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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Its an SEC team in a Big 10 city</span> - Kentucky has a long history of trying not to be Southern. The commonwealth was even neutral throughout the Civil War. Lexington is the epitome of a Midwestern city. Going to a football game on Kentucky's campus is like going to a football game in Iowa City, Champaign, East Lansing or West Lafayette, opposed to Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, Athens or even Starkville. Lexington is nice and all, but its almost like they are trying not to be a Southern college town.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The basketball is king mentality</span> - Kentucky has a storied basketball tradition, but that tradition is becoming a lot like Ole Miss' football tradition - in the past. Since winning 2 of 3 national championships in '96 and '98, Kentucky basketball has not been a national power. They are embarking on a season with their third coach in four years. The mystique of playing Kentucky no longer exists.
However, like an Alabama football fan, you cannot tell this to a UK basketball fan. They think they are going to win the national title every year. But unlike an Alabama� football fan, Kentucky fans pretty much ignore football. That's sad because they have a nice program - I'd gladly trade our recent history with theirs.
Since Kentucky has advanced to the NCAA Final Four in basketball:
Kentucky football has played in five bowl games (including one New Year's Day bowl), winning three.
Kentucky football has had five All-American players
Kentucky football has had 26 first team all-SEC players (they had five prior to 1998)
Kentucky football has had the No. 1 draft pick in the NFL Draft (only four other SEC schools have had this in the past 20 years)
Kentucky baseball has won the overall SEC championship
Again, a recent history that we would gladly take, but the average Kentucky fan does not care about anything outside of basketball, which they have been average at over the past 10 years.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Those fans are over the top</span> - It might be the borboun, but Kentucky fans are pretty difficult to deal with - especially during basketball season.
From Novemeber through mid-March (notice I did not say early April), Kentucky fans turn into LSU, Alabama and Notre Dame fans combined. The fanbase wanted to fire Gillespie after one year, and UK actually pulled the trigger after two years.
In 2007-08, the Wildcats went 12-4 in the SEC. That's good enough to win the SEC most years and they wanted to fire Gillespie!In 2008-09, they went 22-14, a pretty good overall mark, but the 8-8 SEC record was good enough to get Gillespie booted.
And it was caused by the fan base. Now, like Alabama, UK basketball fans have a coach that they can worship, which combined with a #5 pre-season ranking (after a 5th place finish in the SEC East last year?) should make Kentucky fans fun to deal with this hoops season.
</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Its an SEC team in a Big 10 city</span> - Kentucky has a long history of trying not to be Southern. The commonwealth was even neutral throughout the Civil War. Lexington is the epitome of a Midwestern city. Going to a football game on Kentucky's campus is like going to a football game in Iowa City, Champaign, East Lansing or West Lafayette, opposed to Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, Athens or even Starkville. Lexington is nice and all, but its almost like they are trying not to be a Southern college town.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The basketball is king mentality</span> - Kentucky has a storied basketball tradition, but that tradition is becoming a lot like Ole Miss' football tradition - in the past. Since winning 2 of 3 national championships in '96 and '98, Kentucky basketball has not been a national power. They are embarking on a season with their third coach in four years. The mystique of playing Kentucky no longer exists.
However, like an Alabama football fan, you cannot tell this to a UK basketball fan. They think they are going to win the national title every year. But unlike an Alabama� football fan, Kentucky fans pretty much ignore football. That's sad because they have a nice program - I'd gladly trade our recent history with theirs.
Since Kentucky has advanced to the NCAA Final Four in basketball:
Kentucky football has played in five bowl games (including one New Year's Day bowl), winning three.
Kentucky football has had five All-American players
Kentucky football has had 26 first team all-SEC players (they had five prior to 1998)
Kentucky football has had the No. 1 draft pick in the NFL Draft (only four other SEC schools have had this in the past 20 years)
Kentucky baseball has won the overall SEC championship
Again, a recent history that we would gladly take, but the average Kentucky fan does not care about anything outside of basketball, which they have been average at over the past 10 years.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Those fans are over the top</span> - It might be the borboun, but Kentucky fans are pretty difficult to deal with - especially during basketball season.
From Novemeber through mid-March (notice I did not say early April), Kentucky fans turn into LSU, Alabama and Notre Dame fans combined. The fanbase wanted to fire Gillespie after one year, and UK actually pulled the trigger after two years.
In 2007-08, the Wildcats went 12-4 in the SEC. That's good enough to win the SEC most years and they wanted to fire Gillespie!In 2008-09, they went 22-14, a pretty good overall mark, but the 8-8 SEC record was good enough to get Gillespie booted.
And it was caused by the fan base. Now, like Alabama, UK basketball fans have a coach that they can worship, which combined with a #5 pre-season ranking (after a 5th place finish in the SEC East last year?) should make Kentucky fans fun to deal with this hoops season.
</span>
