in there. I'm not saying it will increase our shooting %'s 5-10%. But just one more made 3, a couple more made 2's or FTs, can add another win or two a season.
Last night just 1 more made shot could be the difference in a W and L. Shooting is very much streaky and rhythmic (as above said), it's "a feel" you get and you know when you get it. It can only help to at least do the shoot around in there, if not often practice in there. I'm not saying it will increase our shooting %'s 5-10%. But just one more made 3, a couple more made 2's or FTs, can add another win or two a season.
It didn't seem to bother us against Auburn on Saturday. Good shooting and poor shooting nights just happen sometimes. Lots of wide open looks from 3 last night that we just missed.
We're all aware of Cal's coaching shortcomings, but I don't really put last night's loss on him. We got GREAT shots that we just didn't make, we ran several nice inbounds plays, and he called strategic timeouts down the stretch of the game. We even got to the line a lot, but missed several crucial free throws.
We're all aware of Cal's coaching shortcomings, but I don't really put last night's loss on him. We got GREAT shots that we just didn't make, we ran several nice inbounds plays, and he called strategic timeouts down the stretch of the game. We even got to the line a lot, but missed several crucial free throws.
Great post. 100% right. Why not do the "easy" things, even if the difference is very minimal? Seems like a no-brainer to have our shoot arounds in Rupp.
It's almost like Kentucky basketball and the fans strut around saying "we don't need gimmicks to win games, we're Kentucky! We win the old fashioned way!".
Meanwhile, that's exactly how teams like Duke and Kansas are winning games, while we lose a 2-pt game because of this "moral high ground" in the way we do things. Sometimes this complex/hubris of "We're Kentucky, we do things differently!" is tiresome and causes us to get in our own way. It may have worked in the 40's and 50's, but not now. You want to be the best in today's basketball, you have to use all advantages at your disposal. Use every angle. Don't give visiting teams anything extra. Make it near impossible for them to come away with a win.
Meanwhile, that's exactly how teams like Duke and Kansas are winning games, while we lose a 2-pt game because of this "moral high ground" in the way we do things. Sometimes this complex/hubris of "We're Kentucky, we do things differently!" is tiresome and causes us to get in our own way. It may have worked in the 40's and 50's, but not now. You want to be the best in today's basketball, you have to use all advantages at your disposal. Use every angle. Don't give visiting teams anything extra. Make it near impossible for them to come away with a win.
I have said before there is no home court advantage other than crowd noise because of lack of practice there
Is the first part true?
And as for the second part.. Vandy seemed to be able to get court time in Rupp, so why can't we? This is what I'm talking about.. there should be no scenario where the opposing team gets their shoot around in the arena, and we don't. If it's a shortened time for both teams, then so be it.
Why are we actively trying to make things harder for ourselves?
The first part is true. We started having shootarounds at Rupp when Cal started taking all of the player's phones and iPads away the night before games.
And it stopped? When? A few weeks later I guess?
Not really a big enough sample size. And regardless, I still see no reason to NOT have our shoot arounds in the gym we are going to be playing a game in. Golfers don't do tournament practice rounds on a course the next town over.. They practice as much as they can on the course they will be playing on.
I know this has been addressed previously. But it does make sense to me to practice at Rupp. Big arenas do affect shooting imo especially with our roster turnover.
Some freshman play in really small gyms. They can have trouble adjusting to a massive place like Rupp.
I wonder what the players would say themselves.
They did it as recently as the Tennessee game. Can't confirm the Auburn game, but with the amount of pictures with this team and the 96, 97, 98 teams in the locker room I think they did then as well.
I do know for the first 40+ years Rupp was open UK had the best home winning percentage in the country. So not practicing there clearly did not prevent that massive accomplishment.
Probably not a whole lot of freshmen/newcomer laden teams though. I think if anyone stays a second year, they will probably improve.
All of Cal's highly successful freshman laden teams are included in that time frame. Cal's 51 game home win streak was in that period.
